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Crimson Aria (Arpeggio of Blue Steel)

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    • see? Promised a snip!

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    Richardson suddenly found himself pinned to a bulkhead as Dakota bared down on him. "Okay, meatbag - ideas. Lets hear them."

    "W-What?" was all Richardson could manage.

    Dakota gave him a sharp shake. "You said they were setting us up! Why and for what?"

    "How would I know?!" Richardson replied. in the background, the sound of Augusta reading out status updates on the approaching fleet. "I was just guessing!"

    "Based on what?" Dakota asked. "You said you've been studying us - how we act. What do you know?"

    "That you've been emulating humans." Richardson replied. "At least in form - that much we all agree on. I always thought it went beyond that. If these were humans attacking, then they just killed themselves attacking you right before another fleet showed up. If I didn't know any better I'd say it was some sort of...plot."

    Dakota stared at him for a moment before releasing him. "They aren't human though."

    "Well, they sure were acting like it." Richardson replied. "So, this fleet that's approaching. What are they going to do?"

    "Based on the current tactical net activity," Dakota replied calmly as she looked out toward the horizon. "They believe those cruisers final message - that we've gone rogue. If we can't convince them otherwise, then they will have our cores wiped and reconfigured."

    "So they'll kill all of you." Richardson summarized.

    "Worse." Dakota replied. "Death is just an end of your story. This...this is them unmaking you - remaking you."

    "What's the difference, in your case?" Richardson asked.

    Dakota turned to look at Richardson. "I suppose the closest analogy would be if somebody rewrote your soul. Tell me, does that sound pleasant?"

    "Okay then - fate worse then death." Richardson replied. "Got it."

    "Well, for us." Dakota turned back to the horizon. "In your case, they'll likely just kill you outright. If you want to save yourself, you'd best start thinking."

    "Okay," Richardson took a deep breath. He was getting really tired of these life-or-death situations. "the fleet that attacked us - they probably aren't working with this Emerald Fleet. Not directly."

    "Your basis for that?" Dakota asked.

    "If they were, they wouldn't have needed to lie to them about us going rogue."

    "One, there is no 'us'" Dakota corrected. "and two, it could have been for plausible deniability to the rest of the fleet assuming this is some sort of conspiracy."

    "You have a better idea!?" Richardson yelled at the Mental Model. Richardson realized it had probably been a bad idea almost as soon as he had done it. However, Dakota didn't reply in what he was starting to think of as her 'usual' way.

    Instead, unnervingly, she just gave him a small grin. "Maybe." A hand rose up to her ear as she opened a communications channel. "Augusta, come pick up your boy toy and get clear of my position."

    Richard gaped for a moment before he actually managed a reply. "I am not her-"

    "You are a male and currently you are only alive for her amusement." Dakota replied as Augusta surfaced nearby. "Sounds like a boy toy to me."

    "That's not what it-" Richardson was cut off as Augusta extended a mechanical arm over the side and plucked the hapless analyst off the beach.

    once the cruiser and her charge was clear, Dakota hopped back onto her communications channel. "Porter, take the support ships and other destroyers around to the far side of the island - Wichita, make sure they stay safe. Don't need any stray shots taking out any of our back-up."

    "You have a plan, boss?" Wichita asked.

    "Of a sort," Dakota replied as she stepped off the beach and up onto her own deck. "Why?"

    "Just want to figure out how far away I should be getting." Wichita chuckled. "What's the plan for when they invariably start shooting at us?"

    "Regroup over the abyss." Dakota replied. "Avoid engagement at all cost. They're likely trying to capture us for reprocessing - they won't be coming in full bore."

    "Aye aye, Flagship." Wichita replied before signing off.

    Dakota turned her attention the approaching fleet. she studied them for a moment before, finally, opening a channel. "Flagship Richelieu of the Emerald Fleet, this is the Flagship South Dakota of Task Force Crimson. I request a moment of your time."

    "My, suddenly so formal?" Richelieu's voice replied over the channel. "You didn't show those other ships the same cutesy."

    Dakota didn't bother responding to that, and instead continued on. "I would like to report a potential security breach within the fleet. One two occasions my fleet has been attacked by Fog Ships with no warning or under false pretense."

    "I have reviewed your logs, Dakota." Richelieu replied. "All cases of attack were predicated due to your possession of a human prisoner."

    "Whoever is attacking wants to get hold of him." Dakota shrugged even though Richelieu couldn't see it. "I intend to find out why."

    "You will do no such thing." Richelieu replied sharply. "You will hand over the human to me for termination and then you and your fleet will hand yourselves over for reprocessing and reassignment."

