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Strategos (A Great Captain Roberts Tale!!)
Chapter 3 - The Task[]
"Our last post stop before entering…
…the region formerly known as 'Trader's Domain' province, will be at Johnson. Last year, we didn't head that far over, we were busy liberating Joan's Post and Trespass, but units assigned to Kappa Galaxy passed through that system without stopping to reach our deployment at Tresspass....so we're going to be doing some survey in the system and looking for settlements that have the potential to know things." Captain Roberts explained using the ship's holo-stage. "There wasn't anything in the old Naval Database about Johnson beyond it used to be inhabited. That doesn't mean it's not still inhabited, and that's one of the things we're checking on the way through."
She drew a dotted line on the holo, "From Johnson, we're going to investigate Michtal, Grankum, which had an Outworlds fuel dock and maintenance facility in the outer system, as well as an SLDF depot on the main planet, which is in the 'barely habitable' range of habitability-fifty percent surface water and a thin atmosphere, but carbon-oxygen-nitrogen based with primitive green plants and primitive sea life. The survey reports recovered from the Naval Database say permian to cambrian levels of life forms are native there, so while you MIGHT be able to breathe, it's not going to be comfortably or for long outside your suit-anoxia and possible poisoning are likely."
She drew another line, "Here, Fallry, the notation said there was a DOME project of some kind on Fallry, so there's some interest from the President and possibly the Clan if we can find terraforming equipment that hasn't been eroded or destroyed. The major focus of all this cruising, however, is to start looking at the jump-routes to Bannerhoft, which was absolutely an SLDF garrisoned world, and prior to the fall, last census said there were ten million people there." she gripped the pointer-stick in both hands, "Last year, we found three thousand Bannerhoft Natives in the slave cages of Tresspass. Their interviews suggested they weren't there willingly, and the notes from Psychology exams show they've been under an oppressive regime most of us are familiar with for generations-the Sons of Plunder…which suggests we're going to find the Sons, or signs of their plunder, on Grankum, and Fallry at minimum, but more likely we'll find evidence in every system we visit after leaving Outworlds Station Joan's Post."
She walked around the display, "Our backup is Kappa Galaxy and their reserve Naval Star. This is a recon run, we're supposed to call for help if we find significant enemy forces in play as our first move, not after we've gotten enmeshed so deep we can't get ourselves out again. The playbook says we let the Warriors chase the glory if we can find it."
She smiled then, "Of course, that assumes trouble doesn't find us first. I expect trouble will have no problem finding us, I am, in fact, counting on it."
She drew another series of lines, "While we're doing our best to recon for the allied fleet? OWS Illusive will be conducting their shakedown trial from Northsun, through Halla, to Bell, Mindrel, Ulubis, and Culmia, I've given Captain Foster a list of possible 'finds' along that route, including known SLDF and Outworlds installations that may have survived the last four hundred years, as well as breakdowns of worlds that may still have colonies because the natural environment wasn't too unstable. They'll be working with Erinyes and the Northsun People's Militia to investigate along that route, and Kappa's second cluster, the 17th, to secure any loose assets and establish contact and possible garrisons on worlds that need the help-which helps us in the long run."