NationStates Jolt Archive

Perched on the fringes of the Cygnus (http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/galaxy.html) arm was an LRR research base, Deepspace 8.

http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/schematics/utopia-planitia.jpg

Deep Space 8 is the prime static research facility owned by LRR. It has many functions, including observations of disant galaxies, and monitoring galactic rotation. Each of its seven science pods (lower rotational level) contains an obsevatory or laboratory, and it is a main resupply point for Olof Palme class frigates. It is a prime target for pirates, however, because it also houses a very large collection of various ships, enough to arm a small pirate fleet for a very long time. It does not house the regular LRR fleet ships, as they are kept at the LRRSV Hugo and the various battlecarriers, or they travel by themselves. But don't think this base is unprotected. A sphere of 19 Mjolnir (http://www.freespace2.com/gallery.cfm[/URL) automated gun systems. However, there is a catch to this.

"This is worker Alpha to control. I've found the problem. It doesn't look good. The circutry is really beat up. A good half of the grid will be off-line until we can get some spare parts. Do we have any spare parts shipments due in from Klonor?"
"Negative, worker 1. And the synthesizer is off-line. We'll have to make do. Recall the non-functional turrets."
"Aye, control. Worker Beta, this is Alpha. We need to take the nonfunctional turrets in. I'll designate them for you."
"I see it, alpha. Locking onto the first one now."
"Conrol, the first is coming in now. I've got the second."
"We copy, Worker Alpha. I'm sending a squad of Arrows out to cover you."
"We read you, control."

In the cockpit of Blue 6, Thesius Maximian sat in the warmed ejector seat, preparing for the ground crew to give him the go-ahead for takeoff. He was very unhappy as of late, as he had been assigned to a wing of Arrow scouts, a craft which seldom sees action. He had grown up with the stories of massive space battles, heroic captains, and most of all, the brutish and powerful Super Acolytes. When he passed pilot's training, he eagerly tore open his assignment envelope. He expected it to read:
Thesius Maximian
Super Acolyte
LRRSV Stephen Hawking

Instead it read:
Thesius Maximian
Arrow II
Deep Space 8 research facility

(What he didn't know was that his thirst for glory had put him in a position where he was less likely to do harm to LRR policy. The occupations aboard LRR combat vessels are kept to more reluctant and grounded individuals.)

The bentusi crew chief gives him a thumbs up, as the rest of the ground crew scuttles out of the way.

"Blue squad, this is control. Please cover workers alpha and beta as they go about their mission. We don't want any raiders sneaking off with our hardware."
"Aye, control. Blue Squad, split into two groups. Me, three, and four will cover alpha, and the rest of you cover beta."
"Will do, lead."

Abruptly and without warning five Trasnian pirate vessels emerge from slipstream. Their commander looks puzzled. "Where are the turrets? I thought there were more."
The OPS officer looks slightly off-balance too. "No sign of them... no wait, they're out of place... and inoperational!"
The captain lets a slow evil grin spread across his features. "It's our lucky day! Engage all threats immediately, let's quash resistance."

The five vessels, of Xanthalian Dreadnaught configuration, open fire with their slipfighter contingents on anything that could shoot at them.

*tag*

hey, is this an open RP? or just one for you LRR and Xanthal/Trasnia?

Yeah... I would probably have an Intari class War Cruiser doing research in the area... *shrugs* but whatever.

hey, is this an open RP? or just one for you LRR and Xanthal/Trasnia?

OCC: Open, as are all my RPs. I shudder at the thought of being exclusive RPer.

IC:

"GODDAMNIT!!!!!!!! GET THE REMAINING TURRETS ON LINE!!!!!"
"AYE, COMMAND!!!!"
"SCRAMBLE THE FIGHTERS!!!!!!!!"
"SCRAMBLE, SCRAMBLE, SCRAMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"MAYDAY, MAYDAY!!!!! THIS IS THE....."


Out of the base, the entire wing of 60 Arrow scouts launch, and begin to attack the slipfighters. The operational turrets come on-line, and start to engage the capital ships.

