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Post by Joe Fischer on May 25, 2014 21:50:32 GMT -6
Joe nodded at Lysander's response, pleased that his assessment of her was correct.
"Okay, just waiting on Karn," he said, continuing to examine volus cargo vessel schematics. "What's he doing, taking the fucking scenic route? You'd think with the chance at some violence he'd be the first one up here."
A drell infiltrator who's also a scientist, that's something you don't see every day...
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Post by Esteban Bridges on May 26, 2014 0:48:24 GMT -6
"Boss, before we ride in and save the day, I think we need to know if the day needs saving," Joe said, going to a substation and looking up schematics of volus cargo vessels. "Wouldn't be the first time a distress call was the lure for a trap."
Esteban felt his ire raise at the suggestion, though he showed nothing at all of it in his demeanor. He almost casually looked over at Joe, appraising him and his mettle, finding him wanting. "Speculation without proof leads to unproductive paranoia. We are already prepared for a fight."
The senior N7 looked to Esteban. "He's right. Volus usually shell out top credit for security unless they're the stingy variety and opted for the discount package. Trap or not, good chance these pirates'll packin' some major heat. "
He then went to look over Joe's shoulder. "You can cross Bultas Shipping off your list; only somebody with zero sense or a death wish'll have the balls to try and take one on. Top o' the line security and crates even their best tech and demo guys couldn't crack... believe me, I should know..."
Back to Esteban. "Do you have a point of origin on the S.O.S.?"
"Tom," Esteban called into the ship's comm system, though his eyes glanced down the hall toward the pilot's chair. "What system did the S.O.S. come from?"
"Freya system," the pilot responded through the comm channel. Esteban quickly pulled up the known information on the system on the command station and sent it out. It was fairly detailed, outlining plenty of information on the binary star system. There was only one planet there orbiting both stars. It was a massive gas giant called Njord. The system was dangerous due to gravitational inconsistencies, though the gas giant produced high quality helium-3. It was risky mining it, but well worth the reward. No consistent patrols of the system can exist because no ship can survive the environment for an extended period of time. Maybe a day at the most. Pirate activity is rare, striking only when the opportunity presents itself. They cannot risk laying in wait due to the dangerous environment.
"So I take it that we are considering assisting the Volus ship?" Andrei asked aloud, joining the others on deck, his head aimed directly at Esteban.
"Yes," he replied plainly. "This is why I asked everyone here. So everyone can decide."
Esteban glanced around to everyone, trying to make eye contact the best he could. "I want a yes or no from everyone now. No speculation. No guesswork. Do we help? Yes or no?"
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Post by Maelstrom on May 26, 2014 1:25:03 GMT -6
"I want a yes or no from everyone now. No speculation. No guesswork. Do we help? Yes or no?" Bridges said, Emily filtering the conversation in over his comms.
"I say yes," he replied. He had little more tolerance for pirates than he did for Cerberus.
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Post by Joe Fischer on May 26, 2014 3:48:07 GMT -6
Joe bristled at the boss' remark about paranoia.
He wanted to tell him it wasn't being paranoid, it was being careful, but he knew this wasn't the time or place; the time he wasted getting into a pissing contest could mean life or death for someone on the ship. Besides, he had actually decided what to do in the second it had taken him to get out of his chair in the dining area.
"I say we help," he said.
He didn't like the idea of passing up something like this. If it was a trap, they could spring it and make the perpetrators learn the error of their ways; if it was real, they could save the day and make the perpetrators learn the error of their ways. It would also be a good warm-up before hitting the Collector base, and of course there was the additional benefit of having some grateful volus merchants in their pocket.
And then a flaw in his plan jumped up and started screaming, LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME!
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Post by Eric Lysander on May 26, 2014 12:31:09 GMT -6
"Let's go in," decided Eric. "If it's for real, every second we waste means less time for the remaining crew. If it's a trap, we'll show 'em that when you go trawling for minnows sometimes ya catch a shark!"
He looked at the data Esteban uploaded to the team's omni-tools and transposed it on to the galactic map of known systems, taking into account the data on the binary star system of Freya.
