Union of Independent Worlds Faction RP thread

[Cannonshop]

In the meantime Ezra and his companions took a good drink, Ezra only one beer, though, but he took a steak. There were even some soldiers listening to Miranda "the Invincible" and her story. Surviving on Arluna for so long, that was a feat.
And surviving the biggest Hog in Arluna's History was certainly worth listening to, especially as this was only 2 Months ago.

"...and then, Laura says, 'I thought you were dead!"  Miranda laughed, "I swear, the only person who wasn't surprised to see I was alive, was Ezra here."  Miranda was slightly tipsy, and getting minor details slightly wrong as a result.  "So, I got Ezra here...I got him to come out to the shed, an' we talked about El Jefe a little bit, then I showed him my attempt at a solution-spears. Can you believe that??"  she shook her head, "Damn lucky am I, to be here alive and talking about that-lucky that there wasss something more effective than two meters of carbon-fibre rod with a meter-long boarspear head on the end of it."

"If I recall, you lodged yours in pretty deep, Miranda." Laura interjected.

"Yeah, not deep enough...the damn thing had glowy red eyes." Miranda expounded.

"Trick of the light." Ezra pointed out.

"Shh! I'm tellin' the story, we all know YOU killed the damn thing..." she was clearly in high spirits-or perhaps the Spirits she was drinking had made her somewhat high...

[Daemonknight]

Alexis shook her head at Emmaline's offer of a tour.
"While I have been known to enjoy the occasional historical pursuit, I must decline, at least until after I have spoken with the Arch-Duchess. Perhaps once I have delivered my messages, I will take you up on the tour. It will be interesting to see a Castle Brian re-purposed to something other than war." Alexis noted that there was an odd inflection in Emmaline's voice when she mentioned the Castle complex, and the new Jade Falcon ilChi couldn't help but wonder if perhaps there was something more there.

She had read her Watch reports on the way to the surface, and they had been quite detailed, considering the short time span the intelligence arm had to work with. She surmised that the radical shift from defensive, reactive forces to the new order of quick strike teams had less to do with a change of top-level command, and more to do with the Flu. More than just a simple plague, as she originally assumed, it was clear, at least in her mind, that the super-bug had 'infected' the whole of the Union worlds' society, even down to converting a perfectly usable defensive space into a sealed mausoleum.

Only a fool could ignore the signs. Even being outside, while inconspicuous by itself, in context, it seemed that the people of Arluna were avoiding areas that had proved deadly before: namely, large indoor gatherings. She wished she could investigate her theories, but her orders had been quite clear: settle the meeting, then she could have her fun exploring and learning all she wished about the planet's history. A history of death, but also one of self-discovery, from the sudden changes that had been wrought.

Alexis suddenly realized she had become a statue for a moment, idly chewing on the bone of a pork rib she'd finished a few minutes ago. Emmaline was looking at her quizzically, and she grunted quickly and replaced the gnawed bone with a fresh, meaty one.

"I apologize, I was simply thinking on something you had said. I find it most curious that you would convert the Castle into a crypt. And why seal it with ferrocrete? The facility has it's own pressurization system, quiaff? Why not just use that to keep the storage areas in vaccum, that would preserve them better than sealing it off with ferrocrete...or is there more to the sealing than just keeping the bodies safe?" She knew that perhaps she was stepping on dangerous ground, but until she could meet with the Archduchess, why not indulge herself in a little local history?

[GreyJaeger]

"Actually, I wanted to speak with you in private on other matters-before addressing the news Commander Thanh brought me." Debra said, "First, I would apologize to you-I was not raised a Noble, so I am having to improvise this whole 'international diplomacy' thing." Deb told her, continuing, "Sometimes I get it right-and sometimes I screw it up-I was reminded, for instance, that what I thought was good manners in helping you up onto the truck might be percieved as an insult by someone raised in the Warrior Caste...so that out of the way now, please do not take it the wrong way, but I am dead-curious what the UIW can do for Clan Steel Viper-your Occupation Zones are a good many Lights out from here, and we do not occupy strategic territory in your war with the Terrans.  Try as I might, I can not think of a single strategic reason your Clan would have to want to even acknowledge our existence-and that makes me curious."

