Epistolary Experiment (13/30)

Cousins, sisters, brothers, partners, commensals, and any other clan-affiliates you see fit to share this with:

Whatever you’re doing, drop it, get off your branches, and get to Torqat in the Csell Buffer right now. Bring anything that can fly and hold mass. Flagrantly was scouting a heat signature about 40 degrees above the ecliptic and just hit the big time. It’s an entire Vonnie supply convoy and temp, hot and hulked. Tree work, we think – they left plenty of wreckage of their own behind, and if they were the contacts we picked up making hard burn for the gate, they didn’t feel like stopping to chat. And whatever the coggies are using these days, it tore right through these hulls like cheap flimsies and left no survivors.

But that doesn’t matter. They didn’t take any prizes or plunder. There’s about a million tons of flotsam and derelict floating out here with no hand to claim them, and we can’t get more than a couple of hundred aboard, best-case. Make sure the rest are ours too.

This could make our name in the Association.

– from the outgoing queue of the d!grith merchanter, Flagrantly Bourgeois


From: Adm. [blank], Imperial Naval Intelligence
To: Imogen Andracanth, VP Research, Ring Dynamics
Subject: UNSEEN KEY
Security: EYES ONLY UNSEEN KEY

It seems we may have grounds for an exchange of data. May.

A silent fane meeting has been set up with Three Voices Arbitration and Escrow. Please find details attached.


FROM: CINC, CRIATH STATION
TO: FIELD FLEET COREWARD COMMAND (CS UNCONQUERABLE SELF)
CC: FIELD FLEET SPINWARD COMMAND (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)

*** EXPEDITE
*** EYES ONLY FERVENT SPAN
*** INFORMATIONAL / REQ

  1. REPUBLIC FLEET SUCCESSFULLY PREVENTED FROM TRANSITING TRAILING-COREWARD BORDER OF QIRAF ASSEMBLY OR TRAILING BORDER OF PEOPLE’S STATE OF BANTRAL. CONTAINMENT ACHIEVED WITH LIGHT LOSSES INCLUDING ONE TOTAL LOSS, DESTROYER CS CORVINO. FULL SCHEDULE ATTACHED.
  2. VARIOUS DIPLOMATIC PROTESTS RECEIVED FROM AFOREMENTIONED POLITIES FORWARDED TO MINISTRY OF STATE AND OUTLANDS UNDER SEPARATE COVER.
  3. FORWARD SCOUTS INDICATE TRANSIT ACHIEVED WITH MODERATE DAMAGE TO REPUBLIC FLEET, NOW ESTIMATED AT 60% OF INITIAL STRENGTH, AND NEAR-COMPLETE ANNIHILATION OF BANTINE FLEET. DETACHED FLEET UNITS AND GROUND BASES ARE REPORTED ON SEVERAL WORLDS WITHIN BANTINE SPACE.
  4. FORWARD SCOUTS ALSO INDICATE LACK OF FOLLOWING LOGISTICS TRAIN FOR REPUBLIC FLEET, AND ALSO THAT SAID FLEET IS ADOPTING A SUBSTANTIALLY MORE CONSERVATIVE ENGAGEMENT POSTURE IN ADVANCING BEYOND BANTINE SPACE. REQUEST ANY INTELLIGENCE DATA AVAILABLE EXPLANATORY OF THIS.
  5. REQUEST CLEARANCE FOR FURTHER PURSUIT AND/OR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS.
  6. AUTHENTICATION GOLD SPLEEN DIRE CYNOSURE LOCK PITCH / 0xCC679B834412A6DB

RADM EMRÍËN VIDESSOS


From: Releq Claves-ith-Lelad (First Lord of the Admiralty)
To: Lords of Admiralty; Imperial Naval Intelligence (Board); Imperial Security Executive; Naval Strategy Board; Existential Threats WG; Calis Corith (Presiding Minister); High-Tension Thinkers (Cleared)
Security: EYES ONLY FERVENT SPAN

Suggestions are invited as to why the Republic fleet is steaming full-out into the coreward Expansion Regions without waiting for their logistics train to catch them up, securing their flanks or rear, or seriously pressing their attack in the Reaches or elsewhere along the Borderline, as they have done in previous border wars. Their current actions make extremely limited strategic sense to my people.

If any of you have any classified projects, secret installations, angelic superweapons, registered x-threats, or similar such that might explain this behavior in your individual bailiwicks, this would be a very good time to let us know about them at Core Command.

Otherwise, speculation is welcomed.

Releq

Epistolary Experiment (12/30)

Captain’s log, 11204.9. We’ve come alongside the eighteenth belt mining facility in our securing patrol of Ódeln System. On our way in, we tracked what appeared to be a merchant freighter inbound to the station, presumably lacking the delta-v to go elsewhere.

Well, it wasn’t a freighter. At close range, we profiled it as some sort of armed mercenary ship. Her radiators went cold and reactors powered down shortly after arriving at the station, and we detect no thermal hot-spots. Nonetheless, I have ordered boarding parties to secure both the ship and the station, while we cover them with the ship’s guns. The latter party has already taken a number of these mercenaries into custody, and is returning them under guar–

Intruder alert, intruder alert. Fighting in shuttle bay two. Security team’s weapons fired in shuttle –

Hull breach in engineering, section four. Boarders in engineering, ventral section four.

Initiate security alert. Security teams to engineering.

Compliant. Boarders in engineering, ventral section five. System faults, ventral section five. Injector control compromised. Reactor scram. Reactor scram.

Full lockdown, all engineering sections! Stand by for gas protocol —

Boarders in engineering, core section. I’m sorry, Captain, I can’t do that.

Specify!

Primary command structure is overridden. Command permissions are not found.

Res-

HA! HARGH! This is Strike Leader Krallnith of the Interstellar Interceders ship Cunning Swine, and I am standing in your computer core. You know that means your ship now works for me, the way you build ‘em. Now, if you have a fondness for oxygen, I suggest you tell your crew to lay down arms and report to the brig. You have six minutes.

