All actions that aren't roll over and surrender have risks. Since when did that stop humans.
Starting a fire has risks, yet cavemen still tried.
We just need to get the fire going first. Then go from there.
It's not about not taking risks. It's about playing a game we don't know the rules, the other players and the special cards yet and keep winning.
It's about cheating so hard the SL won't know what hit them; to do so we need to use our greatest weapons - creativity, patience, guile and intelligence. The we in the previous sentence applies to humanity in the quest and the players.
It's not about not taking risks. It's about playing a game we don't know the rules, the other players and the special cards yet and keep winning.
It's about cheating so hard the SL won't know what hit them; to do so we need to use our greatest weapons - creativity, patience, guile and intelligence. The we in the previous sentence applies to humanity in the quest and the players.
I thought our secret weapons are fear and surprise. Wait, no that is the Shiplords. Their weapons are fear and surprise. And ruthless efficiency. Oh, crap. The Shiplords are the Spanish Inquisition! I never expected that.
I thought our secret weapons are fear and surprise. Wait, no that is the Shiplords. Their weapons are fear and surprise. And ruthless efficiency. Oh, crap. The Shiplords are the Spanish Inquisition! I never expected that.
I thought our secret weapons are fear and surprise. Wait, no that is the Shiplords. Their weapons are fear and surprise. And ruthless efficiency. Oh, crap. The Shiplords are the Spanish Inquisition! I never expected that.
All actions that aren't roll over and surrender have risks. Since when did that stop humans.
Starting a fire has risks, yet cavemen still tried.
We just need to get the fire going first. Then go from there.
Don't pretend there isn't a difference between the natural personal risk from any technology and the global risk that comes from a vastly superior force that we know will destroy us for doing something.
"Stand down from offensive operations." You said, after a long moment. "I know we could probably hurt them, I do trust you in that assessment, but if they get into the networks again for more than a moment…" you trailed off into silence, shaking your head. "We can't risk that, Marcus."
"Yes, Madam President." He didn't like the order, you could tell by his address, but the way he said it also told you he understood why you'd given it. Your job was to look at the bigger picture, and make decisions based off of what he and the rest of your Cabinet told you. You'd done that, and if he agreed or not wasn't important, he'd follow orders. "I'll touch base with my teams and see what we can do to shore up the civilian side of the Net." He paused, then his face creased with a smile. "Good hunting, Lina."
"And you, Marcus." Lina said, her eyes dark with the knowledge that the next and final strike against the Tribute Fleet would be hers to command. "See you on the other side." He dipped his head, and then terminated the connection. Lina stood there for a moment, then palmed the virtual screen away and turned to face you. "Madam President, we have three hours and forty-seven minutes until the Tribute Fleet reaches engagement range. It's probably going to feel like a day, so I would advise you find a way to distract yourself for most of that time. Sitting there watching them creep closer isn't going to help you."
"I notice that you seem to be planning on doing so," you said, smiling to show you already knew the answer to the implied question.
"That's my job." She paused beside you on the way back to her seat, and spoke again much more quietly. "And you need a walk, Amanda. You're not yourself." You blinked, then nodded thankfully. Lina noticing wasn't so surprising, she'd spent ten years working with you, but if she was worried about it then you'd take the advice. The last thing anyone wanted was you to be on edge just before battle was joined.
:It will also give us time to try and understand what you saw in that ship was so wrong.: Sidra pointed out gently. The thought didn't make you smile, but they were correct. Your unease was bound up in what you'd felt on seeing the Medicament class, and what you were going to try to do later would need you completely focused. Which meant you had most of four hours to deal with whatever it was. That meant your quarters, you needed to stay in character. Speaking of which.
"I think I'll head back to my quarters until we're in the final approach stage," you said, pushing yourself up. "I have a few things to check up on. Let me know if anything important changes, alright?" Lina would understand what that meant compared to last time she'd chased you off the bridge.
