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[10ebbor10]

Spoiler: Maximum Pressure (click to show/hide)

PHASE ONE:
Epees are left, scattered, hidden in the far field, with system down
All other ships immediately enter (and through phase one try to stay at) Inner Engagement Range of Deliverances

Expeditions and Companion Forays focus all Death Ray fire on Deliverances, especially Deliverances trying to flee through bores
-Deploy 20% of Hornets, all Scattergun, mimicking severe attrition from battle losses. Keep Hornets behind Expeditions, popping out to assist in point defense
- The remaining 80% are equipped with SRM's, and will be deployed to surprise and crush any Hiver Torpedo waves at captains discretion
-Both Forays deploy similarly, providing Bore Shele assistance, Shatterscort providing PD

If Deliverances successfully scatter through bores or deploy scattered, all forces combine and hunt down each individual packet in succession, starting with the weakest first.

When all Deliverances killed, disengage from main combat and enter phase 2

PHASE TWO:

All vessels stay away from effective combat range of all enemy warships.
Hornet drones engage in repairs.
Forays go and fetch the epees

Phase 3 engages once our fleet has consolidated and further time spent repairing is likely to inflict more harm due to continuous battle losses rather than repaired gains.

PHASE THREE:

Fleet is divided into 3 parts: 
---- Testudo C&C + Shatterscort + 4 Epees
---- Chaser + Strike Foray + 4 Epees
---- Chaser + 2*Rapid Escort Foray + 4 Epees

All three groups engage in a bore chase of the enemy
Hornets are equipped with SRM dominant load-outs, as much as can be sustained without overwhelming the hangars.

For the final engagement where contact by Epees is expected, the order of attack is as follows.
Epees are sent out in front, with one or two Shattergun Hornets hanging on to the gravwave, to serve as escort.
Forays and expeditions are close behind, forcing anyone who wants to attack the Epee from the rear to expose their own formation to a rearward attack from the Expedition's Hornets or the Forays.

[andrea]

Last minute orders:

Alien abduction
Try to capture hivers. Accept offers to surrender if any are made, and where feasible without significant losses plan ambushes to forcefully get few live specimen.
Those specimen will be shipped to Gaia and kept in highly secure containment, where they will be examined. Focus will be in establishing if they have souls and the similarities and differences of hiver souls to human ones, and establishing communications using sounds and gestures. Seek understanding of motives for being the evil bugs they are.

Alien Abduction (1) - Andrea

[Powder Miner]

Alien Abduction (1) - Andrea
No (1) - Powder Miner

This seems like something that should have more IC rationale and leadup than a midturn discord discussion, and we don’t actually have the 50% experience with the first souls project anyhow

[Kashyyk]

Alien Abduction (2) - Andrea, Kashyyk
No (1) - Powder Miner

[Twinwolf]

I would support capturing hivers that surrender - after all, they've apparently shown a willingness to take prisoners, we can do the same. Any experiments of questionable ethics can take place later and with more ic justification.

[Powder Miner]

I think that's a really unlikely scenario with what Hivers are, rather than humans

[Twinwolf]

I think it was actually discussed, and the idea seemed to be that a prince or up who really saw no way of surviving might surrender, although the drones would keep going if able.

[Powder Miner]

The Gaian Regime
Old Tea Leaves

(Fifty Years Ago)

With eighty-six years of life behind him, Yu Guanting knew that his years were numbered. His skin was wrinkled, shifting over itself and hanging loosely when he moved. His joints ached terribly -- the expedition to this place may have been composed of the finest minds of a world, but something so constant as arthritis could not have been solved without subjecting himself to constant attention. He had kept his sight, at least, and his hearing, but despite the sharpness of his senses the creaking of his bones made constantly clear to him his age. Some day, his life would simply end, a world away from that of his birth. He'd long come to accept that, though it saddened him deeply.

Slowly, carefully, affectionately, Guanting ran a hand across the jars against his back wall. Thick glass, on each, each containing dried leaves -- tea, and a few herbs with which to drink it. Some of these were of Gaian stock, and used regularly; they never tasted quite right to him, even after all this time, but Guanting had to accept that perhaps that was merely the grumbling of an elderly man. Some of the jars, however, had been brought with him when he had been chosen to travel across the void through some of humanity's first bore-capable ships to help create a base at which to study a new world. Those leaves had no flavor left, of course -- they had been sitting for just over five decades. But after their mission had changed from one of scientific exploration to one of necessity, he had never been able to bring himself to finish some of the last reminders of his home world, and of those who had come before it.