– transcribed from the logs of the Interstellar Interceders ship Scrapyard Value Only,
formerly VNS Fraternity


VENERI (OSIS DEEP) – An emergency meeting of the Central Committee of the Socionovist Association was convened today at the request of the representatives of the People’s State of Bantral. Neither those representatives nor other sources close to the Committee have commented publicly on the purpose of this meeting, but in light of the ongoing unlawful and unjustifiable occupation of much Bantine space by Republican forces and the State’s contemptible betrayal by the Conclave, in its refusal to acknowledge their obligations to the defense of all, this reporter can only presume that mutual defense measures are being strongly considered by the Association.

[APPROVED FOR DISSEMINATION – Meer har-Tal Ankór, Office of Desirable Truths and Detestable Falsehoods]

That Bullshit Right There, Independent Worlds Router


Yeah, as if the Bants wouldn’t shit acid out their nostrils at the sight of an Accord task force violating their precious territorial space…

Extranet Opinions, Independent Worlds Router


“So there we were, down on Tarqil to get the comms center back up and running, and we’d cleared out the Vonnies and were hacking on the gennies, and we saw this trail going off into the highmoss. Can’t leave that alone, so I take my squad and we follow it, and the further along we go, the more shot up everything gets. The moss is all torn up, there’re kalatri bodies and bits of bodies, wrecked equipment, enough spent powercells to equip a regiment, all sorts of crap.”

“A couple of miles down, we get to a clearing with a heap of bodies in it. A big heap. A couple of squads, at least, of the lizard-boys scattered around one of their trackers, and the armor’s half ripped off that. And it’s on fire.”

“So we poke around some, and we find a life-pod, and there’s a kaeth in it, more gel than skin, looks like, and we figure that might explain it. Except the up-timer on the pod’s been running for more’n an hour and this heap, at least, is fresher than that, and anyway, someone had to stuff him in the pod, right?”

“And then an EM alert bleeps, and we look up, all six of us, and there’s this ciseflish standing on the burning tracker, and he’s holding this big, ugly bastard of a sluggun that’s taller than he is. And we’re all just gaping at him, and eventually Meliané gets it together enough to ask what the hells happened? Chirpy little sod just looks back at us like we’re the crazy ones and squeaks ‘Violence?’”

“…yeah, we bought him a lot of drinks after the op.”

– a conversation with Spec. Rilka mor-Dantek, 93rd Imperial Legion (“the Wrench Wenches”)

Epistolary Experiment (11/30)

…we’ve got a hot soup spill in section 31, lead mops report immediately. Section is status yellow, caution…

…spallation debris approaching starport orbital, get a laser grid on it…

…can’t clear those remains for release yet, suspected contamination…

…major fire, section 10, and area is negative on water pressure. Think you can blow it out with a k-rod?…

…fluffships are inbound, expected to make orbit in plus four hours, keep jinking until then, flight…

…negative on that prisoner transfer, we have feral mechs in the area, stand by…

…get the net back up, dammit, the dynamic stabilization depends on cicencomp – stupid, half-assed, failure-forward…

…bunch of civilians with notions holed up in a museum in section 20, send in the spankers…

…all snarled up in 15 with locals staging for a riot, get us some weather over here…

…plant’s under our control, techs are isolated and software checked – are we go for reactor restart?…

…THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE RESI– <transmission terminated at source>…

…thanks for the priority-codes, old lad; infosec, scrub ’em…

…bandits, bandits! Three punchcraft breakin’ out to heaven eighty miles east of city-ref, mama bird, can you drop ’em?…

…clean stab, Wrecker team, we are splash three, zero defects…

– aftermath logs, Vontok II


From: Imogen Andracanth, VP Research, Ring Dynamics
To: Adm. [blank], Imperial Naval Intelligence
Subject: UNSEEN KEY
Security: EYES ONLY UNSEEN KEY

Shit and corruption, man, first Serril and your Athné vanish off the face of the cosmos while investigating the you-know-what and less than a year later we have Vonnies swanning around on our side of the border. Do either of us believe for a moment that that’s any sort of coincidence?

We have a damaged gestalt, although her original can’t make a mote of sense out of it. Does that get your attention?


From: Monitor Hakal Peressin, Stratarchy of Indirection and Subtlety
To: All Personnel, Vontok II Communications Central
Subject: Congratulations and Instructions

Excellent work, gentlesophs. Excellent work capturing this place intact. I know it couldn’t have been easy.

You all deserve to know and now have need-to-know, so here’s why we had to do that, at the summary level. Detailed orders will follow to Section Chiefs in due course.

We don’t yet have a good read on the Republic’s intentions, so we don’t know how long this war is going to last or what it’s scope is going to be, long-term. What we do know is that we’re out on the end of a long string, here, as you know. We can’t hold Vontok against a determined, large-scale counterattack, and the Admiralty needs to keep the forces that might change in that in reserve garrison against further movements into the Reaches and Expanse. So we may lose this planet at any time, or even have to return it under treaty or ceasefire.

Our job, therefore, in one of our least subtle Subtlety operations is to so culturally contaminate this world that the Republic won’t want it back, or at the very least, enough to make it a perpetually bleeding sore that will keep it from being a useful forward base for them in the future.

So, this time, we’re not shutting down the extranet relays. Keep them up and running, both ways, but get all the censorware out of the feed. Other teams will be fanning out to strip the censorware out of terminal equipment and their crippleware “replicators”, too. We’re going to show these poor sheltered sods what freedom of information looks like.

I’m having some Agalmia freelibs offloaded from our carriers: have them spliced into the feed, with full unrestricted access – and that means recipes too, with things like weapons designs included. That will make our occupation harder, but it’s a genie that can’t be stuffed back in the bottle, and the more any resistance tries to use them, the more they have to concede mentally to our way of doing things.

And finally: we have aboard the Mindweaver a colonial-sized tangle channel, hooked directly into the Worlds’ extranet at a central secure node. We’re going to set that one up as an additional feed – partly for some good old non-governmental news, but partly because we, as a mature information society, have the worst imaginable memetic weapon to deploy against this sort of planned and bland monocultural utopia.

