Chapter 1: After-Action
High orbit around Azathoth,
MAG Amicus Curiae,
CIC,
While the exterior of the nearly kilometer long Amicus Curiae had been scorched and burned along much of one side of its armored wedge, the interior of the ship was still a stark white. The incredibly thick armor had spared the interior of the ship from damage. In the CIC there were two cybernetic crew members at the display table in the center of the room along with a single rather unhappy looking Aos Si. The displays along the side of the room were showing different angles of the various weapon-turrets along the side of the ship, along with the status of the repairs.
“We have a workstation ready for you here,” The Aos Si said, her arms crossed over her chest, her face bearing that look of slight disdain that seemed common among her kind… or perhaps was common among those that had once belonged to the American Union’s forces here on Hawking. This Aos Si was Somnya Srilin, former captain of The Edward Deming and now one of the many POWs from the New Years Revolution who’s status with both the AU and the Assembly was quite unclear. Her cybernetic lower arm was tapping on the edge of one of the seats by the display table, a rather conventional keyboard and mouse having already been provided which stood in stark contrast to some of the rather custom equipment that had been put in place for interfacing with the other more cybernetic crew members. On closer inspection it would appear that the other crew member’s equipment could be set to light up in various interesting patterns… but one could also assume that Somnya had put a stop to that. “The low frequency transmitter has already been configured to relay text to your ground team. I will advise you that the Amicus Curiae will not be able to assist with further actions today.”
“Thanks, Captain.” Geiben nodded. He was visibly more relaxed on the bridge here, in contrast to his nervous nature when Wazu was discussing the ground operations on the Edward Deming. “What’s the status of the fleet right now?”
“The Amicus Curiae and our escorts have been rendered Inop by the Daqin. Drones and Missiles are already in low orbit or are taking a fuel-efficient return path, and all the Daqin have left are small attack craft. The only thing keeping us from destroying them is that they have hidden inside of Azathoth. More reinforcements are on the way from Rotislav but it will be another 30-40 hours before they arrive.” Somnya stated clearly and confidently. “What is the status of your ground-team?”
“They’re on the ground now. APC’s are moving them into position. I’m keeping track of their status right now as we speak.” Geiben nodded.
“I did not expect Wazu to assign you to communications duty. Surely he still feels your talents are best put to use leading from the front?” Somnya pried, covering her questions in the rather professional guise of being strictly business.
“No, captain.” Geiben furrowed his eyebrows. “Wazu believed, I believed, that my skills were better applied in orbit, rather than on the ground. I didn’t think I would be effective in that theatre, and Wazu agreed with me.”
“A lack of confidence then?” Somnya asked, “I would have expected Wazu to give you a briefing on how he feels about the situation in detail.”
“Less a lack of confidence, and more that I have subordinates who have the skill sets required more than I do for this particular operation.” Geiben shrugged. “Wazu didn’t brief me, but I have a general idea of the situation. Looks like we’re in a predicament, Captain.”
“Elaborate.” Somnya stated, her demand coming off as an implied request for more.
“Well…” Geiben’s tone came off as inquisitive as he pondered the Aos Si’s motives. “There’s still AU loyalists in the system dotted across multiple stations that could prove to be headaches down the line. The Daqinren have taken the opportunity to strike into Hawking, as they are here on Azathoth. And there are whispers, doubts even among those who did vote for succession, of if the Hawking system can really obtain independence.”
“The young government does not lack for enemies.” Somnya said outloud, displaying the same sense of caution as Geiben as she considered his motives, “The American Union has the largest and most powerful military force in the Human Sphere. Early victories are not enough to win a war. The people of the Union are unlikely to tire of a war this far from home either. Though I suppose Wazu has shared with you some secret plan to win the war?”
“There’s been diplomatic outreaches.” Geiben replied, somewhat unwillingly. “The Soyuz is guaranteeing our independence, but I don’t feel great about allying with them. Meanwhile, the GDW flat out denied any cooperation with us. The HFR is still up in the air. There are other underhanded ways to get the people of AU to grow tired of the war, but I’d rather not hear about them.”
“Unhappy with how the sausage is made?” Somnya asked, “I got the impression you were eager to join the revolution.”
“I underestimated the willingness of the AU and its people to lose a whole fleet and keep on fighting.” Geiben admitted. “I don’t know whether I should respect that or loathe it. Regardless, I’ll leave to black ops to people who can stomach it.”
“If all you care about is winning, then you should be betting on the AU.” Somnya replied, not exactly happy with her statement, but not exactly unhappy either. There was a palpable amount of ‘it is what it is’ in her voice, “So why are you here?”
“On the Amicus Curiae?” Geiben paused and looked away from Somnya. He was clearly holding back something. “Well, I wanted to know the status of the fleet…” He dragged on. “Alright, fine.” He looked at the other cybernetic crew members, looked back at Somnya. “Can we speak in private?”
“May we have the room?” Somnya asked.