Note: What's at the base is light defense. After a while, if a signal gets out, an LRR fleet will arrive and give the pirates a good thrashing.

On the bridge of the LRRSV Stephen Hawking, a Michael Strogoff class Battlecarrier.........

"Incoming signal, from coordinates Z-342, by T-44, Cygnus arm."
"Uh-oh. H-space, you and the AI plot a course for the source of the signal. Relay the coordinates to the other ships, but we need to know more before we head out. Dispatch a patrol frigate to the signal source."
"Done, cap."
"And the fighters, are they ready for immediate launch?"
"Yes we are cap."
"Good to hear."

Aboard the Stephen Hawking were a good 650 strike craft. 500 fighters and bombers, and 150 corvettes. This impressive array alone, with the devestating firepower carried by LRR strike craft and the support given by the tough and capable corvettes, had won many past battles. Not to mention the 8 dreadnaught-class vessels also incorperated into the fleet, each one carrying 20 corvettes, as well as a full array of weaponry. There were also 25 destroyers, fast, nimble ships which had proven themselves in combat many times. In addition to this was a cloud of frigates. And this was only one of six LRR battlefleets. Not a force you want to get angry.

A small James Audoboun class patrol frigate dissappears into hyperspace. ETA 1hr.

And these dreadnaught-class vessels are not the old emancipator class. They are the new and far more powerful Abraham Lincoln class. So by the end of this RP, the Trasnians should expect a good thrashing.

The Intari War Cruiser Damnation's End slid through space like so many graceful ducks in a pond. The ship was on a deep space research mission, as were most House Navy vessels. While the ship was doing research, it was heavily armed, and armored. Its bluish color reflected the elegance that was Eurydice.

"Sir! We are picking up a distress call! It is coming from a research base... not to far from here." The crewman who had just spoken turned around from his station and waited for orders. Captain Ajax, one of the more well known Eurydian commanders, stood up and motioned to the ensign.

Give the ship its exact cooridnates... and take us there immedietly." With that Ajax sat back down and gritted his teeth. "Lieutenant Edgar... send a transmission to the Directorate... tell them we're investigating a distress call... and to be ready to send reinforcements. Power up our Cannons and have the crew prepare for a fight."

With that the Damnation's End came about and moved ahead at full speed towards the distress signal.

#As Trasnia because I'm lazy.#
The dreadnaughts move in and assault teams are beamed in to the ships held aboard the base. They quickly overrun the meager defenses and assume control. As the slipfighters and dreadnaughts duke it out, the captured vessels begin blasting away from their moorings and into space.

The Intari War Cruiser Damnation's End slid through space like so many graceful ducks in a pond. The ship was on a deep space research mission, as were most House Navy vessels. While the ship was doing research, it was heavily armed, and armored. Its bluish color reflected the elegance that was Eurydice.

"Sir! We are picking up a distress call! It is coming from a research base... not to far from here." The crewman who had just spoken turned around from his station and waited for orders. Captain Ajax, one of the more well known Eurydian commanders, stood up and motioned to the ensign.

Give the ship its exact cooridnates... and take us there immedietly." With that Ajax sat back down and gritted his teeth. "Lieutenant Edgar... send a transmission to the Directorate... tell them we're investigating a distress call... and to be ready to send reinforcements. Power up our Cannons and have the crew prepare for a fight."

With that the Damnation's End came about and moved ahead at full speed towards the distress signal.

"How much longer can we hold out?"
"Not long. 10 Arrows left. All the guns are down."
"Damn. Give the order to surrender."
"All ships, stand down."
"Hositle ships, we capitulate."

Thesius Maximian's scout had not surviveed the first 10 minutes of combat. Ironically, at any one of the other 8 Deep Space bases, a compliment of 60 super acolytes, destroyers, missile and antimatter cannon turrets, and torpedo frigates would have finished the Trasnians off in 10 minutes. He floated unconsiously through space, until he had drifted reasonably far from the base.