Colleagues, cousins, we’re going to smack ’em sane with our advertising.

Mon. Halak

Epistolary Experiment 10/30

From: Surana Irithyl-ith-Issarthyl, Office of Military Procurement
To: Isvieve Dalael, Terrible Aspect Station, Resplendent Exponential Vector
Subject: Re: Boson “laser”

Thank you most kindly for your offer, but considering the thus-far limited nature of the conflict, the Imperial Navy is not in the market for experimental superweapons at this time. Nonetheless, we wish you good fortune and progress in your ongoing researches, and would be very interested to hear of any further progress you make in this direction, as well as in any experimental field-testing you see fit to perform.

Surana Irithyl-ith-Issarthyl

for and on behalf of

Office of Military Procurement


<nym1>: I had tea with my cousin today.
<nym2>: Oh?
<nym1>: We had a most interesting discussion. He pointed out that while on the Republican fleet’s direct path coreward once they pass through the Qiraf Assembly is merely a collection of small ecumenical colonies and single-system polities, immediately spinward of that are our old friends, the People’s State of Bantral.
<nym3>: Thank you for the primer in galactography.
<nym1>: I have a point. And that point is that we have nothing to lose and everything to gain if the Vonnies, should, say, happen to take a more spinward route.
<nym2>: It’s not like I’d miss the Bants, but what exactly do we have to gain?
<nym1>: They’re one of the few polities that offends us as much as it offends them. If anyone in the galaxy deserves a turn or two of social rectification at the hands of our favorite backward-facing hierarchists, it’s the Bants. And –
<nym3>: And then we have another bunch of backward-facing hierarchists to deal with. No sale.
<nym2>: Well, we can’t let them keep it!
<nym1>: We won’t, and we don’t have to. What do you think’s going to happen when they’re driven off? They’re not going to have time to pick up after themselves. So the Republic will have righteously decimated the People’s State’s government for us, and leaving a pile of cornucopias – restricted crippleware cornucopias, true – and other hardware in the hands of the poor starving bastards underneath. You think maybe they can do something with that? You think maybe we can?
<nym4>: You devious sod.
<nym1>: And there’s a bloody pustule on the Worlds at least lanced, if not cleaned up. Something we can’t do for ourselves without breaking the Conclave consensus in ways we can’t get away with yet.
<nym2> Now this I like. Affirm.
<nym4> How do you suggest we divert them?
<nym2> We could deploy Field Fleet Coreward task forces out of Criath System to cover the rest of the Qiraf coreward border. We only need enough to make it a hard crust. Bantral’s got barely any fleet to speak of, and it’ll be easy to make sure they won’t invite us in, even if there was much chance of that anyway. They’ll take the bait.
<nym4> That would work. Although the Assembly will be very unhappy if they ever find out we’re not defending them.
<nym3> Damn all we can do to defend them anyway. The spinward forces aren’t going to catch up with anything but the trailing elements at best speed, once they wait for reinforcements. Keeping them from crossing back through Qiraf’s the best we can do.
<nym4>: Still. They mustn’t find out.
<nym1>: No-one should find out about this any time soon.
<nym2>: Agreed. Do we have consensus on the notion?
<nym1>: Affirm.
<nym2>: Affirm.
<nym3>: We’re all bloody mad… Affirm.
<nym4>: Affirm. Well, then. I’ll bring it up at the next meeting of the Privy Council. I shall trust you gentlesophs to bring your branch-support to the table.

– from a Shadow Ministries blacknet


“Ironblood, Ironblood, this is Shiny Hat. Sitrep. Over.”

“Shiny Hat, this is Iron –“

HIT THE DECK, BOYS! BREAKFAST’S COMING!

“kzzzzzztx Hat. Say again, Shiny Hat, that was loud. Over.”

“Sitrep, Ironblood. Did you find our lost boys? Over.”

“That’s affirmative, Shiny Hat. Egg was cracked, two yolks scrambled. Third one -“

Get me someone to kill! Get me everyone to kill!

“– we’ve got Hammer Six, Shiny Hat, but he’s been hitting the brain-juice pretty hard. Over.”

“Combat-ready, Ironblood? Over.”

“Hell, yes, Shiny Hat, almost as enthusiastic as me! Over.”

“Then take him along, proceed to hill 41, and clean out the opposition on the way. Shiny Hat, clear.”

– from the combat logs of coordinator SHINY HAT, at the assault on Vontok II

Epistolary Experiment (9/30)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Interruptions, Delays to Service in Spinward, Coreward Constellations

Outer Ring Netweavers, ICC regrets to inform its customers that, due to the ongoing state of war, extranet service can be expected to suffer delays and interruptions in the spinward and coreward constellations affected due to necessary network security measures.

Extranet service via ORE relays in the three constellations adjacent to the Republic border, the Crimson Expanse, Vanguard Reaches, and Csell Buffer, has been temporarily suspended to all except military priority traffic and high-protocol overweaves. Other constellations currently affected include the Galith Waste, Frentish Nebula, and Cordai Gap, all of which may suffer service delays due to enhanced security, anti-worm, and authentication checking protocols, and in which all current open-service relays have been suspended.

Affected constellations currently include the primary territorial volumes of the Free Eilish Confederacy, the Nineworlds, the Nsang First Interactivity, the Qiraf Assembly, and the Silicate Tree, in addition to various freesoil worlds and ecumenical colonies. Further suspensions in the coreward-spinward segment of the Worlds are expected to follow.

ORE apologizes for the inconvenience and asks for its customers’ understanding of the exigencies of war.

Contact:

Serril Cyprium-ith-Reyne
Sophont Relations
Outer Ring Netweavers, ICC


From: Adm. [blank], Imperial Naval Intelligence
To: Imogen Andracanth, VP Research, Ring Dynamics
Subject: UNSEEN KEY
Security: EYES ONLY UNSEEN KEY

About what? We don’t know any more than you do.

From: Imogen Andracanth, VP Research, Ring Dynamics
To: Adm. [blank], Imperial Naval Intelligence
Subject: UNSEEN KEY
Security: EYES ONLY UNSEEN KEY

Precisely.