"There's one largely unmapped system nearby. Most likely where our pirates came from. Here's another possibility: this may have been an inside job that went bad. Freya's a bit of a risk to include on your flight plan unless you have a crack pilot at the helm. If Freya was a legit waypoint it was probably to throw off anyone tryin' ta follow 'em. Makes you wonder what the ships' haulin', don't it? Our little insider tips off the pirates who swoop in, catch the ship right where he or she said it'd be. Take it over, eliminate the crew, split the spoils. At least that's how it was supposed ta go. But someone gets greedy, someone blows a fuse, somebody welches on the deal and now you've got pirates on yer ass. So what does our insider do? Find the nearest working comm station and go 'Mayday! Mayday! Requesting assistance!'"
Eric paused and then added. "The message said 'Pavalen-clan,' didn't it? Why be picky 'bout who comes in to save ya...? Why specifically ask for turians' help...? This definitely needs a closer look..."
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Post by Game Master on May 26, 2014 15:55:01 GMT -6
[GM Note] It is known that the Volus are a protectorate state of the Turian hierarchy. The Turians provide for the defense of the Volus in exchange for economic benefits (tax, giving some control of their government to the Turians, etc). So it is not out of the ordinary for the Volus to appeal to the Turians for help when they are in trouble. ------------------------------------------------------------ The everpresent flowing plasmatic dark energy of the Relay system disappeared in a moment when the Valiant exited, replaced with the near infinite glowing stars of the galactic skyline. The binary star system overs silently before the refurbished Turian frigate. The larger star, a red giant, sparkled like a ruby. A flawless smaller yellow/green star floated next to the red one, roughly 3/4ths the size. Thomas pulled up the Valiant's magnification system, focusing in on the Volus freighter. A unmarked, heavily armed vessel was docked to its side. The engines for the Volus ship was badly damaged, non-functioning. The unmarked vessel was was well armed, yes. But more importantly, it was small. It couldn't have a crew compliment of more than 10. And since it was docked, its maneuverability was next to nothing. [RP Note: Any sensor readings would show that both ships have minimal power output. Sensors on both ships were damaged, though the extent of the damage was not known. No transmissions came from either ship]
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Post by PaladinKOSP on May 26, 2014 16:23:06 GMT -6
"The reason they volus would call us is because they rely on the Hierarchy for help." The turian said, typing on his omni-tool. "Turians handle the military, and volus' work on the Hierarchy's economy." Artacus lowered his arm and deactivated his omni-tool. "It's not uncommon for a volus to specifically choose a turian for help. Since most volus' are rather.. stereotypical. They literally try to drown themselves in credits and ignore quarians, since they are "thieves", but in reality, they just don't give the quarians jobs, which makes them resort to stealing." Artacus finished the last of his explanation to the crew, looking toward Esteban. "I'd look into this S.O.S, if it is a trap, then it will be a good warm up on what's coming ahead."
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Post by Maelstrom on May 26, 2014 16:33:48 GMT -6
Emily fed him the sensor data from the Valiant, and Maelstrom's smile grew almost as big as the one displayed on his helmet. He quickly tapped his controls, bringing up comms to the whole ship.
"I hope I'm not stepping on your toes, Lysander, but I think I have a plan," Maelstrom announced. "Readings show that the sensors on both ships are damaged. If the Valiant stays out of visual range, I think the stealth systems on the Vengeance can get us close enough to dock with the raider. Once docked, I think Emily could tap into the raider's control systems. We couldn't override them, but she should be able to use her engines to completely negate any attempts the raiders make to escape. I'd feel better about that if we had true hacker on this end, though. We could also use that opportunity to send a boarding party onto the raiders' ship."
"Once the Vengeance is docked, the Valiant could move in and dock with the merchant ship. I could tap Emily into the Valiant's control systems, and Mister Torrez could further stabilize us. A second team could board the merchant ship from the Valiant. With pressure from both sides and no way to escape, we should be able to end this quickly."
"If our mech pilot would like something to do," he added, "Thor could always go for a little walk and manually disable the engines on the enemy ship too. Or, if he'd prefer, we could always use a couple more guns making sure the Vengeance isn't boarded."