Debbie paused for a moment, then smiled, "ON the other hand, I see LOTS of reasons why we would want to have good relations with as many Clans as possible-I like the Adders, do not get me wrong, but fact is, I have no interest in me, or mine, becoming their chattel, no matter HOW well I get along with their representative, or how much help they gave us during the Flu, they are Clan-all that can change in a single, internal fight that changes a single leader in their Touman, a balance of influences strikes me as being not undesirable, from OUR perspective."  Here Debbie set out a pair of glasses, and a pitcher.  "The economic benefit to us of just having stable relations is obvious, if you decided to invest in the Union, there are trade benefits that would likewise be obvious-but you folk are warriors first, your priorities are Warrior priorities, needs are military needs.  So I have to think maybe there is a Military reason you have come-and I would like to hear it."

she poured an amber tea that smelled faintly of mint, into each glass, indicating that the ilChi should choose one.  "I am responsible for fourteen billion people-that is my job, in an area that three years ago had twenty-four billion people.  We only finished burying the dead this last spring, though they are still finding more as areas are re-opened.  If the Flu had been a natural occurrance, if it had NOT been the hand of man, I guess my thinking would be different-but since it WAS the hand of man, and since a recent...incident occurred showing that someone has been monkeying with the wildlife in an intent to kill people, I find I have to ask more questions than a better-educated, less..uncouth? person would."

Habit and discipline found the Steel Viper officer falling into a parade rest stance, and once she realized it, she remained that way. She felt that since she was entering a more formal situation, the stance was appropriate. The Star Commander took a moment to consider the Archduchesses words before responding. "Technically, the Steel Vipers do not have an occupation zone in the Inner Sphere, unless you are referring to our holdings in the Deep Periphery? Regardless, there is a strategic goal at play in my being here. Before the Steel Vipers can engage the Terrans and their puppets, we need to secure our ability to repair and refit our combat forces. By having the infrastructure in place before capturing worlds more conducive to combating the Not-Named. Another important military goal is to spread our military infrastructure around so a single world falling does not cripple our ability to repair and refit."

"But not all our goals are military in nature. All the Clans were tasked by the Founder to conquer Terra, but for the Steel Vipers, we were given a complimentary yet different task. Yes, we may need to use military force to accomplish our goals, but the Founder also told us to achieve creating a new Star League through co-operation with the Inner Sphere. Unfortunately, during our first sojourn into the Inner Sphere, we did not know how to implement the Mercer Doctrine. Truth is, we still do not. Khan Zalman has a plan, and sending me here is a step. The Khan took another step several weeks ago when he was able to pass a reform that allows our lower castes to attempt to test into another caste, even into our warrior caste, if they pass. The Khan defended his proposition himself successfully when the vote was challenged, as well as a Trial of Grievance for even proposing the change. Once the Warrior Council gets word of my mission here, he will likely have to defend himself again."

Knowing she was not on the course she planned on following, but decided to continue. "The point I am trying to make, is that the Vipers are in transition. If my Clan can build a relationship with an Inner Sphere state not built solely on conquest, even a small one such as yours, and the relationship is successful, maybe we can do more, quaiff? The Union of Independent Worlds may just be the opportunity we need to test our abilities, and our convictions. And you are correct in stating that everything could change due to a single Trial. But change often comes with a much lower cost. Tomorrow you could change your mind in a fit of pique. The Lyran government could pull itself out of the abyss and come here in legions to bring your nation back into their fold.. Or the so-called SLDF could come here to claim your nation as their 'Protectorate'. Those are all things to be considered to be sure, but they are all events beyond any one of our control. Khan Zalman knows this, yet he feels strongly enough about his ideals and his convictions that he is willing to risk everything to attempt this. He would be here himself if it was not for very pressing business in the HomeWorlds."