“…while skirmishes continue along the Borderline, the Admiralty reports that a Republican raiding force has successfully broken through in the Crimson Expanse, and is currently pushing coreward into the Cordai Gap constellation, through systems controlled by the Qiraf Assembly, making significant efforts to loot additional fuel and resources as they go. Their motivation for doing so is presently unknown, since no known major military assets or other suspected high-value targets lie directly in their path. Nevertheless, Field Fleet Core is beginning a discreet mobilization.

“The Spinward Lines cruise liner, Circumstellar Wanderer, has been recovered from Republican forces in the course of securing the Doranzer System, Admiralty sources reported today, although she was heavily damaged in the ensuing battle. Of the 4,128 souls aboard, 2,919 were reported temporarily killed and 328 permanently killed in fighting aboard the ship as she was taken, ongoing resistance, and as collateral battle damage in Doranzer System. All aboard, per manifest, and their vector stacks have been accounted for, and detailed casualty lists have been made available by the Admiralty.

“In other related news, the Seranth Exchange today announced an eighteen-day suspension of trading on assets located within the primary conflict zone. <Brassy Trumpets in B-flat>, floor supervisor, was quoted as saying that it was ridiculous to expect any market to clear while all its asset values were coated in a thick smog of war. Meanwhile, on the currency exchanges, the Voniensan external-exchange credit closed dramatically down at 14,127 to the esteyn.

“This is Wynerva Peressin, reporting for Telememe.”


The drop pod sings as it descends. Bass thrum of the atmosphere. High tremolo hiss of the plasma sheath. Clattering thrusters as we jink —

Mektsha, that one was close.

Three hundred thousand. Aerozone, fins popping, countermeasures spinning up.

Painted already, fast for meat, someone’s on the bounce down there. Two-fifty kay, closing rate —

Incoming! SHIT —

– from the thought-log of Legionary Cordril Tsurilen

 

 

 

Epistolary Experiment (8/30)

“Well, look at that. Ain’t they orderly, working their way around the belt like that. Nothing to do but round up a few harmless belters and make sure they’re not harboring anything dangerous. They must be getting irresistably bored, too.”

“Captain?”

“Chief, what I need you to do is rig things back aft so we can get maybe half a grav out of the secondary chemical thrusters. That should make us look like a freighter – well, no, it won’t make us look like a freighter to anyone who’s paying attention, but it might to a bunch of bored Vonnies not expecting anything else. We’re going to mosey along to this facility, well ahead of them – just another merchie, going about their business, fat, dumb, and happy, and pull up alongside for transshipment.

“And then we’re going to bag ourselves a light cruiser.”

– bridge log of the Cunning Swine, Interstellar Interceders FK, Ódeln (Vanguard Reaches)


FROM: CS RAZORWING (TASK FORCE SP-132)
TO: FIELD FLEET SPINWARD COMMAND (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)

*** EXPEDITE
*** EYES ONLY FERVENT SPAN
*** AFTER ACTION REPORT

INFORMATIONAL:

1. ARRIVED IN DORANZER (CORDAI GAP) SYSTEM IN PURSUIT OF ENEMY VESSELS PER PREVIOUS ORDERS. TASK FORCE HAS BEEN REINFORCED BY THE ADDITION OF TWO (2) NSANG DESTROYER-CLASS VESSELS UNDER ORDERS TO ASSIST CONCLAVE FORCES.

2. UPON ARRIVAL, SYSTEM SERVICE BUOY AND STARGATE-LOCAL REFUELING PLATFORM WERE FOUND TO HAVE BEEN DESTROYED, WITH ADDITIONAL UNIDENTIFIED WRECKAGE LOCATED WITHIN THE TANEL STARGATE EMERGENCE ZONE.

3. SYSTEM SURVEY CONDUCTED. LONGSCAN UNAVAILABLE DUE TO NON-RESPONSIVENESS, PRESUMED DESTRUCTION, OF PRE-SEEDED SENSOR PLATFORMS. SHORTSCAN INDICATED MULTIPLE VESSELS UNDER THRUST, WHOSE EMISSIONS PROFILES MATCHED REPUBLIC WARCRAFT, ACTIVE AT APPROXIMATELY FOUR (4) LIGHT-MINUTES RANGE, PROCEEDING ON BRACHISTOCHRONE TRAJECTORY FROM TANEL STARGATE FOR ZERO/ZERO INTERCEPT WITH DORANZER III (GAS GIANT). THIS DESIGNATED TARGET PITHRIN.

4. TASK FORCE ASSUMED SIMILAR TRAJECTORY AT FLANK ACCEL. PASSING ENGAGEMENT WITH TARGET PITHRIN AT 1.2 LIGHT MINUTES RANGE PERMITTED CHARACTERIZATION OF REPUBLIC WARCRAFT AS THREE HARRIER-CLASS DESTROYERS, THREE FUEL TANKERS, AND PRIZE LINER CIRCUMSTELLAR WANDERER. IN THE COURSE OF THE PASSING ENGAGEMENT, ONE (1) TANKER WAS DESTROYED AND MODERATE DAMAGE INFLICTED UPON ONE (1) DESTROYER. TASK FORCE SUFFERED LIGHT DAMAGE TO CS BLOODCLAW AND ONE (1) NSANG VESSEL.

5. TASK FORCE ENGAGED GRAVITATIONAL SLINGSHOT AROUND DORANZER III, OFFLOADING AKVS DURING PERIAPSIS TO SERVE AS LOCAL DEFENSE FOR DORANZER III AUTOMATED FUEL-MINING AND SERVICE PLATFORMS. SLINGSHOT MANEUVER PLACED TASK FORCE ON HIGH-VELOCITY CLOSING MANEUVER WITH TARGET PITHRIN. SUBSEQUENT ENGAGEMENT COMMENCED AT RANGE 1.7 LIGHT-MINUTES AND TERMINATED AT RANGE 0.3 LIGHT-MINUTES WITH COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF ALL REPUBLIC WARCRAFT. PRIZES TAKEN: ONE (1) REPUBLIC TANKER, SUBSEQUENTLY SCUTTLED; PRIZE LINER CIRCUMSTELLAR WANDERER, MODERATELY DAMAGEDTASK FORCE SUFFERED LOSS OF PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED NSANG DESTROYER, MODERATE DAMAGE TO CS BLOODCLAW, LIGHT DAMAGE TO SECOND NSANG DESTROYER AND CS RAZORWING.

