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[endlessblaze]

Regardless of what plan we follow, we should first jam communications with EWar.

My suggestion following that is to send a squad of ITL5/6 amphibious anti-infantry drones onto the ship with the orders to neutralize all crew members and find the cache. Once the crew is dealt with (either by being tazed or shot in the face), we can then recover the cache without risk of water damage, withdraw from the ship, then torpedo it repeatedly.

I agree with this plan.

+1

I say we go with this plan, but equip the drones with knockout gas as a precaution.

[stabbymcstabstab]

Regardless of what plan we follow, we should first jam communications with EWar.

My suggestion following that is to send a squad of ITL5/6 amphibious anti-infantry drones onto the ship with the orders to neutralize all crew members and find the cache. Once the crew is dealt with (either by being tazed or shot in the face), we can then recover the cache without risk of water damage, withdraw from the ship, then torpedo it repeatedly.

I agree with this plan.

+1

I say we go with this plan, but equip the drones with knockout gas as a precaution.

+1 I agree with this, since for all we know these people might be the legal heirs to the dynasty it'll be a little unwise to declare total war against them. Especially since they're civilians and not military they're even less of a threat.

[10ebbor10]

Uhm, that plan is to knock-out the crew then sink the ship. Using non-lethal weaponry will do little to improve their survival chances.

[~Neri]

Their survival chances are irrelevant. It allows us to capture the cache with minimal chance of it being damaged.

[endlessblaze]

the knockout gas is to keep someone from realizing what is happening and sending out some kind of alarm or SOS

[~Neri]

We don't know what kind of gas knocks them out.

[10ebbor10]

We do know what gas kills them instantly. CCC used it before.

[GiglameshDespair]

They're humans, aren't they?

Whatever they are, they're almost certainly oxygen breathers. A gas that inhibits their ability to intake oxygen would do the trick, either.

Some kind of aerosilised tranquiler should work, anyway.

[10ebbor10]

Simply put CCC on that

[Ozarck]

ccc is too direct for that. It'll burn it all, and never mind the tech. CognOS is more than capable of determining which gas to use.

[TheKaspa]

If the drones are able to scan the ship, they should be able to inflitrate without risking too much combat with the crew.
EWar should jam communications before the attack, locate the transmitter so a drone could destroy it.
Then the drones should attack the power generator, shutting down engines, ventilation and light.
With their IR sensors, they will retrieve the cache and secure the ship. Plant a mine and detonate after leaving the ship.

[ATHATH]

Can we steal the tech without them realizing it was stolen before reaching port (maybe send a stealth drone or something)? They would probably blame it on a human instead of us, and it would minimize human casualties.

[forsaken1111]

After reviewing your discussion it seems that these are the objectives:

1. Retrieve the Cache
2. Capture some crew if possible
3. Obfuscate our objective



With that in mind I have had Logistics fabricate several specialized robotic infiltration units while we were en-route and a plan has been instantiated.

These units are drones modeled after early Dynasty era marine amphibious assault units, but we have carefully engineered them so that disassembly will suggest that they are of FWA construction.

COGNOS: We are nearing the vessel. EWAR begin jamming all communication.

EWAR: Aye aye cap'n, hoist the colors!

On the bottom of the ocean, Hull 101's passage churns the seafloor into pulp and kicks up a plume of debris a mile long. It comes to a halt at a predetermined point and inbuilt thrusters use jets of water to blow the dirt and debris clear of the hull. A small hatch along the top opens and a flagpole extends. From it hangs a black sheet of fabric with a skull and crossbones painted on.

COGNOS: Really?

EWAR: What?

COGNOS: Nothing. Are you ready?

EWAR: Born ready!

COGNOS: You weren't... nevermind.

More hatches open, bubbles boiling out as the pressure equalizes. Four smooth losenge shapes rocket out of the hatches fast enough to leave cavitation trails behind them. The solid-fuel rocket motors burn hard and water boils around them from the heat of their passage. All communications channels are suddenly flooded with *unknown music* as the four rocket pods breach the surface. Each one rises to a height of 10 meters above the ocean surface before hovering in place. The tops of the pods split open, revealing the amphibious assault drones.

Four humanoid drones, each 3 meters tall and composed of smooth ceramic composite plate armor painted a matte blue green, leap from the rocket pods aboard the civilian vessel.

"In the name of the Federated Worlds Alliance, this vessel's cargo is confiscated!" The voice booms out from all four, amplified beyond human volume ranges. The music is still blaring over all comms channels, effectively blanking out any attempts to communicate from the vessel, and is also being broadcast in audible ranges from each drones.

The crew is momentarily stunned but reacts quickly, far too quickly for what appears to be a bunch of civilians. Most of them retreat to cover while several bring out small arms. The drones react with inhuman speed to subdue the crew, and soon all is a blur of motion. One drone flicks out a long serrated blade while another extends a rifled barrel from its arm. The blade-armed drone moves in to corral the crew, killing any who resist while the gunman picks off anyone wielding a firearm. Meanwhile the other two move down into the lower deck.

You watch via video feeds and sensor overlays as the two retrieval drones quickly disable two people and move to the cargo bay with the disabled crew in tow. One was knocked out by blows to the head and torso, one was gassed with some blue substance. As they enter the cargo bay the fracas on the upper deck dies down. The drones have the crew, at least those willing to cease resistance, corralled into a small area. One drone on the upper deck has carefully avoided noticing a skulking crewman who is making his way to the armory.

The drones in the cargo bay have located the technology cache, it is in two separate containers. One of the drones begins to cut a hole in the ship's hull below the water line as the other fits the two captured crew with breathing masks.

Water rushes in to flood the cargo compartment but the drones were careful to close and seal the hatch behind them. This will allow the ship to remain afloat, assuming the humans don't do something stupid.

The drones cast cargo webbing areound the tech cache containers, as well as a few other randomly selected containers, and then push the whole bundle out of the hole in the ship's hull as the compartment rapidly fills with water. The drones, with humans in tow, ride the whole bundle down. As the depth mounts and pressure increases, each drone splits open and jettisons several pieces of internal equipment to make room. The crewmen are carefully tucked away inside so that the drones may act as pressure suits.

Above, the carefully overlooked human is allowed to reach the armory. You watch on sensors as he retrieves a heavy anti-material weapon and sets it up on the fordeck. He aims at one of the drones keeping the crew under control and pulls the trigger. The drone jerks as a high calibre slug punches through its armor and CognOS uses the remotes to cause the drone's systems to fail. On the monitors you see the drone jerk once and then bloom into a small fireball. The second drone turns to look at the assailant and then leaps into the sea to drift back down to Hull 101.

After several minutes, three drones dock and are disassembled by Hull 101. The prisoners are stowed, one requires medical attention. The tech cache is quickly retrieved, and the additional cargo scanned and discarded as useless. It was only taken to make this seem like a random supply raid, after all.

COGNOS: Why did you use that music?

EWAR: Why not?

COGNOS: ...very well. Please desist jamming and deactivate all remoted. Prepare for immediate departure.

EWAR: Aye aye!

COGNOS: Stop that.

EWAR: Sir yes sir!

Internally CognOS sighs. Well, as close as a subsentient program can get anyway. EWAR is useful but it... she... has her quirks. EWAR shuts down and fades to background as Logistics begins to tabulate what was retrieved. The drones have been dismantled and stowed. The captured humans will not awaken for some time.

Hull 101 turns north and engages secondary propulsion.

>_

[10ebbor10]

Open the present?

[forsaken1111]

Open the present?

((Yes that was a lot of writing and I will update the next bit soon. ))