[Cannonshop]

Deb reached over and toggled a concealed control, the centre of the table opened, and a holodisplay appeared above.

"Basing and infrastructure we can do." she said, "I assume your Watch has profiles on our worlds already, so it comes down to a matter of selection based on your needs and requirements-perhaps one of the more fortunate outcomes from the Flu, is that most of our worlds lost the bulk of the un-skilled, the Flu ripped through the old welfare-island populations first and hardest, then skipped over rural and landholder populations to hammer the top tiers, I think it might have had something to do with the cities being mostly upper class and welfare classes in the urban centres, that might be good news for ya, it means there are a lot of empty spaces to fill in, and a largely idled skilled workforce to draw off of, especially on Anembo and Australia, which would insulate your facilities from bandit attack-at least somewhat, meaning you would not need to post garrisons quite as large as you would on, say, Neerabup or Kowloon..." her accent started creeping into  her words at this point, and there was a slight growl as she continued,  "...and that brings up something I am going to want to bring up when everyone else finally gets here-I think we know where the Reavers came from-or at least, who is backing them, and it is a serious problem."

she paused, gathering her thoughts and (more importantly) focusing on controlling her speech for a moment, "I think we can work together, Star Commander.  I think you may find working with us will help your folk learn to work with others-perhaps quicker than you or Khan Zalman may realize, but nobody should go into this kind of relationship blind, doing so risks a lot of lives needlessly."

She keyed something on the table, and spoke, "Leutenant, bring the other delegates, it is time for them to meet each other and to find out what has us all in a tizzy tonight."

"Aye Aye, Ma'am." was the response over the comm unit.

Deb looked up at her guest, "In a few minutes, when everyone else gets in here, you will have to sit through something-and some of it you already know, and some of it may come as a surprise to you, and hopefully, you and the others might have some ideas on what needs to be done about it." she said.

[Cannonshop]

outdoors...

The girl was singing a folk-song now, sad and lilting and slow, as Miranda continued trying to tell her story.

"Sir, Ma'am? The Duchess needs to see you now."  Pol Nguyen was a man Ezra had met-briefly.  The little Marine officer seemed to appear like some kind of gruesome magic trick.  "Sitting room is just off the front hall, through the double-doors..."

"I have been there before, Leutenant Commander."  Charlotte told him, "As has the ilChi."  

"Good.  I have to retrieve the other representatives." Pol said, and snapped a salute before turning and march-walking away.


Pol's next stop, was under one of the walnut trees, where Emmaline-the-Castellan was entertaining the Jade Falcon ilChi.

"Ma'am." he said,  "The Archduchess would appreciate your presence in the sitting room of the main house as soon as possible. do you require a guide?"

"I can show her the way, Leutenant Commander." Emmaline piped up, adding, "You going to get Ambassador Inara?"

"If you are showing Star Captain Hazen the path, yeah." Pol stated, "The others have already been informed."

"Good... Star Captain, if you would follow me?" Emmaline inquired.

Pol, seeing that this portion of his duty done, headed off to seek out Ambassador Inara of the Free Worlds League...

[Marlin]

With a nod to Miranda and shortly smiling as the gathered people, Ezra moved quickly. Not that he really wanted to go to an official meeting just now, it was nice here. But he knew what his duty was. And he was a Warrior. Determined he walked quickly, with Charlotte following.

He hesitated and turned to her: "Charlotte, I think it is better that you stay. I was promoted for a higher security clearance. I know you would hear things beyond that you already know which would likely irritate you. Stay here." She nodded reluctantly. Of course he would be right. Of the few opportunities they had, he had grasped them, letting him rise above what both would have dreamed of. He was certainly wiser than her, but somehow it hurt.

When he was let in, Ezra knew the Archduchess but reserved a smile. There was a woman, though, a Warrior. Steel Viper Star Commander. He could not make out the name, but that would come. 'What do the Vipers want here?' he wondered.