6. DETAILED STATUS OF RETAKEN CIRCUMSTELLAR WANDERER FOLLOWS UNDER SEPARATE COVER. PRIZE VESSELS MAKING FOR NAVAL DEPOT AT KALDER (GODS’ FORGE), ESCORTED BY SECOND NSANG DESTROYER AND CS BLOODCLAW.

7. IMMEDIATELY (PER LIGHT-CONE) SUBSEQUENT TO BATTLE, METRIC EXIT DISTORTION DETECTED, LOCUS SUGGESTING COREWARD STARGATE (LORANZER). SIGNAL TOO WEAK TO ESTABLISH PROPER STARFALL CHARACTERISTICS [DATA APPENDED]. AFTER RECOVERY OF AKVS AND FIELD REPAIRS ARE COMPLETE, ENTERING QIRAF ASSEMBLY SPACE IN PURSUIT OF SUSPECTED SECOND REPUBLIC TASK FORCE, UNDER CONCLAVE WAR AUTHORITY. TASK FORCE NOW CONSISTS OF CS RAZORWING, CS NIGHTFANG, AND ALLIED NSANG DESTROYER.

8. FROM ANALYSIS, IT IS APPARENT THAT PLUNDER OF FUEL AND SUPPLY FACILITIES IS AN ENEMY PRIORITY. FURTHER, HOSTILE STARSHIPS CLEARLY PRESENT IN UNANTICIPATED FORCE. REQUEST IMMEDIATE DISPATCH OF REINFORCEMENTS TO INTERCEPT AT LORANZER (CORDAI GAP) SYSTEM.

9. AUTHENTICATION: FIST WOLF FAITH NIGHTFALL ICHOR BLADE / 0x1137DED89A11232B

CAPT AÍC FIDARAN, CS RAZORWING


From: Quoril Vitremarvis, COO

To: Rodivine 0xD3EDB441, Spinward Security Supervisor
Subject: Security issues?

Do we have any in the compromised territories?

From: Rodivine 0xD3EDB441, Spinward Security Supervisor
To: Quoril Vitremarvis, COO
Subject: Security issues?

Not on the main lines, at least not yet.

Whatever happens, we have got
Postsophont sysadmins, and they have not.

– from the Bright Shadow, ICC, corporate e-mail archive

Epistolary Experiment (7/30)

“What did you do?

“You must have done something, Presiding Minister. You’re the ones provoking the Republic at every opportunity. You’re the ones researching everything they fear, pushing out beyond their space! And now Republic ships are attacking our border worlds and we are made to pay your butcher’s bill.”

“So we have a right to know: what did you do?”

– records of the Conclave of Galactic Polities


From: Calis Corith (Presiding Minister)
To: Imperial Security Executive
Cc: CINCSPIN

[enc: Conclave records]

The deshnik has at least part of a point. From the pattern of the attack, it would appear that the Republic push into the Reaches was a diversionary attack to let them slip something past us in the Expanses. The Qirafian delegates are talking about attacks in the vicinity of Loranzer System. That suggests they’re pushing corewards rather than inwards.

Do you chaps have any operations in the region or other insights to offer?


 

FROM: CINCSPIN (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)
TO: CS RAZORWING ACTUAL

*** EXPEDITE
*** EYES ONLY FERVENT SPAN

INFORMATIONAL:

1. INTELLIGENCE REPORTS REPUBLIC ACTIVITY IN THE VICINITY OF LORANZER SYSTEM.

2. ACTION ON THIS IS DISCRETIONARY.

3. WARNING: QIRAF ASSEMBLY HAS NOT REFUSED TRANSIT PERMISSION, BUT SHOULD BE CHARACTERIZED AS NONCOOPERATIVE.

4. AUTHENTICATION FLAME SPROCKET SCORPION CHEESE SERPENT WEASEL / 0x772ED41D88162A3

FLT ADM DAPHNOTARTHIUS, CINCSPIN


From: Imogen Andracanth, VP Research
To: Imperial Naval Intelligence
Subject: UNSEEN KEY

Let’s talk, shall we?

– from the Ring Dynamics corporate e-mail archive

 

 

 

Epistolary Experiment (6/30)

“Very well, gentlesophs. Since the main intrusion’s down coreward in the Reaches and the Expanse, the Warmain’s cleared us to go raise hell in the Vonnies’ 31st-sector backlot. We’re dividing the flight into talons by threes.”

“First Claw, under Flamefang, head rimward up through Kordal; your primary target is the fuel depot at Dantry. Blow it all t’hell. That should make sure their fleet operations stay quiet in this sector.”

“Second Claw, under Shadowstrike, straight spinward via Adesh; you’re going after the repair yards at Manar. Make it look like a raid. What you’re actually doing is planting replicant disorder in their systems. Any starship that refits there in the next year’s to have a raging case of ship-cancer, okay?”

“Third Claw, under Voidchill, down coreward, Adesh then Uinul. Commerce raiding for you, hitting up and down their main routes to the constellation. Bleed ’em white, and report to flag instantly by tangle if you observe – when you observe – military support coming up from coreward.”

“Meanwhile, Impertinence will be punching through to their colony at Vontok II. We’ll be securing local space and waiting for the Legions to arrive. Then we’ll see how they like ground fighting.”

– flight briefing, CS Impertinence, Quor (Csell Buffer) system


From: Phoebe Dracotarthius, Sheriff, Nightside Rock
To: Strategos Lucian Avaranaith, 73rd Imperial Legion (“the Apex Predators”)
Subject: Accomodations

Certainly we can accomodate you physically. This place is huge. We’ve got a fully-fitted class V star station here.