He awakes to the sound of unintelligable electronic chatter, and finds himself in the robotic arms of a mining scout robot. The side markings said "DM-973723 LRRSV STEPHEN HAWKING IF FOUND PLEASE RETURN TO PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED NAME." Miraculously, this one-time-use drone has possibly saved his life. The drone brings him into the nearby asteroid field, where, hidden inside, is an asteroid research station.

#As Trasnia because I'm lazy.#
The dreadnaughts move in and assault teams are beamed in to the ships held aboard the base. They quickly overrun the meager defenses and assume control. As the slipfighters and dreadnaughts duke it out, the captured vessels begin blasting away from their moorings and into space.

The disheartened crew of the station comes out of their respective workplaces, into the main gathering hall, where they wait to be processed by the Trasnians.

OOC: I would join... but it looks like this has turned into an unfun numberwanking war... I thought a small station like this would have maybe... oh... up to 10 ships in the battle at the very most... i count about a thousand :) you guys have no sense of fun. :P

I'll join an RP if its not an insta-war.

OOC: I would join... but it looks like this has turned into an unfun numberwanking war... I thought a small station like this would have maybe... oh... up to 10 ships in the battle at the very most... i count about a thousand :) you guys have no sense of fun. :P

I'll join an RP if its not an insta-war.

OCC: My battlegroup will probably come in if they get enough information to necessitate a look. Trasnians should probably try to look as normal as possible to the patrol frigate the battlegroup sent. Enough to convince it that you are regular Xanthalians and on a peaceful mission. If you get all the wreckage out of the way you should pass it by easily. And plus, all but 10 fighters got destroyed. The survivors are at, like, 15% hull integrity.

OOC: The Trasnians won't be around long enough to witness the arrival of reinforcements. They're pirates, they'll finish looting then get the hell out of there. They won't kill the crew either, they don't like to draw attention to themselves by creating long casualty lists. This RP will get interesting when the DS-8 inhabitants tell your people who attaked them and you decide what to do about it.

IC: The Trasnian pirates beam teams aboard the station itself; about fifty of them round up and guard the inhabitants, the rest begin looting the place, taking everything of technological and monetary value that they can find. The last of the ships aboard the station are moved out by the Trasnians.

The Trasnian pirates beam teams aboard the station itself; about fifty of them round up and guard the inhabitants, the rest begin looting the place, taking everything of technological and monetary value that they can find. The last of the ships aboard the station are moved out by the Trasnians.

Suddenly, a blue hyperspace waveform appears. It is the LRR patrol frigate.

"Uhhh...... Deep Space 8, this is the LRRSV Moses Mendelsshon. We read a distress call from you previously, are you still in need of assistance? It seems like the Xanthalians helped you fight off the attackers, as there's a lot of wreckage around."

The Damnation's End floated through the asteroid belt in a very meticulous fashion. This obsticle slowed their arrival at the research base. Long range sensors had picked up the last few seconds of the battle, and so Captain Ajax knew some sort of takeover had occured. With his ship's stealth device on, and being among the many asteroids, the attackers probably wouldn't detect or notice the Eurydian ship.

" Sir... there appears to be some sort of maintenence bot floating nearby us. Perhaps its a mining robot. The interesting part sir is that I am picking up a lifesign." Lieutenant Edgar approached the ensign and scoffed in wonder.

Ajax nodded, "Probably a surivor of the battle... bring this person aboard immedietly... and continue scans for attacking vessels... we don't want to come under fire without... due cause.

The Trasnians hustle off DS-8 and beam back to their dreadnaughts with all that they have gathered off the station. The dreadnaughts maneuver and the captured ships line up behind them. In a matter of under ten seconds, the dreadnaughts, the Trasnians, the captured ships, and the trinkets taken off DS-8 itself all disappear in their vessels into the slipstream, the Trasnians heading back to Talmaraan after a successful day of looting.

OOC: This is probably where you get confounded until the DS-8 guys tell you what happened. You can chase them then, if you want. That's when this'll get interesting.

Then, the frigate sees the 'Xanthalian' ships move out.