"Yes, ma'am." She replied smoothly, and you shot her an appreciative smile. It was times like these that you really felt the lack of the more complete communication that Unisonbound were capable of, it was much more expressive. Then you were out of the flag bridge, turning down the corridor that led to your quarters. It was the best place for what you needed to do and, more importantly, it didn't make you a liar. There was more to that last part than simple dissembling, too. You'd gotten better at deception and the finer points of espionage, that didn't mean you enjoyed it.
The walk was very short, the Calypso had been designed as a command ship after all. Like all FSN vessels, she followed a design philosophy that was downright unromantic in many ways, with her command and primary crew spaces tucked away deep enough that you'd have to dismantle the ship to get to them. This was deliberate, given the capabilities of Shiplord weaponry it had to be. Your crews would take living through a battle over some lost romanticism about being able to see stars out a window. That's what the bridge displays were for, with a handy hundred percent reduction in the chance of lethal atmosphere loss.
The relevant point was that the cabins for the flag bridge staff were placed directly around it, making them an equal fourth on the list of safest places on the entire ship. So it was matter of minutes to reach them. You let yourself in quietly, not wanting to wake Vega from her rest. The large set of quarters, designed for a fleet admiral, had been hastily redesigned when it became apparent that you and Vega would be aboard the Calypso for the battle. It was cramped compared to the Presidential residence, but military vessels had better things to do with free space than waste it on luxuries. That sentiment you agreed with wholeheartedly, and it wasn't as if the Institute hadn't been cramped at times. You'd certainly had far worse places to stay during your time as a Restorer.
You wasted no time in extending your Aegis and floating over to one of the chairs in the common area of the shared quarters. You'd found that it was easier to work through more confusing reactions of your Practice if you were in full contact with your Platform. It was weird, probably placebo, but it worked.
"Alright Sidra," you said, taking a deep breath to prepare yourself. "I know you have the memory, let's have a look."
:Yes Amanda.:
***
Three hours spent trying to understand, and you were no closer to an answer when you felt the sleepy awareness of Vega rising back to the surface of her consciousness. You had a few pointers, but nothing concrete. The Medicament-class schematic itself didn't prompt the immediate fear/disgust response, you found, but Vision had used an image of the vessel pulled from your heliosphere surveillance stations. Looking at the few glimpses they'd been able to get since the Shiplords closed their formation, however, did.
That confirmed the conceptual nature of the response, but you'd never had a response like this from simple observation. You'd never had a response like this ever, in fact, but you were far more connected to your own Focus than you'd been the last time you saw Shiplord technology in action. Sidra also hadn't been connected to you then either, and what they'd scraped out of your reactions had proven immensely helpful in narrowing down exactly what was causing it.
But none of that meant you'd found your answer. You were more centred, certainly, with a better understanding of where the feeling was coming from, but you hadn't been able to pin it down. That actually bothered you more than your reaction to the Medicament-class, because you were usually so good at that. Not today, it seemed. Or perhaps more likely, not with this.
"Is everything alright, Amanda?" You blew out a breath, and opened your eyes. Vega was standing in front of you, her Aegis fully extended. If the steadily receding creases in the material were anything to go by, she'd slept in it. Not that you could judge, you'd done the same thing before and you would again, too. It was orders of magnitude safer than anything human technology could create.
"I'm not sure, Vega." You replied after a moment. "Vision and Marcus succeeded, Breaking the Lords worked, but something they found has had me here for the last three hours trying to understand." Vega cocked her head, and a wave of gratitude swept over you as she didn't ask about Breaking the Lords. Instead, she hopped onto the padded arm of the chair, and looked down at you curiously.
"You're different today, Amanda." She said at last, and your eyes snapped around to meet hers. "Not out of balance, but you're not yourself, either. And it's not just because of whatever Marcus and Vision showed you." She had to be able to feel your confusion across the Harmonial link, but you felt a matching uncertainty from her. "It's like there's a note running through you, and you're resonating with the tone, but it doesn't come from you." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's hard to explain."
"Yes," you said softly, letting your eyes drop back into your lap. "I suppose it would be. Part of why I came out here was trying to resonate, to do what you do in some ways but on a very different scale. I wonder if this means it's working."
"I think we'll find out." Vega said brightly, sliding off the armrest into a standing position again. A gloved and softly glowing hand found your shoulder, and she smiled faintly as you looked up again. "We can all feel your confusion, Amanda, and we want to help. But you have to let us."