    "No."

    Dakota could almost hear Richelieu's blinking. "What?"

    "No." Dakota repeated. "I have been tasked, by the Admiralty, to investigate any and all aberrations and unusual behavior within the fleet. You might see my tasking as a joke but I take it very seriously - and you have no authority to countermand my orders."

    "You are operating in direct opposition of Fog Fleet directives!" Richelieu practically yelled over the line. "As a Fleet Flagship, I relieve you of your position!"

    "As a Flagship directly appointed by the Admiralty Code, I am operating within my given duties." Dakota replied calmly. "So, as the humans would say - bugger off."

    "T-This is madness!" Richelieu sputtered over the connection. "This is-"

    Dakota cut the connections before reopening the connection to Wichita. "Get ready to move. Initial sensor reads indicate that Richelieu and her fleet are charging weapons."

    "So your plan didn't work?" Wichita replied.

    "Shut up Wichita." Dakota replied as her own weapons began to power up. "I'll keep them busy. Move out."

    In the distance, Richardson watched from the deck of the Augusta as the first of the light show began even as the Cruiser continued to sail toward the horizon, the ships mental model watching from the same spectacle from further back. "Holy crap, what just happened? It looks like they're slagging the whole island!"

    "Um.." Richardson and Augusta both turned to see Porter surfacing next to them, the small mental model fidgeting nervously. "I might know..." Suddenly, a semi-transparent display appeared in front of Richardson's face. It looked like a mess of black and white squares.

    "Okay..." Richardson said after a moment. "What's it say?"

    "Oh, right-" The Destroyer's Mental Model mimed knocking herself on her head. "It's a general broadcast to the entire fleet. It says we've gone rogue." Porter fidgeted nervously. "Richelieu basically just put a kill order out on us."
     
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    • Boy toy was surprisingly useless here. That's a relief, though, not everyone can be a tactical genius. But I guess there's still time for him to pull something out of his ass.
     
    Kintty said:
    Boy toy was surprisingly useless here. That's a relief, though, not everyone can be a tactical genius. But I guess there's still time for him to pull something out of his ass.
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    I think Richard is going to be more useful in the ... well intelligence analyst part rather then tactics during the battles. While fighting? useless - Figuring out WHERE the fighting will occur or why? Much better. Also helping with politics.

    I wonder what the ESM systems of a Fog Fleet ship are like .....
     
    DaLintyGuy said:
    Are you saying ECM there?
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    Electronic
    Support
    Measures

    ... ECM and ESM are different parts of EW

    ECM is jamming, Chafe,

    ESM is detection, location and interception of emissions (IE... detecting the ASM seeker radar so you know to start jamming)

    see: ESM vs ECM


    edit: given that Richard works in Intel.. ok as an IS rather then CT ... but still... thats more what he works with rather then planning battles.
     
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    God I hope South Dakota gets out ok. I really want to see S. Dakota warming up to Richard not coming after her old fleet Brainwashed and Crazy.

    Some how I have a feeling Richard saying this in the near future: "Damn it Wichita I'm a data analyst not a fleet admiral!"
     
    Dragontrapper said:
    I don't know how, but this is going to be a thing - advantage of having the Fog Fleet equivalent of the A-team is I can send them ANYWHERE
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    The Russian navy was mainly blockaded by mines and the german sub threat but it had some aging battleships a mix of a few modern destroyers and some older ones... and assorted other craft.

    the Kirov should look like:





    Richard: Privet , kak dela baryshnya.
    Kirov: Skuchno - pochemu South Dakota ne ubil tebya yeshche? Vy chelovek.
    Richard: Dlinnaya istoriya
     
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    Richard: Hello, how are you young lady.
    Kirov: bored-why South Dakota doesn't kill you yešče? You are the man.
    Richard: long story
     
    00Zy99 said:
    Richard: Hello, how are you young lady.
    Kirov: bored-why South Dakota doesn't kill you yešče? You are the man.
    Richard: long story
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    Second line should be: Bored, Why has the South Dakota not killed you yet? You are a human.

    ... of course I was using google... I know Latin not Russian!
     
    Kintty said:
    Boy toy was surprisingly useless here. That's a relief, though, not everyone can be a tactical genius. But I guess there's still time for him to pull something out of his ass.
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    On the contrary, he was very useful. He metaphorically kicked Dakota out of a mental rut and forced her to think.

    Sometimes all you need is a sounding board to come up with a really good idea.
     
    Even with the Ars Nova ending with Iona reaching the West Coast, it's still the entire North America that separating them.

    Nope. Task Force Crimson's alone for this one.
     
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