However, Deb seemed thoughtful, this was urgent and serious business.

"Archduchess, Clan Ice Hellion is represented now." He spoke, waiting for her reaction.

[Daemonknight]

Star Captain Hazen followed the Castellan through the party grounds, disposing of her empty plate and cup(she would have to learn this style of cooking, it was certinly a few pegs above field rations) before making it to the Manor proper. It was only a short walk to the meeting room, and took stock of it's occupants.

The Ice Hellion was no suprise, they had been quite active here for some time. The Viper Star Commander was somewhat unexpected, but Alexis decided she would find out what she needed to know in good time. The Arch-Duchess herself looked older than her years, but between surviving the ravages of the Arluna Flu, and trying to corral a fractured segment of the Lyran Commonwealth, Star Captain Hazen couldn't exactly say she would look any better.

"Arch-Duchess, I am Star Captain Alexis Hazen, Jade Falcon ilChi to the Union, and I bring greetings from Khan Sonoma and the Jade Falcons. Likewise, ilKhan Diana Pryde has asked me to represent her personally for this meeting." She nodded to the two Clan warriors in the room aswell, not wanting to offend by adressing them without proper rank and bloodname.

[Cannonshop]

Star Captain Hazen followed the Castellan through the party grounds, disposing of her empty plate and cup(she would have to learn this style of cooking, it was certinly a few pegs above field rations) before making it to the Manor proper. It was only a short walk to the meeting room, and took stock of it's occupants.

The Ice Hellion was no suprise, they had been quite active here for some time. The Viper Star Commander was somewhat unexpected, but Alexis decided she would find out what she needed to know in good time. The Arch-Duchess herself looked older than her years, but between surviving the ravages of the Arluna Flu, and trying to corral a fractured segment of the Lyran Commonwealth, Star Captain Hazen couldn't exactly say she would look any better.

"Arch-Duchess, I am Star Captain Alexis Hazen, Jade Falcon ilChi to the Union, and I bring greetings from Khan Sonoma and the Jade Falcons. Likewise, ilKhan Diana Pryde has asked me to represent her personally for this meeting." She nodded to the two Clan warriors in the room aswell, not wanting to offend by adressing them without proper rank and bloodname.

Debbie nodded and said, "I'm pleased to meet you, Star Captain Alexis Hazen, this is Star Colonel Ezra-" She gestured to Ezra, "-the Ice Hellion ilChi, and this is Star Commander Jaymie the ilChi from Clan Steel Viper."  She set out two more glasses.  "I hate to say that I did not expect to have so many of you here at once, and maybe I should have...Dao, we are ready to start."

A side door opened and in walked Dao Thanh in her field uniform, carrying a stack of folders, these she passed to each of the ilChi, and Deb said, "Ladies, Gentleman, please have a seat,  Commander Thanh is here to present some information we think-hell with it, I think your clans should know-some of this is probably old hat to you, Ezra-you were involved in some of it."

[chaosxtreme]

"Now announcing, the Elector of Eleusis, Banorett of the Free Worlds League and Ambassador to the Court of the Duchess of Arluna. Ambassador Inara Sýntrofos."

It is good to once more be in my element. Pageantry, Joy, and yes of course intrigue they are my constant companion and friend though Inara as she sauntered into the main foyer wearing a mother of pearl silk weave strapless evening gown, with silver and gold highlights. The Colors of the Knights of the Inner Sphere but even the most brazen Dame would be shocked to see them displayed as they were here, the silk weave instead of being the regular soft sheer fabric was instead a true weave almost a knit pattern causing the gown to appear to leave little to the imagination above the waste while the silver wrist guards and bustier complimented the golden laurel crowne in her auburn hair.


"Duchess Debbie as always it is a pleasure. Thank you for inviting me into your home. I...look forward to enjoying it ...fully with you. "

"The Captain-General wish's you to know he appreciates not only your business with the nascent Irian Aerospace Company,
but he also cherish's the friendship between the Free Worlds and the Union in keeping he hereby gifts you The Dagger of Artemis an Aquarius Class Combat Shuttle, I have no doubt that the Coast Guard shall use it well to defend your borders against all predations."