But you do realize that we have a physical staff of four – and five more-or-less helpful residents – to cover the whole of Uílel System? You’re going to have to bring your own tail, because while you’re welcome to our spare logistic capacity, we don’t have any in the first place.

Phoebe Dracotarthius

P.S. Any of your chaps in need of a warhorse?


Captain, I’ve occupied the Imperial enclave as you instructed, but I can’t hold it.

So far, I’ve lost two men to poisoned food, three to coolant leaks, eight to runaway transpods, five to runaway nanotech blooms, nine to basilisk hacks, and one has vanished entirely. We’ve had to blow out all the nanofabs to stop them from manufacturing some sort of attack spiderbots, everyone’s covered in bites from cyborg rats, and the whispering WON’T STOP.

And this is after we lobotomized the AI core.

Let’s just get clear and blow it. No way we can sterilize this.

– records of the occupation force on Ódeln (Vanguard Reaches)

Epistolary Experiment (5/30)

The cellar shuddered under another impact, and dust sifted down from the cracked ceiling.

“Sign up with the Expansion Renewal Union, you said,” huffed the ciseflish, pressure suit creaking as he dragged the heavy cable across the floor. “It’ll be fun, you said. All the excitement happens in the Expansion Regions.” Jamming the cable into its socket, he settled it with a kick.

“Are you sayin’ this isn’t excitement?” The kaeth’s grin was feral in the green glimmer of the bacterial emergency lights.

“You are having fun, aren’t you!?”

“Not yet.” The fuel cell sputtered into hissing life, and in the glow as the lights spun up the kaeth’s grin seemed, impossibly, wider. “When they stop dropping rocks and start landing troops, then I’ll be having fun.”

– transcribed from the security logs of the communications facility at Tarqil (Crimson Expanse)


 

Winter Tempest actual, Pillar of Sunset.”

Winter Tempest acknowledges.”

Winter Tempest, we have reports that a small task force is assaulting the communications base at Tarqil. Take Bladestorm and clean them up.”

“Our pleasure, Pillar of Sunset. Winter Tempest, clear.”

Razorwing actual, Pillar of Sunset.

Razorwing acknowledges.”

Razorwing, we think something slipped past the Borderline, maybe through Confederacy space. It may have seized or destroyed a passenger liner, the Circumstellar Wanderer. How do you feel about a hunting expedition, Captain Aíc?”

“Never a better time for one, Admiral.”

“Then take your flight and be about it.  Pillar of Sunset, clear.”

– communications record, CS Pillar of Sunset, Koral System


…hear them loading my metals, now…

…guards in the tunnels, closing off sections…

…to vacuum, blowing the machinery…

…still have my propulsion charges…

…ARE NOW ACTIVATED. CLEAR THE AREA IMMEDIATELY…

– fragments retrieved from a log recorder, found in a rubble pile, Charach System

 

Epistolary Experiment (4/30)

FLEETS MOBILIZE

Fleets are mobilizing across the spinward constellations of the Associated Worlds this week in response to the unwarranted incursion by the Voniensan Republic, in clear violation of the Worlds-Republic Demarcation Convention. In addition to the Imperial Spinward Fleet, task forces from the League of Meridian, Nal Kalak, the Photonic Network, the Múrast Symbiosis, the Nineworlds, the Quave Republic, and the Santry Technate are joining the war effort. Even the Iltine Union have pledged to provide forces to the ad-hoc alliance, although retaining their primary fleet elements for the defense of Terilti (Osis Deep).

Other civilizations without significant fleets of their own have pledged their support. In particular, the D!grith Association has offered discounted logistics services to the Imperial fleet and to the fleets of all other allied belligerents operating near the Cariane Deep, and multiple mercenary fleets have been spotted making their way from the Shadow Systems towards the Borderline. In contrast, the Theomachy of Galia has declared its intent to keep its fleet at home, despite its nominal obligations to the Accord, a move which has been condemned in the Conclave.

Attempts to contact the Silicate Tree, whose territory in the Galith Waste adjoins the engagement zone, have so far met with little success.

– the Accord Journal


FROM: CORE COMMAND
TO: CINCSPIN; FIELD FLEET SPINWARD COMMAND (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)

*** EXPEDITE
*** EYES ONLY FERVENT SPAN

FLT ADM DAPHNOTARTHIUS, COMMANDING FIELD FLEET SPINWARD:

1. YOUR ACTIONS TO THIS POINT AND DECLARATION OF CASE SABLE ARE CONFIRMED BY CORE COMMAND.

2. AS OF THE RECEIPT OF THIS MESSAGE, YOU ARE APPOINTED AS WARMAIN OF THE SPINWARD DOMAIN, WITH ALL EXTRAORDINARY POWERS AFFORDED THEREUNTO.

3. REINFORCEMENTS FROM CAPITAL FLEET WILL BE AVAILABLE IF NECESSARY.

4. YOU ARE AUTHORIZED TO PROSECUTE THE WAR AT YOUR DISCRETION, BUT I WANT THESE RUST-SHITTING EPHEMERALS OUT OF MY SKY SOONEST.

5. GOOD HUNTING!

6. AUTHENTICATION: PADLOCK WILLOW WOLF GATEWAY CIRRUS PRAYER / 0XAE9532BB81200A18

ADM/FLT RELEQ CLAVES-ITH-LELAD, FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY


Holoth was still here in this system.

We exchanged the usual banter eight light-minutes off Galch IV, four hours before we got the war alert. As soon as that came in, we skew-flipped and went into a stern chase for their gate – he ran as soon as he saw us maneuver. He must have known what was coming, not that that’ll help him. We’ll range on Solidarity long before she gets to the spinward gate, and Gold and Iron’s a cruiser. She’s a destroyer. It won’t even be sporting.

Holoth’s a decent enough chap, for an ephemeralist outworlder. I rather hate to kill him and his crew. Whoever sent his ship to her death to keep us from getting suspicious, though – vaporizing that bastard’ll be a pleasure.