The cybernetic crew members from the assembly didn’t seem to respond at first. The robe-wearing techno-wizzard sitting at one console would look up and across the table at his spherical High-Cyborg co-worker. The two of them wordlessly having to figure out what ‘May we have the room’ means and just how they were supposed to respond to someone who was ‘higher rank’. The both of them responded with a “Yes Sir!” before getting up from their stations and walking (and rolling) out of the room toward the adjacent work-areas.
Somnya remained as stoic as ever as she waited for the door to close. “Adjust privacy settings to OpSec-1” She said, the display on the table acknowledging her request.
“You may continue Geiben.”
Geiben sighed. “I’d be lying if I wasn’t doubting our chances to come out of this alive, Captain, and now I feel sorry that I dragged you into this.”
“If I thought you had any hand in this, I might be cross with you.” Somnya said, “You aren’t a revolutionary. I gather that neither of us had a real choice in this.”
Geiben gave Somnya an inquisitive look.
The contempt started to return in her face just a little bit, “Just a few minutes after New Years The Assembly’s soldiers were arresting me and my people.” She said, Geiben should know after all… he led that mission, “And you ended up as ‘the captain now’ if I remember correctly.” She looked at Geiben to see if there was a spark of understanding but it seemed he still needed more. “I was under house arrest with a slap-drone watching me for weeks, and I was inexplicably kept instead of being sent back to the American Union. This makes me look incredibly suspect within the American Union and I should assume my Career is over. It is likely they will think I was a collaborator when I return. I am only here because I have been offered the chance to fight the Daqin. It wasn’t much of a choice.”
Somnya would shift her weight to her other leg, still focused right on Geiben.
“I assume you were not given much of a choice either.” Somnya added.
“I… don’t know.” Geiben pondered out loud, cringing at his stunt when he took over the Edward Deming. “I think after the incident with the Wide Folk I could’ve gone back to AU space and settled as a civilian. I guess I wanted payback from the Daqin as well. House arrest wasn’t exactly kind to my psyche either. I want to say I didn’t have a choice in the matter in front of the human community, when I’m either on trial or when I’m representing the new Hawking state, but in all honesty, I think I did have a choice. Whether or not it is the right one remains to be seen.”
“Living as a disgraced former-soldier or restoring your career albeit through the Assembly hardly seems like a choice. You should come to terms with knowing you’re doing what you need to in order to survive.” Somnya stated.
“I suppose.” Geiben nodded, again unwillingly. “There is… one other matter, another wrench in the gears.” He spoke up with hesitation. “... How does one reconcile with dating a terrorist?”
High orbit around Azathoth,
MAG Amicus Curiae,
CIC,
While the exterior of the nearly kilometer long Amicus Curiae had been scorched and burned along much of one side of its armored wedge, the interior of the ship was still a stark white. The incredibly thick armor had spared the interior of the ship from damage. In the CIC there were two cybernetic crew members at the display table in the center of the room along with a single rather unhappy looking Aos Si. The displays along the side of the room were showing different angles of the various weapon-turrets along the side of the ship, along with the status of the repairs.
“We have a workstation ready for you here,” The Aos Si said, her arms crossed over her chest, her face bearing that look of slight disdain that seemed common among her kind… or perhaps was common among those that had once belonged to the American Union’s forces here on Hawking. This Aos Si was Somnya Srilin, former captain of The Edward Deming and now one of the many POWs from the New Years Revolution who’s status with both the AU and the Assembly was quite unclear. Her cybernetic lower arm was tapping on the edge of one of the seats by the display table, a rather conventional keyboard and mouse having already been provided which stood in stark contrast to some of the rather custom equipment that had been put in place for interfacing with the other more cybernetic crew members. On closer inspection it would appear that the other crew member’s equipment could be set to light up in various interesting patterns… but one could also assume that Somnya had put a stop to that. “The low frequency transmitter has already been configured to relay text to your ground team. I will advise you that the Amicus Curiae will not be able to assist with further actions today.”
“Thanks, Captain.” Geiben nodded. He was visibly more relaxed on the bridge here, in contrast to his nervous nature when Wazu was discussing the ground operations on the Edward Deming. “What’s the status of the fleet right now?”
“The Amicus Curiae and our escorts have been rendered Inop by the Daqin. Drones and Missiles are already in low orbit or are taking a fuel-efficient return path, and all the Daqin have left are small attack craft. The only thing keeping us from destroying them is that they have hidden inside of Azathoth. More reinforcements are on the way from Rotislav but it will be another 30-40 hours before they arrive.” Somnya stated clearly and confidently. “What is the status of your ground-team?”
“They’re on the ground now. APC’s are moving them into position. I’m keeping track of their status right now as we speak.” Geiben nodded.
“I did not expect Wazu to assign you to communications duty. Surely he still feels your talents are best put to use leading from the front?” Somnya pried, covering her questions in the rather professional guise of being strictly business.
“No, captain.” Geiben furrowed his eyebrows. “Wazu believed, I believed, that my skills were better applied in orbit, rather than on the ground. I didn’t think I would be effective in that theatre, and Wazu agreed with me.”