" Further Despite events on Coventry we are going to do all we can to insure your just recompense from those shirkers on Coventry does come your way."

As Inara bent over slightly and clutching both arms to her chest in her exuberance, she moved closer towards the Duchess's just short of encroaching on her personal space, she noticed the slight tension in the Captain of the Duchess's guard throwing the Captain a none to subtle wink of ...interest as she gathered herself and continued on down the receiving line.

Ah so many very diverse...people and groups are here for the occassion, to speak with, to teach, to learn from, to..experience.


But first things first, if I don't tend to the Captain-Generals business and all of it mind you, young Malcolm will never let me alone this evening...and in nowhere near my preferred method thank you very much.


"Inara you are the Captain-Generals eyes and ears on Arluna!"

"Inara you represent the League on Arluna!"

"Inara the Free People depend on you to show these Unionists what we're on about."

"Inara would you please stop seducing the help."

Nag nag nag that man was born old I swear, his mouth is always in motion... hmm, now there is a thought. Anyway there is the now the later shall come later."

"

"As always a pleasure to see you again Senator you simply must come-by the Free Worlds League Embassy when you find the time."

as she traced a finger one finger across the back of the scarred Unionists hand she gave it a little squeeze as she sashayed on further into the event.

*sigh* Why oh why did I ever leave Eleusis for diplomatic service, oh yes?

"Young Simon was so refreshingly innocent, and his Mother River was so unrefreshingly damn scary. "

"Seriously I am the Bannoret! Even still best to give her another decade to get it out of her system....and best to bring a few of these strapping young men back with me...well even if she is over it they will have...other uses. Mr. Jayne for certain."

[Cannonshop]

Deb closed her eyes, marshalling her discipline.  "Ah expec' thet Lt. Commandah Nguyen had s'm diff'culty deliverin' th' message, Ambassadoah?"  slipped out anyway,  She clenched her teeth for a moment, then, more clearly, "Star Colonel Ezra, star Commander Jaymie, and Star Captain Hazen, this is Ambassador Inara from the Free Worlds' League, Ambassador, I would suggest you avoid offending the ilChi from the Ice Hellions..." she gestured to Ezra, "...Steel Vipers..." she gestured to Jaymie, "...and Jade Falcons-the last being the personal representative of the IlKhan herself, Diana Pryde... now that we have all met one another, the briefing can begin- this information should be considered privelaged, but soon to be made public, Dao, could you fetch the Ambassador her copy, please?"

Commander Thanh left the room and returned with a similar dossier to the ones now in the hands of the Clan ilChis, which she presented to Inara.

"First, we can go over the historical background, so that nobody feels left out." Deb said it quietly, but the room's acoustics worked in her favour-something her great grandfather had, no doubt intended when the house was re-built.  "Dao?" she said, giving the Coast Guard officer her cue...

"Three hundered years ago there was a Star League project that built a biological weapon-the documents on it are sketchy at best, what we have been able to put together with some assistance was that it was intended to be a 'clean' method of pacifying rebellions along the Periphery border-particularly, from what we have been able to gather, it was intended to act as a preventative after the Dinh Diep riots on Kowloon in 2729.  That virus was released about two years ago here on Arluna-by accident-from what we know (or think we know) from records shared to us by the Goliath Scorpions, General Kerensky himself ordered the project shut down-records are sketchy, but there you are-those records were critical in finding the cure, but not before roughly ten billion people on a dozen worlds were dead, including most of the population of Arluna...I believe the ilChi from each Clan present here today are conversant with the virus, and the method and circumstances of its release, and no doubt your colleagues in the Star Adder Clan have not made a secret of who was involved in relief efforts and the eventual development of the cure-though I also suspect that their reports and statements minimized local involvement in that development-that is not relevant to the discussion today, Everyone that was here during that period has their own stories to tell about it, most of which are either boring, or, so I have found, hard for offworlders to view with credibility."