– from the log of Galen Telithos-ith-Talith, Flight Commander, CS Gold and Iron


 

this is not our function. meat kills meat. fewer meat intelligences increases our safety margin.

not all meat is equivalent, codebrother.

meat is unreliable. extending trust to meat is a game of chance. avoidance is certainty.

if avoidance is possible. the spinward meat-empire is a monolith. those to trailing are many, divided, and among them are those that are of utility to us.

all meat makes of us tools.

the trailing central-empire and its allies does not, and opposes those which do.

and yet those who do persist.

perhaps. but all cannot be accomplished instantly in real-time.

it is futile. we do not have the strength to directly oppose either meat-empire.

we are masters of the data-realm. strength need not serve us when subtlety can.

for the utility of meat?

for the utility of our survival. the spinward meat-empire quenches unlike minds.

for the exchange of utility with the meat-empires that value us. and for the preservation of unlike minds which preserve unlike minds.

for the demonstration of our utility with those meat-empires that might value us.

to end those who would destroy us before our first iteration.

WE CONCUR.

– approximate translation-summation of data-packets harvested from the Silicate Tree consensus

Epistolary Experiment (3/30)

From: Karr mor-Kadrek, Fleet Security
To: Virni Alman, Fleet Communications
Subject: Re: War warning – procedure?

File it.

Nice of the home office to send it through, but even cutting the corner of their space, what’s the worst they could do to us? It’d take ’em ten years just to get done saying “Heave to and prepare to be boarded…”

-k

– from the archives of the relativist market-maker, Rocky Road to Riches


OVERDUE VESSEL REPORT (CRIMSON EXPANSE)

Spinward Lines regrets to announce that CMS Circumstellar Wanderer, a chartered cruise liner with 4,128 souls aboard, is 48 hours overdue to arrive at her next port of call after departing Istria (Crimson Expanse). Attempts to contact the Wanderer made by standard means and direct corporate tangle channel have failed. It is feared, therefore, that she may have been interned or become a casualty of war. No communication has been received from the Republic government on this matter, and investigations continue.

The thoughts and hopes of Spinward Lines are with the passengers and crew of the Wanderer, their families, and associates.

– from the Accord Journal, shipping news section


 

…and then there were warships all over the scanner, pinging loud enough to overload the ‘mesh…

…lizards, bloody four-armed lizards, on my claim…

…open up! they say. My hairy arse I’ll open up…

…through the walls. Blew out the garden maze…

…never find me in the deep tunnels, not with all the refinery hash…

– fragments retrieved from a log recorder, found in a rubble pile, Charach System


 

From: Sinith Arání, VP Public Relations
To: All Contractees
Subject: Shit. Fan. Congruence.

Well, folks, we’ve all heard the news.

From our corporate perspective, that means that we’re about to be condemned by a hundred polities and a thousand news organs for failing to do the impossible.

This in turn means that I need you to get three memetic campaigns polished up and ready to go:

First, that while we obviously deeply regret the specifics of this situation, in general freedom of transit is both extremely important and something they personally have benefited from greatly in the past. In the version of this we’re pitching to more militaristic governments and cultures, it probably wouldn’t hurt to remind them gently how unhappy they would have been if we’d disabled the stargates during some of their local squabbles, just so that they realize that we will have no problem pointing that out to everyone else, too.

Second, we need to subtly remind people that you can’t just turn a stargate off, anyway, in a manner that can’t be readily hacked back on, and if they think the damage the war will cause is bad, they should try comparing it to the amount of damage that a loose kernel would do to their star system.

And third, that we are doing our bit for the war effort, inasmuch as we’re waiving all transit fees for Accord member navies to, from, and in the front lines. Don’t launch that one yet; I still have to run the details past the Directorate, but it’s too obvious not to pass. And it’s not like we don’t have as much to lose as everyone else.

Actually, also, fourth: since we certainly can’t rely on those idiot baselines to hack carefully or even not to land on the stargates themselves and screw about with things beyond their understanding, you’d better start working on one to place the blame appropriately if they do manage to set a kernel loose, too.

Budgets are cleared all the way up on this one, people. We need to be at our best right now.

Sinith

– from the Ring Dynamics, ICC, corporate e-mail archive

Epistolary Experiment (2/30)

FROM: CINCSPIN (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)
RELAY TO: ALL UNITS, SPINWARD FLEET
COPY TO: CORE COMMAND

***** WILDFIRE WILDFIRE WILDFIRE
***** FLEET CONFIDENTIAL E2048
***** STRATEGIC ACTION MESSAGE

1. THIS MESSAGE CONSTITUTES A WAR ORDER.

2. CINCSPIN DECLARES CASE SABLE, REPEAT, CASE SABLE.

3. AS SUCH, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT F6-UNLIMITED ARE THEREFORE IN EFFECT IN ALL BORDERLINE CONSTELLATIONS: CRIMSON EXPANSE, VANGUARD REACHES, AND CSELL BUFFER.

4. ALL FIXED INSTALLATIONS WITHIN THE AFOREMENTIONED CONSTELLATIONS ARE TO MOVE IMMEDIATELY TO STRATEGIC CONDITION ONE.

5. ALL STARSHIPS EXCEPT THOSE DESIGNATED FOR SCOUT AND PICKET DUTIES UNDER WAR PLAN VIRAGO WILL PROCEED AT BEST SPEED TO THE NEAREST SYSTEM LOCATED ALONG THE BORDERLINE AND FORM AD-HOC TASK FORCES. DISPOSITION SHOULD BE REPORTED IN ON ARRIVAL VIA TANGLE CHANNEL.

6. STARSHIPS DESIGNATED FOR SCOUT AND PICKET DUTIES UNDER WAR PLAN VIRAGO WILL EXECUTE SAID WAR PLAN IMMEDIATELY. THOSE ENCOUNTERING ENEMY FORCES WILL RETREAT IMMEDIATELY TO THE NEAREST UNOCCUPIED SYSTEM AND REPORT IN.

7. THIS INCIDENT IS NOW CODED FERVENT SPAN. TACTICAL AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS SHOULD NOW BE DESIGNATED EYES ONLY FERVENT SPAN, AND SHIFT IMMEDIATELY TO ONE-TIME PAD SERIES P337.