You stared at her, and your cheeks flushed as you realised how monumentally stupid you'd been. The Two Twenty Three were more than a group of Potentials trained for war, more than the technical capabilities that their Unison Platforms granted them. They were another Circle, and you hadn't been letting yourself see that, too focused as you were on the technical side of the problem. That wasn't like you at all.
"Thank you, Vega." You reached up and squeezed her hand with your own. "I guess everyone needs to be reminded sometimes." In that acknowledgement was acceptance too, and you gasped as the connections you'd closed off without even noticing sang to life again. Affection, gentle chastisement, and some worry too, but it all melded together to form a simple message.
:We're right here.:
:I am such a fool sometimes.: You sent to Vega, and the richness of your comrade's gratitude enveloped you in comforting warmth.
:That's all right.: She sent back. :Whatever it is that shook you, you don't have to bear alone. We'll keep you centred, just like you would for any of us, for as long as it takes.: You nodded gratefully, knowing that any argument you tried to make would be futile as well as a waste of time.
"Flag bridge, then." You said, and Vega nodded.
"Kagiso says we have thirty-five minutes until contact." She replied, . "Let's go."
***
Your walk back to the bridge drew a few glances, but most of the Calypso's crew was used to your appearances with Aegis extended. With the fleet closing up for battle, it was more the lack of a pressure suit that drew attention. Even Potentials had them, if customised, and there was a difference between knowing that the strikingly civilian form of your Aegis' provided better protection than most starships and believing it.
Power hummed beneath the deckplates as hybrid Practice systems spun up to full readiness, groups of Potentials aboard every capital ship in the fleet reaching out to bridge the energy gap with their Focuses. There were more than two thousand of them, not counting the hundred and ninety-six Unisonbound of the Two Twenty Three. Every one of them was a volunteer and even if everything went right, too many were about to die. That was one of the hard truths of war, that you were about to learn for real.
The doors to the flag bridge hissed open, and you heard the snap as Lina and the rest of her staff rose to attention, bringing both of you up short. They'd risen and turned in the same motion, and something fluttered between your heart and head at the wordless statement they'd just made. Then you dipped your head, restraining the urge to do more to recognise it.
"Thank you all." You said softly, finding the words that you'd used only a few times on inspections with the Two Twenty Three and projecting them with the ease of a well-trained Singer. "As you were." The stillness of the room broke quickly, Lina's staff turning back to coordinating the final movements of the FSN as it prepared to meet the Tribute Fleet. You could see the formation on the tactical plot as you stepped forward, your ships anchored against the bulwark of orbitals.
"How are we doing, Lina?" You asked as you reached her, and she smiled tightly. There was a great deal of satisfaction in that smile, but you could read the steady truth in her eyes.
"Good." She nodded, repeating herself. "Good. Marcus and Vision swatted the other network attacks the Tribute Fleet's tried to make without any trouble, and we've gotten some good data out of it for the next time we end up crossing swords without either of them available. First Fleet is closing up for battle, and all personnel will be secure in their stations at twenty minutes to contact. All hybrid vessels have reported full activation of their Practiced systems."
She gestured to the tactical display. "The Shiplords have pulled in their own formation, I think our attack on their net has made them a bit more cautious. Given how carefully they're hiding the Medicament-class, they have to know that we know what she can do. They've done an excellent job at hiding her, as well, so that any strike we try to launch will have to go through their entire fleet." You winced, knowing how costly that would be, but Lina's expression surprised you, and she winked.
"Unfortunately for them there's a weak spot we can exploit, but we'll only get one shot at it." She tapped a few commands, and the locations of the Two Twenty Three across the fleet blinked.
"You can't mean to," you began, but she shook her head quickly.
"No, Amanda, we agreed on how we were going to use them, and I'm not going to change that." You relaxed a little, awaiting the inevitable 'but' that never came. "I meant I know where we're going to apply their strike. We're probably going to lose most of a task force setting it up, but we need that ship out of the fight quick as possible. It's going to be enough of a thorn in our side even if the plan works."