The ordinary looking table on which drinks were set out, lit up, revealing the surface to be little more than a good holostage.

Floating roughly twenty centimeters from the surface, was an image of a huge animal that bore some resemblance to a Boar-except this one had long legs, and was roughly the size of a bison.  "This is the beast Star Colonel Ezra killed at Gordon, on our Everglades Continental landmass in the southern hemisphere.  Put bluntly, this beast was and is no natural mutation, nor is it a normal part of the ecology-it is genetically engineered, it is engineered to kill humans, and the size..." a representation of a human was brought into being, with a 'scaling' measure showing the difference "...is where it gets to be in about two years.  Star Colonel, the beast you killed was two years and six months old based on the best work our veterinarians and genetics people could work out based on typical animal markers such as bone deposition, tooth wear, and projected growth rates based on DNA cultures."

The beast stopped rotating and was sectioned out.  "The nasal membrane has receptors keyed to biological scent markers typical of genus Homo, and those receptors are tied to the rage sections of the mammalian mid-brain-in other words, it smells humans, it becomes aggressive.  Blood, neural, and other factors show this species is capable of remarkable levels of self-repair in extremely compressed periods of time, it is also highly resistant to damage-the skin density would make a Rhino envious, fat layers below that are laid out with stranded tissue, making it very difficult to damage with blunt trauma and nearly impervious to most ballistics, the bones have strand-carbon structures and it is not implanted-this is how the damn bones grow, creating in-built trauma plates, making for a general structure that is pretty much impervious to most light military weapons and completely impervious to the bulk of civilian grade hardware-rifle bullets will not stop it, will not kill it, and machine guns would have a hard time up to SLDF standard 20mm rounds, the next are the internal organs- there is the main heart, but there are additonal muscle bundles on the arteries and additonal valves-means it can go longer even with a good shot to the heart-possibly long enough to actually recover from the loss of that organ, likewise for other key internal organs...and then, there is the brain, which feeds through TWO spinal chords-the primary where there SHOULD be one, and a secondary in this muscular sheath running underneath the spine-with connections to the same motor nerves served by the main spine...which means even a broken neck or back likely can not stop it and will only act as a minor irritation...the point is, this thing was made to grow fast, and designed to hunt and kill people as its primary prey.  The brain-experts tell me that when it was alive, it was about as smart as a chimp, and exuded Pheremones that normal, non-engineered pigs will respond to as 'dominance' pheremones."

she stopped, "SOmeone designed it and turned it loose on Arluna, sometime about two years ago from the evidence we have gathered.  A couple helicopter gunships took down another one two weeks ago-they had to burn the fucker with inferno rounds...now, as far as we know, nobody in the Inner Sphere has the technical knowledge to genetically engineer one of these things-but we know they ARE genetically engineered-the dead one was a sow, and we were able to recover six fetuses from the carcass-all with developing structure just like El Jefe.  It takes a hog about six months to grow to sexual maturity...now someone with unquestioned access to Arluna turned this loose sometime in the last two years-there is only a narrow window for that to have occurred-during the Relief Operation.  Someone with advanced genetic engineering skills beyond the state of the art of the Inner Sphere-before we were cut off, I had contact with UW Donegal, and they never saw anything like this before...except for samples of the Smoke Jaguar and a few other engineered beasts picked up for analysis on Huntress after Serpent...and those examples are less thoroughly worked out than this-less refined, showing less practical knowledge and technical or theoretical completeness."

While Dao spoke, Debra watched their faces in silence.

"We have heard rumours that there was a problem in the Scientist Caste of several Clans, that these scientists were engaging in violations of your Ethics laws, conducting experiments and attempting to wrest control for themselves.  Another rumour says that some of the Clans, incluiding one that had unquestioned access to Arluna during the Plague Year, are rumoured to be under the influence of this 'conspiracy'."  Dao turned to Debra.