"Xanthalian ships..... oh, they've left. Happy trails. DS-8, we are coming aboard."

The frigate pulls up to the main berth, not realizing that the Trasnians had made off with the communications gear, which was formerly used to house a trio of K-BoP scouting frigates. A group of crewmen floats out of the main airlock, and, to their horror, they see phaser damage on the entrances to the main station. The crewmembers soon call for reinforcements, and the frigate had soon deployed a full squad of marines. They quickly clear the base, and find the crewmembers in the galley.

"WHAT HAPPENED???? ARE YOU ALRIGHT??? ARE THERE ANY CASUALTIES???"

The XO questions the survivors, as the marine captain keeps his nuclear blaster to his shoulder, and the rest of the squad prepares to fight off any attackers. A medical team from the frigate soon rushes in, ready to treat casualties.

"We.....we were attacked by a group of ships. The defenses were destroyed. We....they.....we think they looked a lot like Xanthalians."
"WHAT??????"
"They looked like they were Xanthalians!"
"Uh-oh. Get a message to the Hawking."

Aboard the Bridge of the LRRSV Stephen Hawking........

"Incoming message from the Mendelsshon. They think that Xanthalians attacked DS-8!"
"Not good. H-space and AI, set course for the Home World. I've always wanted to say that. But anyhows, dispatch a few frigates to DS-8, and have them go to the Xanthal homeworld from there."
"Done, cap."

In the Xanthalian capital system Aellis, all was running normally. In the Talmaraan system, the Trasnians begin stowing away their loot.

Seeing that the "pirates" had left... Ajax ordered his ship to leave the minefield. He hailed the LRR vessels, wishing to know if they needed any assistance.

Seeing that the "pirates" had left... Ajax ordered his ship to leave the minefield. He hailed the LRR vessels, wishing to know if they needed any assistance.

OCC: The frigates at the base, right?

IC:

"Incoming message from an Eastern Bloc vessel."

The captain hears the message.

"Eastern Bloc ship, this is the LRRSV Moses Mendelsshon. We would appreciate it if you could accompany us on our mission to the Xanthal homeworld. It is purely diplomatic, I assure you. The core fleet is sending some freighters to pick up the survivors, and then they are to be taken to the LRR homeworld."

The three LRR frigates then turn and head for the Xanthalian homeworld.

ETA 1 day.

Er.......bump?

OOC: I'm ready when y'all are.

OOC: I'm ready when y'all are.

OCC: k

IC:

The three frigates hyperspace to the spaceport (I'm assuming there is one) above the Xanthalian homeworld.

"Traffic Control, this is LRRSV Moses Mendelsshon, Lou Reed, and Purple Haze. We request audience with the Xanthalian government."

"Xanthalian System Traffic Control to the LRR ships in Aellis Five orbit: Power down all your weapons as required by Xanthalian law. Assume orbital pattern theta twelve at orbit level six and contact government frequency 924."

"Xanthalian System Traffic Control to the LRR ships in Aellis Five orbit: Power down all your weapons as required by Xanthalian law. Assume orbital pattern theta twelve at orbit level six and contact government frequency 924."

"We copy, Xanthalian System Traffic Control. Weapons powering down. Assuming designated orbital pattern."

"It's a good thing for you that there are cool heads over here today LRR vessels, there's a good chance that under different circumstances you would have been destroyed by our defenses just dropping into our capital system in warships without warning like that. Use more caution in the future. We have regulations, you know. Tune to frequency 924. XSTC out."

"It's a good thing for you that there are cool heads over here today LRR vessels, there's a good chance that under different circumstances you would have been destroyed by our defenses just dropping into our capital system in warships without warning like that. Use more caution in the future. We have regulations, you know. Tune to frequency 924. XSTC out."

"Roger that, control. Tuning to designated frequency now. We'll make note of it."
"When is the soonest possible time for us to have an audience with your government?"

"I am a government representative. What do you need? Or were you looking for a meeting with the dictator?"