"What," you swallowed, trying to keep your voice steady as you considered that it was friends you were asking about. "What's the chance of success?"
"Not as high as I'd like, but high enough that we have to try." Lina replied quietly. "The sims gave it a sixty-three percent chance, with the highest loss figures being painful but survivable. Given our other options," she shrugged helplessly, and you nodded. You didn't like it, but you trusted Lina. In the end you had to, she was one of the best you had. You certainly wouldn't trust yourself to direct this battle.
"Just…make sure it'll count." You told her, squelching the voice inside of you that didn't want to recognise the bloody calculus of war.
"I will," she said firmly. "And Amanda," she continued, voice pitched low, "you look better." You smiled faintly, and nodded.
"I'm not quite there yet," you said carefully, hoping she'd understand the subtext but strangely unwilling to voice it. "But I will be."
"Good enough for me." She gestured to the chair beside her, at the centre of the bridge. "The bridge is yours, Madam President." You blinked, surely she couldn't mean that. This was her fight. You opened your mouth to say something, to say you'd be fine standing, but she shook her head ever so gently. And somehow, that was enough.
No one expected you to lead the fight to come, you weren't more than a mediocre tactician. You had good instincts, apparently, but they weren't trained. Lina had had decades to hone her craft, and by all rights the bridge should be hers. But it wasn't that simple, and you both knew it. Lina was the blade in your hand, that would guide you in striking out against humanity's foes, but that was all she was. She wasn't the champion who wielded that blade. That was you, and it didn't really matter if you disagreed, it was how you were seen.
If you were to fly Calypso's lights into the fire, you had to actually do it. And that meant taking the chair Lina had just given you. So you squared your shoulders, swallowed again, and nodded firmly for the cameras.
"Thank you, Minister Sharpe." You said clearly, stepping up to the chair. Lina moved aside, towards the seat that you'd thought would have been yours, and you swallowed something that definitely wasn't fear. Just a chair, but so much more than one, strange how those sort of things had such power. The thought slipped through your mind as you took your seat, and you didn't try to stop it. From the smallest things do the most beautiful and powerful grow, after all.
"What is your order, Madam President?" Lina asked, as you watched her pull up the familiar haze of virtual screens around her from the command interface built into the chair to your right. You could feel Vega to your left, connecting to the interface that she and Kagiso hoped would be able to let her bring together the entire fleet in one purpose. She wasn't sure if would work properly, but if nothing else she'd be able to boost the Calypso's command and control systems. That would matter.
You'd given a lot of thought to this moment, if you'd have words to say, if there'd be anything you could possibly do. Now that you were there, all of the ideas and grand plans fell away like water in the breeze. First Fleet was a blade sheathed, coiled about you like a spring for all that its teeth were bared. There were very few things you could say to free it, and only one that you would.
"Engage the enemy at your discretion, Minister Sharpe." You gave the command.
"Yes ma'am." And your sword blazed into the heavens.
You have a relatively simple set of options as the battle opens, a result of some poor rolls going into it, but nothing serious. More complex options will become available or possible via write-ins as the battle progresses and rolls dictate. Currently you have the following:
[] The Centre Holds: The Calypso is the core of your fleet, and although you trust Lina entirely to defend it, the opening salvo could be an excellent time for them to try and break her. You will have time to examine the strangeness of the Tribute Fleet once you have secured Calypso against it.
[] Web of Dream: Or perhaps you will seek out the strange, flickering feelings that have fluttered at the edge of your sight since your speech. It begins somewhere in the fleet, so you will not lose your attention there, but equally there will be little chance to improve it.
[] Outside the Familiar: Or maybe it is to the Tribute Fleet for answers you must look. The Medicament-class has presented you with a puzzle that has proven impossible to solve, and with a deeper understanding you might find answers to other parts of the battle soon to come.
[] Write-in?
Roll will be shown in full, but mechanical results will be hidden except in the event of a crit.