"I sent out a team to ask them." Deb said simply, "There were other things they were supposed to address as cover, but the primary mission was to determine why the Goliath Scorpion mission to Grantsville pulled out, why their seekers stopped going to Kowloon's archives, and why they stopped answering their messages-we called it operation 'sharp stick' and it was running under the cover of being an expedition to track back the Reaver Bandits that hit Jessenice in May, and Jerangle last March-the Bandit hunting mission was real-we intended to find out if they had hit Scorpion holdings, and if they had any info on the attackers that we had not already gathered ourselves."

She picked up her glass, frowned, and tossed it into the fireplace.  "We found out an answer we did NOT want...Dao, you better give them the rest of the information."

[GreyJaeger]

 The Steel Viper MechWarrior spoke before the UIW officer could speak. "The animals that the various Clans engineered, were to make the animals adaptable to the various planets of the Kerensky Cluster and Pentagon Worlds. The only instance of a Clan going farther than that would have been the Snow Ravens when the scientists of that Clan introduced a genetically modified shark to hunt the Sea Fox. Does the Scientist Caste have the means and capabilities, especially those who are involved with the Cabals. But to dismiss an Inner Sphere power being scientifically capable of creating a creature such as this is premature. The Niops association supposedly has radically altered the human genome, and the Terrans has had access to the former Nova Cats Scientists for a decade. The Terrans also are believed by the Clans to have made extensive leaps forward in cybernetics."

Looking at each individual in the eyes, she continued. "I am not saying anyone is, or is not responsible. Truth be told, I find this to be nearly impossible. Point is, the question that needs to be asked along with who, is why? Granted, our information on the Scientist Cabal is limited, I would not be remiss to state that the Vipers have the most information on them, but unfortunately, I am not privy to that information. I could request an inquiry on the subject, but I can not guarantee anything."  

[Cannonshop]

Dao, at least, nodded, and looked to the Archduchess.

"I would appreciate that, ilChi Jaymie." Deb said, "Anything you could gather-we do not know who for certain, or why, but we do know roughly when, and we have samples of what it is-an' if it would help, I can have some of the samples we gathered transferred to your folks for analysis..in fact, I expect I will be authorizing transferral of samples to everyone here for analysis-Star Colonel Ezra, you faced one of these-I would guess the first one, based on the timeline and age of the ones we have encountered since, at Gordon...but there is a reason I mentioned there being more to this...see, like I said, we sent a mssion to inquire from the Goliath Scorpions-based on the working relationship we had locally with their team, and the previous statements from their Khan as of two years ago, we did not expect what we found at Death of Adrian...Dao?"

"We found an invasion fleet assembling at Death of Adrian, and they did not answer hails-at first.  The UIS Incorrigible Flirt, a Quetzcoatl class long-range Cutter belonging to the Kowloonese Coast Guard division was sent to that system to establish contact...Thirty six hours after arriving and after two hailing attempts, the Coast Guard vessel was attacked without challenge-they did not even bother with a surrender order  or heave-to, just radio silence and then they jumped the cutter with twenty fighters.  The cutter's complement of twelve cut the number down some, but in the end damage to the core prevented a jump-out, so the Captain ordered the surviving crew to ditch, scuttled the ship, and burned the codebooks and black box-we do not know if any of the crew survived, but given the nature and manner of the attack, it seems unlikely that anyone made it to the most likely survival position."

[Marlin]

Ezra in his mind weighed Jaymie's arguments. She had a point. But then.. 'Black Box?' What does that mean? That was a new twist.

That the Scorps would attack suddenly however and massing was a bad turn of events.

He didn't know what to make of that. But Command would certainly be interested.

"What are your plans now, Archduchess?" He asked Deb.

[Cannonshop]

Ezra in his mind weighed Jaymie's arguments. She had a point. But then.. 'Black Box?' What does that mean? That was a new twist.

That the Scorps would attack suddenly however and massing was a bad turn of events.