Ajax was unsettled by the orders he was given. "Power down my ships systems? I shudder at the thought." Only after seeing the LRR ships power their systems down did Ajax do likewise.

He contacted the LRR vessel once more. "Would you like us to accompany you when we meet up with Xanthal. We are their allies... and we did witness firsthand the carnage brought about by those... pirates. If not we will remain in our standard orbit and await the conclusion of your meeting, should you be having one."

"I am a government representative. What do you need? Or were you looking for a meeting with the dictator?"

"Er......yes. That was more like what we request."
"Eastern Bloc, yes, that would be very helpful."

"Is it imperative that you meet in person, or will a teleconference suffice?"

ooc: man! alot happens in two days!

IC: The massive movements of of the LRR fleet were detected by warp sensor and the info. was relayed to the Administration of Intellignece ayt Falasamyon. A single ship was dispatched.
The ship silently observed the proceedings at ythe station and followed the LRR ships to the Xanthatlian homeworld. The ship remained undetected due to the general confusion and its unique capabilities.

OOC: So you know, the ship is a warp submarine. It uses thr warp like a real submarine uses the underwater. It can remain "submerged" and undetected in the warp and use it's sensors to monitor events in realspace. The ship is almost literally undetectable, but unarmed. The ship leaves a sensor trail in real space, but it seems lke sensor ghosts because the signal is so faint. So the ship can be detected, but unless your looking for it, the signal would ignored.

here's what the submarine looks like.

WarpGhost - class vessel: Necrotyr
http://www.shipschematics.net/yamato/images/comet/subspacesubmarine_shadow.jpg

Disturbed by the movements of the LRR fleet, the government of the Five Civilized Nations dispatched Fleet Admiral Vorian Atreides, with the 3rd Space Fleet to investigate. The 3rd Fleet consists of the newest Argama Class Carrier Battleship, the Archangel,

http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/zz/nahelargama.jpg

two Ra Cailum II Class Battleships,

http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/cca/racailum.jpg

a Chimaera Class Assault Cruiser

http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/f91/zamouthgar.jpg

and five Hood Class Frigates.

Falasmayon: OOC: Normally we'd be able to detect things in warp space, but I'll humor you for now.

OOC: oh pooey on you! Xanthal! Fine... its in... another one of the inummerable dimensions of the multiverse. :evil: :wink:

OOC: I dont think it's legal to change something like that mid-RP...

OOC: Aaaarrrrggghhhh!! whatever! keep it in warpspace...or even Dennis Rodman space!...(goes off to hit a wall in frustration... returns with a soda instead.)

OK. sorry 'bout that your right. I was working under the assumption that warpspace was too outside of realspace for that, but yours is fair to. Anyway onward...

IC: The bridge of the Necrotyr was quiet, the officers went about their appointed tasks with the efficiency that befits capable naval officers.

Captain Aron sat in his command chair listening to the communications between the Xanthalian control and the ships. There was no no real visual on the main screen only sensor data interpreted into a schematic diagram of the area of space, showing the positions of the LRR and other vessels.
Aron sat and listened and thought. His ship had arrived at the attacked research station with the LRR fleet and he had seen enough of the vessels to know that they were obviously of Xanthalian manufacture, However, as a rule the Xanthatlians were not in the habit of raiding, that was the job of the Trasnians. He had also been informed by his superiors that the Trasnians had purchased at least 4 Xanthalian dreadnoughts... apparently the number was 5. Aron thought the Trasnians were behind this, but wasn't sure yet, and he still needed more information on the situation in order to recommend an action... so the Necrotyr waited in it's warpspace haven listening and watching.

OOC: Where the heck did LRR go?

OOC: Good question! :?

"Is it imperative that you meet in person, or will a teleconference suffice?"

OCC: Sorry. I haven't been on for, like, a few days. Friday was halloween, saturday I stayed up ll night watching Final Fantasy and Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind.

IC:

"It is imperative that we meet in person, but if it is inconvenient for you to conduct a person-to-person meeting, we could do with a teleconference."

"Make up your mind. We're busy people."

"Make up your mind. We're busy people."