Groaning quietly, Guanting stood, balancing himself on the arm of his chair for a moment as he lifted the lid off of one of the jars of Gaian tea, and he slowly apportioned three pinches of dried leaves into a steeping container, before setting his electric kettle to boil. It was a very old piece of technology, to be sure, as opposed to some of the remarkable flash-boiling kettles he'd seen moving to Hangzhou in his twenties, but it had been his father's and he treasured it. As the water boiled, Guanting reflected: he was not a horticulturalist, actually he was a nano-electronic engineer, for there had been need of nano-electronic engineers when he had begun his studies.

His knowledge of tea came instead from his father, and his nai nai, growing up in a little house in what remained of the Zhejiang countryside. They had taught him about the history of tea, how it had been taken from China to cross the whole world, the stories of individual bushes and gardens and how they had come down to what had been in his cup. He had sat listening attentively to his grandmother (back then, that was what any child was expected to do), as she spoke at their table, had paid careful attention to the different tastes of the teas he was proffered --he had always been partial to keemun--, and though he had to admit sometimes he had grown a little impatient at the minutiae, he had learned about things like oxidation, fermentation, steaming from his father. He listened to how his grandmother had learned from her mother, and her from hers, and on and on up the family line.

Guanting, on the other hand, had to take time to recall what his own children's faces looked like. He knew their names: Fang, Qiu, Lin, Chen, Jian, Ning, and Kun. But their faces were far harder to conjure up. He had only seen them infrequently, after all, especially as they grew into their adolescent years -- living in the heart of Regime land, as he did, they were busy being educated and raised in the creches of Project Aphrodite, needs administered and lives run by impersonal faces. He'd only visited them sparingly throughout their lives, as he'd had his own duty and they'd had theirs. These days, many of his children were experienced professionals in their own fields, and he had a remarkable total of fourty-three grandchildren, not that he even knew their names. Guanting understood why that had to be the case, of course -- he had been there in those dark days when the survival of humanity was a question with few positive answers. He had been part of that lucky yet sorry five thousand responsible for creating a new world. He understood well why the sacrifices made had been made.

Yet, he lived alone, with no other generations in his house, not even his now-deceased wife. He had not sat by his grandchildren near the stove, telling them of what their ancestors before them had learned, had cultivated, had refined. He had not told them of China, of Earth, of what it really meant to grow up Chinese, the tales and communities that he had grown up with, the struggles and sacrifices of his own people's history. Guanting wasn't, really, afraid to die -- he had lived a very long and a very impactful life, and he was ready for his time to come, himself. But what saddened him about his death is what left with him.

Sure, Guanting's children probably called themselves Chinese. They had Chinese names, most of them had actually learned Chinese in their education and their own free studies, and much like most of Gaia's children they probably read voraciously about Earth, idolized its remnants, and kept its loss close to them. But these would only be concepts, viewed from the lens of an identity they had chosen to take. They would not live the live that Guanting lived, and they would certainly not truly understand what it had meant to live like he had. Their world was one of relentless science, of shared humanity, of a regionalism only present in half-formed cultures, of growing up in groups with fifty other children, no true family but the Regime. China would not live on in them, not really. When Guanting died, the knowledge of tea generations had devoted their lives to refining, tenderly cultivating would go with him. When Guanting died, myriad little cases of tradition and outlook no book would ever bother to list would go with him. When Guanting died, a piece of China would be lost -- and in three decades, he suspected that China would be gone, forever.

As he slowly settled down to begin drinking his freshly steeped tea, Guanting reflected that he would just leave his musty old jars of tea, and nobody would understand their meaning.

[Kashyyk]

The Gaian Regime
Rearguard

/CTMX-47 γ > systems check

> Diagnostics Report
- Torso plating compromised
- Servo LUA-26 disabled
- Immediate repair advised

> TacCom calculation in progress. Current prediction maintained with 87% confidence

/CTMX-47 γ > _

---

Propped up against an overturned supply crate, Gamma had a commanding view through both the bunker's viewport and the single entrance. From here it could also see Beta. Most of it, anyway. The rest of Gamma's droid mate had been incinerated by the same shot that left the laser burn across the back wall.

A flash of movement amongst the rocks outside attracts both Gamma's attention and a burst of magfire from the rifle in its hands. Sparks flew and small chunks of rock exploded silently as TacCon suggested that the target was hit by at least one round, but Gamma couldn't see well enough to confirm it. Normally it could query SenCon for a report, but it had lost connection to the Gaian Info Net about twenty minutes ago. That was a good sign.

Gamma was going to die.

---

"Guyun, take out that cannon! Gamma, Delta, cover her!"

Gamma smoothly rose from its position, being careful to keep its sights trained on the fire slit as it started backing towards the bunker entrance. A few steps in, SenCon chimed with a potential. Checking it, Gamma noted that it had a vector, although it couldn't actually see the target against the rocky background. It pulled the trigger anyway, and was rewarded with a confirmation notice from SenCon.