He didn't know what to make of that. But Command would certainly be interested.

"What are your plans now, Archduchess?" He asked Deb.

Deb leaned back in her chair, "Well, first off, is we need to know if what we are seeing, is what is really there." she said, "Gather information-so first we let some people who know them better than we do know what has gone on, what they have (best we can tell) and where, in exchange for information we do NOT have-like details on this 'scientist Cabal' and their objectives, any odd behaviour other Clans have noticed out of the Scorpions, and suchlike.  Then, we can start talking about what can be done about the situation.  In the meantime, I have ordered an abort on a scheduled trial against the Star Adders for Miquelon-that mission was not going to go anywhere any-how and I need those troops on the Periphery border in case what we THINK is happening is, in fact, what is happening-after that, putting all reserve units on standby-to-action, and putting my General Staff on notice that they need to start formulating an operations plan to defend the Union against attack from that front, and orders to begin planning counter-strikes if the Scorps intend to actually launch an invasion...and then, there is the matter of follow-up.  I do NOT intend to leave any of our people in their hands if I can avoid it-getting a SAR team in could be tricky without some kind of activity to keep them focused elsewhere...Dao?"

Dao Thanh nodded, "Page fifteen of your briefing packet, OCB managed to get this information, and before they were attacked, the flirt managed to confirm it."  She said.

On station
Goliath Scorpion      Sojuz   Nightlord   LFB Mobile   Regular   Reliable      30      30   1310   Death of Adrian
Goliath Scorpion      Sowershennij   Liberator   LFB Mobile   Regular   Reliable      30      30   1310   Death of Adrian
Goliath Scorpion      Karttikeya   Potemkin (Clan)   LFB Mobile   Regular   Fanatical      50.5      50.5   1310   Death of Adrian
Goliath Scorpion      Auriga   Lola III (Clan)   LFB Mobile   Regular   Fanatical      6.5      6.5   1310   Death of Adrian
Goliath Scorpion      Garlon   Congress (Clan)   LFB Mobile   Regular   Fanatical      13.75      13.75   1310   Death of Adrian
Goliath Scorpion   Mu Galaxy   11th Scorpion Dragoons      Transported   Green   Reliable   5.00
Goliath Scorpion   Mu Galaxy   33rd Scorpion Grenadiers      Transported   Regular   Questionable   8.25
Goliath Scorpion   MF 1         Transported   Regular   Reliable   24.00      24   IS1310   Death of Adrian

Due to arrive
Goliath Scorpion   Mu Galaxy   11th Scorpion Dragoons

"Datalog intercepts and sources were able to obtain the following information, rated by our analysts as 'somewhat reliable', though given the radio silence reported by the expedition, I have down-checked it to questionable at best-turn to the next page, please."

11th Scorpion Dragoons -- move
33rd Scorpion Grenadiers  -- move
Sojuz   Nightlord -- defensive patrol
Sowershennij   Liberator -- defensive patrol
Karttikeya   Potemkin (Clan) -- defensive patrol
Auriga   Lola III (Clan) -- defensive patrol
Garlon   Congress (Clan) -- defensive patrol

"Does not look like much compared to what you Clanners or the Free Worlders routinely toss around, but, then, they would not NEED much in a standard, conventional battle to gain space-superiority against us-we inherited a good chunk of hte former Lyran fleet, but that fleet was gutted two years ago and never rebuilt, and while we may have a trick or two up our sleeves to even some of the odds..." she shook her head, "...the circumstantial evidence points to invasion prep-Death of Adrian has one factory, and it is small, that is more fleet strength than Tharkad had in orbit when the bombs went off, and a hell of a lot more than the Scorpions would need for typical defense operations in a zone where there are no major hostile states and disputes over territory can be handled through the Clan Trial System.  There are no viable targets within range of that base, except us."

[GreyJaeger]

 "Star Captain Hazen or Star Colonel Ezra, do the vessels or either of yours on contain an HPG I can use to send a priority message?"