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The Virtual Conference software starts up, and officers begin to materialise in the room. As each arrives, the room seemingly expands to accommodate them all.
After all the officers have settled, Xavier takes a few moments to scan through the notes on his data pad before beginning.As you are aware, we are currently located in the Cerberus system – sector I, just beyond thd defensive minefields and Forward Command bases. This is the frontier of ISN space. At the moment, we should be completely hidden from ISN sensors. The N’tani helped us disappear, so the ISN won’t have been able to track us here, and this nebula is perfect for holding up for a brief period. Grant can supply ordnance and general supplies for maintenance and repair for the time being.
During our final encounter, it would seem we have retrieved the object that the N’Tani were seeking. Though final analysis is still ongoing, we are 99% certain it is what the N’Tani were searching for. From our communications with them, it seemed of the upmost importance that it was retrieved. We also know that they are holding a researcher, possibly high level, rescued from a research station.
We can’t remain here indefinately so we need to determine what our next move will be, and when to make it.
Putting down his pad, Xavier finishes his outline of the situation and waits for ideas from the officers around him.
Sir, we need to find a way home. It seems that the Forerunner artifacts brought us here. We know that the Empire used the rift generator in Volantis to deliver Caltrons. That research station has been implicated in the Caltron research. It seems we delivered the vital packet of data from R-56X after the Kralien occupation was broken. Completing the bargain with the Nuhtahni seems vital.
That researcher may give us access to key information about the artifacts.
“So we complete the bargain, work with this scientist on ways to get us home, develop a way to alter them after the fact to sever the connection between our universes, rescue LCDR Mundy, take the cadet into custody, then execute on our plans – and leave.”
Agreed. priority one is getting home. while i feel for them, helping these people with the war is secondary… we should try to help if we can, but if it comes down to the two, we need to go for the former.
“We shouldn’t help, if we can avoid it. Our oath is to our TSN and the USFP. And if we help them for any reason than to alleviate some immediately untenable situation, such as the application of fusion warheads to an illegal target, then we abandon that oath to help our baser need to inflict our sensibilities on another sentient life form just because they may, at some point in the future, do something morally objectionable. Because when we are no longer acting in defense of a specific and tangible collection of sentients against a specific illegal act currently underway, then we are committing acts of war which we are not authorized to make.
That bit about fighting with courage? Sometimes it takes courage to do the right thing the right way, rather than trying to just use our might to make the universe into what we think right is. No, Lieutenant Commander, I wholeheartedly disagree. Our legal imperative is making ourselves whole, getting LCDR Mundy and the cadet back, and getting back to our universe.”
I agree with the stated short term objectives: to take everyone home as quickly as possible.
But if our USFP ever were in diplomatic contact with this Empire and elected to support this regime over the efforts of the local people to free themselves, then I would be reviewing my conscientious objection with a view to resigning my commission and my citizenship. Intolerance must not be tolerated.
So let’s focus on the minimum number of missions necessary to get us home.
We need to break into Fenring as quickly as possible for Mundy’s sake. We cannot do it alone by frontal assault. We also need the knowledge and the relevant Forerunner tech to open the way home. How do we achieve all that?“Complete the exchange with the N’Tani, debrief their researcher once we get them. There are still ways to approach Fenring with subterfuge, as well. Any plan that doesn’t involve an overwhelming force will have two primary facets to them:
“Problem one is insertion. Ways to address this: Build up a very high velocity then shut down all power systems that aren’t involved with keeping the crew alive and glide in an insertion team dark like throwing darts at a target several light minutes away. There’s still the possibility of commandeering pirate vessels with working cloaking devices if we can, or finding if someone in this universe has working jump drives like the Ximni of our universe. The objective here is to minimize the window between when we are discovered and when we can begin conducting recovery operations.
“Problem two is deception. We need to minimize the number of forces we would be dealing with rather than the entire sector fleet encountered when recovering the rest of the senior staff. These include but are not limited to: Attacking installations in the surrounding sectors to draw away the active defense fleets which leaves those permanently assigned to close defense and patrol, disabling the nearest jump-gate to hinder reinforcement of the system, and using some number of the supply caches that Lt. Beaumont and I charted throughout the Atlantis system. We could turn them on, a few at a time, and have them broadcast signals with electronic emissions matching our ships as closely as possible. Even if it’s just an IFF broadcast, that would be enough to draw ships to investigate. They would undoubtably engage and destroy any cache we activated in this fashion, but its trading materiel and supply reserves rather than risking any of our ships and personnel in an engagement – even if that engagement was just a feint.
“What we lack most is intelligence about the actual fortress itself. A high speed insertion into the system with an unsubtle sensor scan would be one option, but it exposes risk. We could also offer bounties or reward for information about the base, including intelligence, scans, personnel rotations, or any other information the marine commanders would find useful for infil and exfil with LCDR Mundy. Either to an enterprising, underemployed, or disaffected member of the ISN assigned to Fenring or from a local independent information broker. Each comes with risk of inaccuracy or counterintelligence, but is a far safer option with regards to our materiel and personnel. Nor does it preclude escalating to recon runs if our purchases are insufficient on their own.”
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