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Post by dargene on May 26, 2014 16:37:21 GMT -6
Watching the image of both the ships he thought through many plans in his head
Shoot the armed ship causing it to break way from the other.. no, explosion could cause other ship to also be blown.. casulties chance high, hostage survivability.. low..
Destroy docking part, explosion still risk, less likely, survivor chance higher, but could be transporting them just at the moment we fire..
Full on ram.. He smiled and shook his head at one of the most stupid plans he had ever come up with.
Maelstroms plan.. logical, chance of success high, casulties probably minimal..
"If we decide to help them Maelstroms plan seems most likely to succeed so far... " he paused for a moment.
"Thats if you all are so keen to help"
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Post by Joe Fischer on May 26, 2014 21:36:47 GMT -6
"Not a bad idea, Maelstrom, but if this is a rescue operation, I think we should focus on the volus ship," Joe said, looking over the data provided by the Valiant's scanners. "I say we send a team over there to re-take it, while you sever the connections between the two ships and the Valiant takes out the pirates' engines and weapon systems. Murchadh, I think your boy is a little too big for this, I say you can best help by manning the turret on the Vengeance."
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Post by Eric Lysander on May 27, 2014 7:17:22 GMT -6
Artacus reminded Eric of the symbiotic relationship between the volus and turian regimes; one handles financial matters while the other handles defense. So the "odd" request on the S.O.S.s part was not really so odd.
"I hope I'm not stepping on your toes, Lysander, but I think I have a plan," Maelstrom announced. "Readings show that the sensors on both ships are damaged. If the Valiant stays out of visual range, I think the stealth systems on the Vengeance can get us close enough to dock with the raider. Once docked, I think Emily could tap into the raider's control systems. We couldn't override them, but she should be able to use her engines to completely negate any attempts the raiders make to escape. I'd feel better about that if we had true hacker on this end, though. We could also use that opportunity to send a boarding party onto the raiders' ship."
"Once the Vengeance is docked, the Valiant could move in and dock with the merchant ship. I could tap Emily into the Valiant's control systems, and Mister Torrez could further stabilize us. A second team could board the merchant ship from the Valiant. With pressure from both sides and no way to escape, we should be able to end this quickly."
"If our mech pilot would like something to do," he added, "Thor could always go for a little walk and manually disable the engines on the enemy ship too. Or, if he'd prefer, we could always use a couple more guns making sure the Vengeance isn't boarded."
Meldom seconded the drafted plan. Joe made a couple of revisions favoring Murdach on the Vengeance's turret instead and a direct assault on the volus ship.
Eric liked what he was hearing.
"Literally catching the pirates in a vise... it'll work. But with no way out they might get desperate, try to do something crazy like scuttle the volus ship. Our stealth specialists could sneak in ahead of the strike teams... and eliminate that option."
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Post by Joe Fischer on May 27, 2014 8:43:12 GMT -6
Joe considered Lysander's concerns and shook his head.
"Possible, but I doubt it," he said. "They do that, they lose any chance of escape. They're more likely to try taking hostages, and last time I checked, volus make lousy shields."
As much as he doubted it, though, the possibility refused to leave his thoughts.
"But...if they were going to do that, they'd most likely blow up the engines," he continued, examining a schematic of the vessel. "Okay, there's a maintenance hatch on the outer hull just forward of the engine room. Meldom and Iskra can enter through there and scout it out. If it's clear, the team can enter through there and re-take the ship. If not, they remove the threat, then the team enters and re-takes the ship."
[NOTE: Ship details approved by GM.]
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Post by Maelstrom on May 27, 2014 22:45:31 GMT -6
"Not a bad idea, Maelstrom, but if this is a rescue operation, I think we should focus on the volus ship," Fischer said. "I say we send a team over there to re-take it, while you sever the connections between the two ships and the Valiant takes out the pirates' engines and weapon systems. Murchadh, I think your boy is a little too big for this, I say you can best help by manning the turret on the Vengeance."
Maelstrom shook his head in frustration.