Human Assets
FSNS Calypso
1 Squadron (9) Ulfberht class
3 Squadrons (27) Dauntless class (1 Reserve Squadron)
7 Echelons (21) Tower class
4 Advanced Task Forces
8 Standard Task Forces
8 Major Orbital Installations
The Two Twenty Three
And here we are, at very long last. All of the options I've given you have different strengths and weaknesses, but they're balanced around sacrificing one thing for another. You are free to specialise further if you wish, but know that doing so will come with its own dangers.
Lina will conduct the battle itself, but I think I already explained that an update ago. I'll keep up tactical updates as we go into the battle proper, so you can modify Amanda's focus depending on situational changes.
Setup rolls for both sides. It's part of why you have relatively few options currently available to Amanda but it didn't do the Shiplords many favours either.
[X] Web of Dream: Or perhaps you will seek out the strange, flickering feelings that have fluttered at the edge of your sight since your speech. It begins somewhere in the fleet, so you will not lose your attention there, but equally there will be little chance to improve it.
[X] Web of Dream: Or perhaps you will seek out the strange, flickering feelings that have fluttered at the edge of your sight since your speech. It begins somewhere in the fleet, so you will not lose your attention there, but equally there will be little chance to improve it.
[X] Web of Dream: Or perhaps youwill seek out the strange, flickering feelings that have fluttered at the edge of your sightsince your speech. It begins somewhere in the fleet, so you will not lose your attention there, butequally there will be little chance to improve it.
[X] Web of Dream: Or perhaps you will seek out the strange, flickering feelings that have fluttered at the edge of your sight since your speech. It begins somewhere in the fleet, so you will not lose your attention there, but equally there will be little chance to improve it.
[X] Web of Dream: Or perhaps you will seek out the strange, flickering feelings that have fluttered at the edge of your sight since your speech. It begins somewhere in the fleet, so you will not lose your attention there, but equally there will be little chance to improve it.
[X] Outside the Familiar: Or maybe it is to the Tribute Fleet for answers you must look. The Medicament-class has presented you with a puzzle that has proven impossible to solve, and with a deeper understanding you might find answers to other parts of the battle soon to come.
[X] Outside the Familiar: Or maybe it is to the Tribute Fleet for answers you must look. The Medicament-class has presented you with a puzzle that has proven impossible to solve, and with a deeper understanding you might find answers to other parts of the battle soon to come.
Voting this way because it looks like one of our first orders of business is going after that Medicament-class, so this is pretty much the only time to look into it before we're actually having to fight it and discovering its tricks the hard way.
Voting this way because it looks like one of our first orders of business is going after that Medicament-class, so this is pretty much the only time to look into it before we're actually having to fight it and discovering its tricks the hard way.
Well, due to screening elements, it's more or less the SECOND thing we'll do. The first is sacrificing a crap-ton of our support wing to pry open a hole big enough to send in the 223+remaining support elements (which is step two).
[X] Web of Dream: Or perhaps youwill seek out the strange, flickering feelings that have fluttered at the edge of your sightsince your speech. It begins somewhere in the fleet, so you will not lose your attention there, butequally there will be little chance to improve it.
[X] Outside the Familiar: Or maybe it is to the Tribute Fleet for answers you must look. The Medicament-class has presented you with a puzzle that has proven impossible to solve, and with a deeper understanding you might find answers to other parts of the battle soon to come.
Magical girl show in spaaaaaaaaaaaaaace? Well obviously the first step is understanding the enemy!
[X] Outside the Familiar: Or maybe it is to the Tribute Fleet for answers you must look. The Medicament-class has presented you with a puzzle that has proven impossible to solve, and with a deeper understanding you might find answers to other parts of the battle soon to come.
We've spent years preparing our defenses. A couple hours isn't going to improve them that much better. Now is the time to strike, and I believe know thy enemy is the message of the day.
[X] Outside the Familiar: Or maybe it is to the Tribute Fleet for answers you must look. The Medicament-class has presented you with a puzzle that has proven impossible to solve, and with a deeper understanding you might find answers to other parts of the battle soon to come.
[X] Outside the Familiar: Or maybe it is to the Tribute Fleet for answers you must look. The Medicament-class has presented you with a puzzle that has proven impossible to solve, and with a deeper understanding you might find answers to other parts of the battle soon to come.