Reaching the entrance, Gamma took position against the wall and waited for Delta and Corporal Lianne Guyun to join it.

The exterior was safe from hostiles according to SenCon but as impressive as the Comm Net was, it wasn't omniscient. Stripes made a few gestures with her offhand, and a movement plan was downloaded from her HUD. TacCon saw no issues, so Gamma gestured a confirmation in response. Delta's identical gesture confirmed that it too, was ready.

Guyun gave another gesture and both Gamma and Delta stepped out of the bunker as one, scanning the area for concealed targets. A lack of both targets and laser fire proved SenCon right, and the sergeant exited the bunker.

---

The last link was set in place with a click, and Gamma once again had two fully operational arms. It held still, whilst MedTech Lee Guantingsson refitted the armour panel and then tested the new appendage.

"Does it work okay, Rupe?" The engineer asked, watching its motions for issues.

"Yes, this is a considerable improvement." Gamma and Lee both looked down at the scorched limb lying between them, set a top a small mound of scrap.

"I'd hope so, considering the beating you took. I'm sure Lianne appreciates it."

"I couldn't allow Sergeant Guyun to suffer unnecessary harm."

Lee grabbed the rest of his gear, and moved on to his next patient, human this time. "Whatever you say Rupert."
 
Gamma acknowledged the incorrect designation, retrieved its weapon and moved its old arm to one side. Stepping over the previous owner of its arm and to the firing slit, it waited for the next sign of hostiles. A prominent laser scorch decorated the wall just behind it.

---

"But we can hold this position sir."

"Not against what's coming. Definitely not at half strength. Your last droid is going to carry you plus one of Lee's. The other two are holding rearguard."

Gamma noticed that it had not been mentioned. Even if the emotion had been possible, Gamma would not have been surprised. It was the only droid in the squad with leg damage after all.

It listened passively then, as the Sergeant ordered Gamma to hold the bunker and buy time for the retreat. It was the right decision as Gamma would only slowdown the retreat. It couldn't feel sadness at this, but it had something akin to resigned acceptance. It didn't want to die, as doing so would mean it could no longer protect and serve the Regime.

Gamma will just protect the squad instead.

---

"Ah, you must be the new droid. I just got the transfer order from the lieutenant."

CTMX-47 studied it's new commander. Sergeant Kim Sung Min was a blatant Point Choi native, as the name and complexion revealed.

"That is correct Sergeant. Shall I meet with your MedTech?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll bet he'll enjoy taking a look at you."

Waving the droid away, the Sergeant returned to the holovid he had paused on his visor. Spotting a MedTech insignia across the room, CTMX-47 approached them, noting that he was speaking with the third soldier in the squad.

"…seen the original Raiders? How have you managed to avoid it for so long?"

"It was never really my thing. I was always more into Ford's classic sci fi."

"Raider's is a classic! I had to write a term paper on it and everything." Glancing up, the MedTech spotted the droid approach.

"Hello Corporals, I've been assigned to the Sergeant's fire team."

The MedTech (Lee according to the ident tag), blinked for a second. "Wait, say that again for me will you?"

The droid did so. "I know drood voices are randomly generated, but you sound exactly like my old physics professor, Dr Rupert Sinclaire. Was he still there when you were studying Lianne?"

"Uhh… I don't remember the name."

"Its not the name you'd remember, it's the accent. It's the exact same jeeves style received pronunciation." The blank look stayed on Lianne's face.

"Whatever," said Lee. He gestured to the droid. "Come with me Rupert, I'll get you sorted out."

"I was informed that I would take on the same designation as my predecessor, was that incorrect?"

"Nah, you'll still be Gamma, officially anyway. But I'm gonna call you Rupert."

---

The Hivers had no doubt realised that Gamma was the only one left in this bunker. This was acceptable. Every second they delayed just raised the odds that Gamma's squad would successfully regroup with the rest of the company.

An alarm from a forward sensor confirmed the approach of the next assault. Then another alarm. And a third. It seems this wasn't a simple probe like the previous attempts. The hiver commander had clearly resorted to overwhelming force.

Spotting movement through the fire slit, Gamma placed a few conservative shots in their general direction. Whilst there was no need to save ammunition anymore, there was also no point wasting it.

A flurry of return fire peppered the bunker, forcing Gamma to duck. By the time it was able to look up again, it was into the face of one of the hulking crab monsters. An armoured claw hammered down, cracking the roof and sending stone flying. Repeated strikes created a breach big enough for the Alpha to reach inside.

The claw closed around Gamma's torso just as TacCon announced a new message.

Prediction Complete: Squad mates will successfully rendezvous with allied forces. 98% confidence

Gamma pulled the pin on the nearest grenade in the crate. Objective Complete.