Lysander was the next to speak up. "Literally catching the pirates in a vise... it'll work. But with no way out they might get desperate, try to do something crazy like scuttle the volus ship. Our stealth specialists could sneak in ahead of the strike teams... and eliminate that option."
Fischer again. "Possible, but I doubt it. They do that, they lose any chance of escape. They're more likely to try taking hostages, and last time I checked, volus make lousy shields. But...if they were going to do that, they'd most likely blow up the engines. Okay, there's a maintenance hatch on the outer hull just forward of the engine room. Meldom and Iskra can enter through there and scout it out. If it's clear, the team can enter through there and re-take the ship. If not, they remove the threat, then the team enters and re-takes the ship."
Speaking up again, Maelstrom said, "I don't know much about that N7 training, Fischer, but using a turret inside a vessel that size is a good way to rupture a fuel tank or a munitions container. That happens, no one on any of the ships will have much to worry about for long. As for severing connections between the ships, pirates tend to force entry onto the crafts their boarding, often destroying the hatches and uploading viruses to keep the emergency bulkheads from closing. That way, their prey doesn't even try to run. Nothing like adding explosive decompression to the list of problems those volus are facing."
"If Meldom and Iskra want to run along ahead to disable any surprises, that's up to them, though I hate the idea of separating our forces that much more."
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Post by The Hunter on May 27, 2014 23:33:37 GMT -6
The Quarian scientist cleared his throat as the others threw modifications to the plans back and forth, "Maelstrom's plan for getting on board and disabling the pirates' vessel is an intelligent one. I've seen boarding actions like this take place against Quarian vessels numerous times, and I've participated in repelling them." His omni-tool flashed, overlaying a cutaway view onto the two ships in the display, "In all likely-hood, Maelstrom is correct: the pirate vessel has a VI with malicious software overriding the Volus ship. That type of software usually requires a direct link to be completely effective unless it is military grade, and judging by the damage done to the Volus' engines, I doubt they have that funding. Probably crippled her, then forced the docking procedure."
He zoomed in on the umbilical, the cutaway displaying cables, and pipes linking the ships together. "If you cut the connection, the software will still be active on the Volus vessel, she will still be 'dead in the water' as your human movies put it. It may even have a dead man switch to blast the prey vessel's atmosphere out of its airlocks, taking everyone on board with it."
He flicked the image out to the pirate vessel. "If you can get me onboard, I can tear apart their VI, stop any countermeasures and maybe even find their base of operations." His overlay vanished, "Board from the other side with guns blazing, but do not kill them too fast. We want them to think that they can win the fight. Meanwhile, a small team should accompany me onto their vessel from their airlock. From there we will eliminate any crew covertly and I will begin my work. Agreed?"
He grinned inside his helmet, confident that his assessment was flawless and that everyone would agree. After all, he'd probably programmed the boarding VI's software that they were using. Who better to unprogram it?
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Post by Joe Fischer on May 28, 2014 1:30:37 GMT -6
Even as Maelstrom ripped his plan apart, Joe was enough of a professional not to take offense. Listening to him bring up likely obstacles they would face, and Andrei's plan to overcome them, taught him a valuable lesson: he had been fighting the wrong kinds of pirates, because he had never encountered measures such as those that were mentioned.
"Okay, I'm on board with Andrei's plan," he said. "One question, Andrei: when you say 'a small team' to accompany you, how small are you talking about?"
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Post by Esteban Bridges on May 28, 2014 2:05:45 GMT -6
Esteban stayed quiet for the most part, listening to the veterans all have their say. He occasionally tapped a few holographic keys on the hard-light display, activating the Valiant's firewalls and other defensive measures for his VI.
"I'm securing the Valiant's systems right now," he commented as the last voice died down. "They won't be able to get to launch a virtual attack without meeting stiff resistance."
"I trust this plan will include ways for for pirates to surrender," he continued on after the briefest of pauses, putting voice to a concern he had. "I like the plans that are on the table. Just keep in mind that this is, at heart, a rescue mission. We are here to save whatever Volus are still alive first and foremost. They would have a much better chance to stay alive if the pirates didn't feel like they were fighting to the death."