“A lack of confidence then?” Somnya asked, “I would have expected Wazu to give you a briefing on how he feels about the situation in detail.”
“Less a lack of confidence, and more that I have subordinates who have the skill sets required more than I do for this particular operation.” Geiben shrugged. “Wazu didn’t brief me, but I have a general idea of the situation. Looks like we’re in a predicament, Captain.”
“Elaborate.” Somnya stated, her demand coming off as an implied request for more.
“Well…” Geiben’s tone came off as inquisitive as he pondered the Aos Si’s motives. “There’s still AU loyalists in the system dotted across multiple stations that could prove to be headaches down the line. The Daqinren have taken the opportunity to strike into Hawking, as they are here on Azathoth. And there are whispers, doubts even among those who did vote for succession, of if the Hawking system can really obtain independence.”
“The young government does not lack for enemies.” Somnya said outloud, displaying the same sense of caution as Geiben as she considered his motives, “The American Union has the largest and most powerful military force in the Human Sphere. Early victories are not enough to win a war. The people of the Union are unlikely to tire of a war this far from home either. Though I suppose Wazu has shared with you some secret plan to win the war?”
“There’s been diplomatic outreaches.” Geiben replied, somewhat unwillingly. “The Soyuz is guaranteeing our independence, but I don’t feel great about allying with them. Meanwhile, the GDW flat out denied any cooperation with us. The HFR is still up in the air. There are other underhanded ways to get the people of AU to grow tired of the war, but I’d rather not hear about them.”
“Unhappy with how the sausage is made?” Somnya asked, “I got the impression you were eager to join the revolution.”
“I underestimated the willingness of the AU and its people to lose a whole fleet and keep on fighting.” Geiben admitted. “I don’t know whether I should respect that or loathe it. Regardless, I’ll leave to black ops to people who can stomach it.”
“If all you care about is winning, then you should be betting on the AU.” Somnya replied, not exactly happy with her statement, but not exactly unhappy either. There was a palpable amount of ‘it is what it is’ in her voice, “So why are you here?”
“On the Amicus Curiae?” Geiben paused and looked away from Somnya. He was clearly holding back something. “Well, I wanted to know the status of the fleet…” He dragged on. “Alright, fine.” He looked at the other cybernetic crew members, looked back at Somnya. “Can we speak in private?”
“May we have the room?” Somnya asked.
The cybernetic crew members from the assembly didn’t seem to respond at first. The robe-wearing techno-wizzard sitting at one console would look up and across the table at his spherical High-Cyborg co-worker. The two of them wordlessly having to figure out what ‘May we have the room’ means and just how they were supposed to respond to someone who was ‘higher rank’. The both of them responded with a “Yes Sir!” before getting up from their stations and walking (and rolling) out of the room toward the adjacent work-areas.
Somnya remained as stoic as ever as she waited for the door to close. “Adjust privacy settings to OpSec-1” She said, the display on the table acknowledging her request.
“You may continue Geiben.”
Geiben sighed. “I’d be lying if I wasn’t doubting our chances to come out of this alive, Captain, and now I feel sorry that I dragged you into this.”
“If I thought you had any hand in this, I might be cross with you.” Somnya said, “You aren’t a revolutionary. I gather that neither of us had a real choice in this.”
Geiben gave Somnya an inquisitive look.
The contempt started to return in her face just a little bit, “Just a few minutes after New Years The Assembly’s soldiers were arresting me and my people.” She said, Geiben should know after all… he led that mission, “And you ended up as ‘the captain now’ if I remember correctly.” She looked at Geiben to see if there was a spark of understanding but it seemed he still needed more. “I was under house arrest with a slap-drone watching me for weeks, and I was inexplicably kept instead of being sent back to the American Union. This makes me look incredibly suspect within the American Union and I should assume my Career is over. It is likely they will think I was a collaborator when I return. I am only here because I have been offered the chance to fight the Daqin. It wasn’t much of a choice.”
Somnya would shift her weight to her other leg, still focused right on Geiben.
“I assume you were not given much of a choice either.” Somnya added.
“I… don’t know.” Geiben pondered out loud, cringing at his stunt when he took over the Edward Deming. “I think after the incident with the Wide Folk I could’ve gone back to AU space and settled as a civilian. I guess I wanted payback from the Daqin as well. House arrest wasn’t exactly kind to my psyche either. I want to say I didn’t have a choice in the matter in front of the human community, when I’m either on trial or when I’m representing the new Hawking state, but in all honesty, I think I did have a choice. Whether or not it is the right one remains to be seen.”
“Living as a disgraced former-soldier or restoring your career albeit through the Assembly hardly seems like a choice. You should come to terms with knowing you’re doing what you need to in order to survive.” Somnya stated.
“I suppose.” Geiben nodded, again unwillingly. “There is… one other matter, another wrench in the gears.” He spoke up with hesitation. “... How does one reconcile with dating a terrorist?”