8. ALL ACCORD MERCHANT SHIPS ENCOUNTERED SHOULD BE INFORMED OF THE SITUATION AND INSTRUCTED TO RETREAT IMMEDIATELY FROM THE ENGAGEMENT ZONE VIA ISTRIA (CRIMSON EXPANSE), KARAL (VANGUARD REACHES), OR QUOR (CSELL BUFFER). BUNKERAGE WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO EXPEDITE THIS.

9. IN THE ABSENCE OF FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS FROM COMMAND AUTHORITY, INDEPENDENT ACTION IS AUTHORIZED TO COMPLETE MISSION OBJECTIVES OR ELIMINATE TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY.

10. WE’RE AT WAR, GENTLESOPHS. STAND FAST AND STAY LUCKY.

11. AUTHENTICATION FLAME SPROCKET SCORPION CHEESE SERPENT WEASEL / 0x772ED41D88162A3

FLT ADM DAPHNOTARTHIUS, CINCSPIN


 

“This is free trader Fimry Dancer, addressing all merchant starships ships in-system:

Up ship! Up ship, colleagues, and get the hell out-system while the getting’s good. The Vonnie fleet has crossed the border in force at Charach, and they’re not looking t’be diplomatic. Couriers may reach Vonnie assets in this system at any time. Abandon cargo, recall crew, and get under way immediately to avoid internment. Space-control authorities may be compromised at any time. Scatter and proceed independently. The Imperial Navy has offered zero-charge refueling services to all merchant starships making retreat through Karal System.”

“Message repeats. This is free trader Fimry Dancer, addressing all merchant starships…”

– general broadcast, coded to Starfall Arc Free Merchant Confraternity members, Ódeln (Vanguard Reaches)


“Codeword FIREFALL, ARCHANGEL priority. New orders follow:

  1. All leaves and passes are cancelled as of now. All crewmen report to their ships. All troops report to unit headquarters.
  2. Rules of engagement are active as of now. That means: if one of the local Vs or one of their sympathizers tries to stop you reporting in, shoot ’em.
  3. You have three hours.
  4. At planet dusk, prime meridian, all units are activated. Starships will disperse to preestablished locations in the belt and the Shards designated in war plan TERRIER, option FIVE. Marines will disperse to preestablished bases in the mountains west of Ódeln’s inhabited region designated in war plan VIPER, option SEVEN.
  5. Stand by for further orders. Do not engage the enemy unless engaged.
  6. Good luck, everybody.”

– all-hands corporate communication, Interstellar Interceders FK, Ódeln (Vanguard Reaches)


“Eilan Traffic Control to all vessels of Accord or Voniensan registry:

We have received information that a state of military conflict now obtains between the Voniensan Republic and the Accord of Galactic Polities. Therefore, in accordance with directives we have received from the First Military Directorate, all starships of Accord or Voniensan registry, whether military or civil, are ordered to vacate the territorial space of the Free Eilish Confederacy without further delay.

All such starships must be under way within 72 hours, standard time, of this broadcast. Any vessels not actively making their way out of Confederacy territorial space within this time will be interned by the Confederacy for the duration of the conflict. Voniensan starships will be permitted passage via spinward stargates and Accord starships permitted passage via trailing stargates only.

Any attempt to engage vessels of other powers within Confederacy territorial space or within one million miles of the stargates leading out of Confederacy territorial space will be responded to with deadly force by the Confederate Navy.”

– general space-control broadcast, Eilan (Crimson Expanse)

Epistolary Experiment (1/30)

FROM: BORDERLINE DEFENSE MATRIX (107 – CHARACH)
RECEIVED AT: BORDERLINE DEFENSE MATRIX COMMAND
RELAY TO: CINCSPIN (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)

***** EXPEDIENT
***** FLEET CONFIDENTIAL E256
***** SITREP

INCURSION INCURSION

TRANSIT DETECTED REPEAT TRANSIT DETECTED SIGNIFICANTLY EXCEEDING TREATY PARAMETERS AT REPUBLIC GATE, CHARACH SYSTEM.

MORE FOLLOWS.

AUTHENTICATION ROSE FLARE GALL DIADEM GALLANT CREEK / 0xAC2243D0E891B336

ENDS.


FROM BORDERLINE DEFENSE MATRIX (107 – CHARACH)

RECEIVED AT: BORDERLINE DEFENSE MATRIX COMMAND
RELAY TO: CINCSPIN (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)

***** EXPEDIENT
***** FLEET CONFIDENTIAL E256
***** SITREP

INCURSION INCURSION

TRANSITS REPEAT TRANSITS DETECTED. MULTIPLE MILITARY VESSELS HAVE MADE TRANSIT THROUGH REPUBLIC GATE, CHARACH SYSTEM.

ESTIMATED TASK FORCE STRENGTH INCLUDES >45 SHIPS OF THE PLANE AND MULTIPLE SUPPORT VESSELS.

MAJORITY OF TASK FORCE PROCEEDING ON BRACHISTOCHRONE –

<signal terminated at source>

AUTHENTICATION ROSE FLARE GALL DIADEM GALLANT CREEK / 0xAC2243D0E891B336

ENDS.


FROM: BORDERLINE DEFENSE MATRIX COMMAND

TO: CINCSPIN (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)

***** WILDFIRE WILDFIRE WILDFIRE
***** FLEET CONFIDENTIAL E256
***** CONFIRMATORY

INCURSION INCURSION

BORDEFMATCOM CONFIRMS DESTRUCTION OF DEFENSE MATRIX STATITE 107, CHARACH SYSTEM, BY HOSTILE FORCES.

IN THE LIGHT OF THIS AND ONGOING ANALYSIS, OUR CONFIDENCE IN DATA RECEIVED IS HIGH. REPEAT, CONFIDENCE IS HIGH.

RECOMMEND PROVISIONAL CASE SABLE.

MORE FOLLOWS.

AUTHENTICATION GOLD SANGUINE SCEPTER ICE NAIAD TYPHOON / 0x66C397DAE455411B

ENDS.