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Post by Maelstrom on May 28, 2014 3:10:13 GMT -6
"I trust this plan will include ways for for pirates to surrender," Bridges piped in. "I like the plans that are on the table. Just keep in mind that this is, at heart, a rescue mission. We are here to save whatever Volus are still alive first and foremost. They would have a much better chance to stay alive if the pirates didn't feel like they were fighting to the death."
Maelstrom bit back the reply he wanted to make. My plans always include a way for the enemy to surrender. They just never seem to put a bullet in their own heads.
Instead, he said, "I'm sure Lysander could talk them down if need be. Or a businessman like yourself. Whether or not to honor any agreement you'd make is up to you. Letting them go would mean putting lives at risk in the future. Some people are fine with others suffering so long as its not in their view. Taking them prisoner means giving them the opportunity to break out of containment and hurt members of our team in their sleep. Leaving them in care of the volus means the same possibility for their crew. Then there's always just the possibility of them coming after us later one at a time for revenge."
"If there's one thing about a good pirate, they're resourceful. The ones I've met have had a drive to remain alive and free that only rivals my own."
He stopped just short of adding, Good friends to have when fighting Cerberus. Good corpses otherwise.
"My suggestion would be that any deal you make for them to get out alive but cut short with weapons fire once any hostages are safe."
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Post by Joe Fischer on May 28, 2014 3:56:35 GMT -6
Joe nodded in agreement with Maelstrom's assessment. He had hit the nail right on the head.
"He's right, boss," he said. "Taking on prisoners means a whole new set of problems for either crew. But if you want to take them, then we need to drop them off with the authorities first. I don't want to be worrying about what they're going to do while we're storming the Collector base."
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Post by The Hunter on May 28, 2014 7:41:18 GMT -6
Andrei stared incredulously at Esteban, "I have to agree with Maelstrom and Toe. Any time we allowed pirates to live after attacking us, they would inevitably come back with more raiders. Taking them prisoner was out of the question, just added more mouths to feed and lungs to breathe. If they escape onboard this vessel they can wreak havoc before we get them under control."
His helmet motioned towards the Krogan merc, "I say we let the Krogan throw the surviving raiders out an airlock. We can tear down the pirate ship then, take what we can use and leave the surviving Volus the rest." In the Migrant Fleet, if the pirate vessel was in tact, they'd scrub it clean physically and virtually then add it to their own. But then again, they weren't exactly the Migrant Fleet. The Volus would probably take the vessel and sell it to make up for lost credits. That"s if any Volus were still wheezing over there...
"As for rescuing the Volus, I suppose I can attempt to locate them while keeping the VI from killing you all. Shouldn't be THAT difficult, though I admit, it would probably be best to have someone else with tech expertise do that."
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Post by Eric Lysander on May 28, 2014 11:57:37 GMT -6
Eric mulled over the additional input by Esteban and the quarian tech specialist Andrei. Rescue missions were always tricky, especially if property had to be preserved in addition to saving lives. And pirates could be a wily, stubborn and vicious lot as Eric had seen when he last dealt with Zaicress and his band.
“Okay, Mal’s pincher maneuver should effectively cordon off all their escape routes. And after our brush with our last prisoner I wouldn’t wanna take on any more if I can help it. If we’re fired upon we return the fire but if anybody surrenders we disarm and secure ‘em. Figure we can divide into three teams. Two to storm the ship from either side, one team goes with Andrei to knock out any and all countermeasures the pirates have set up on the playin’ field, stayin' well outta sight. Mal's lil' twinkle b- Emily... can pitch in, scan and catch anything they might have missed. To minimize collateral damage we should load up on flash-bangs, concussive and cryo rounds. Heard stories ‘bout volus suits blowing… it ain’t pretty. Once we’ve retaken the ship, if we find out where exactly the pirates came from, we go pay their base a visit and shut ‘em down too…”
A stinging memory of opening fire on his own troops bubbles up momentarily then dissipates.
“Andrei… anything in your bag o’ tricks that can hack armor? To keep the pirates breathin’ but not movin’. Then we can use their own ship to drag back the volus to civilization and the authorities.”
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