"Alright, alright. We would like a person-to-person meeting. When is the soonest time such a meeting could be scheduled?"

There is a pause. "Three weeks, four days, one hour, and twenty-seven minutes from now."

There is a pause. "Three weeks, four days, one hour, and twenty-seven minutes from now."

"But this is very urgent."

*Consults with entourage*

"But I suppose that a teleconference would do. But this is, I stress, very urgent."

Bump

Yet again, a bump.

OOC: Calm down, I'm getting to ya...

IC: "Noted. Nightshade will be available in one hour and nine minutes. Your conversation is not to exceed thirty minutes. Keep this channel active pending your conference time. For now; out."

OOC: Calm down, I'm getting to ya...

IC: "Noted. Nightshade will be available in one hour and nine minutes. Your conversation is not to exceed thirty minutes. Keep this channel active pending your conference time. For now; out."

"We roger that."
"What are we going to tell them?"
"The truth."
"They might not like that."
"Still. Ah well. That's what we have to do."

Time passes and the meeting time arrives. The face of the Xanthalian dictator, Nightshade Carrin, appears on the main screen. Her appearance is distinctly catlike, she is obviously a feline/human hybrid, and the more astute observer will note elven heritage as well.
"Greetings. I am Nightshade Carrin, dictator of the Socialist Empire of Xanthal. How may I help you?"

Time passes and the meeting time arrives. The face of the Xanthalian dictator, Nightshade Carrin, appears on the main screen. Her appearance is distinctly catlike, she is obviously a feline/human hybrid, and the more astute observer will note elven heritage as well.
"Greetings. I am Nightshade Carrin, dictator of the Socialist Empire of Xanthal. How may I help you?"

"Hello. We are Roger Williams XXVIII, Gwnbfv Hjhsdv, Jsjv, and SNGE-9202. We come representing the government of The Nomadic Peoples of Lunatic Retard Robots. One of our outposts was recently attacked by an unknown force. The ships appear to be of Xanthalian origin. We do not think it was Xanthalian crew who attacked, but we are aware of your support of the pirate collective known as the 'Trasnians.' We believe that they attacked the outpost. We request that you withdraw your support for the Trasians, and reposess your ships. We also request that you keep them inside Xanthalian territory, or within a radius of Xanthalian territory. The LRR spacefleet is inadequate for protecting the many far-flung outposts, and have long counted on the goodwill of our neighbors for their safety."

Nightshade sighs. "How I would love to comply, but unfortunately our laws forbid it. We cannot expel a protectorate without legal grounds, and we have none. The Trasnians have seen to that. We have halted our sales and maintain a standing blockade of Talmaraan V, but we cannot legally withdraw their protectorate status or take back what they lawfully purchased."

Bump.

"Oh you! Don't you see? This protectorate of yours is going about raiding shipping lanes! If you don't stop them then somebody else will. And they might have a score to settle with you in the process! So please, we beg you! Remove their ships! We have not been attacked ever before!"

"We cannot. If you wish to attack them outside of our territory, you are welcome to. If you wish to go to Talmaraan V and reclaim your cargo, we are willing to look the other way. But we cannot break our laws! I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

"We cannot. If you wish to attack them outside of our territory, you are welcome to. If you wish to go to Talmaraan V and reclaim your cargo, we are willing to look the other way. But we cannot break our laws! I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

"Do you honestly believe that three lightly armed frigates can just sail right into the pirate capital, and ask for our ships back? That is madness!!! And LRR battlegroups are few and far between! We can't devote that kind of resources. We even now have word that Independent Pluto is under attack! We beg you, you must remove their warships! Before long the Trasnians will be blockading every major spaceport in the galaxy! You can't look the other way when they are raiding international ships! Can't you change your laws? Because if you don't, and allow this pirate collective to grow unchecked, there will be many unhappy nations who might see you as the source of their troubles, and might just pay a visit to good ol' Xanthal after they're dine with Talmaraan V."

"I know. Since the Trasnians began their pirating we have changed our laws to ensure that nothing like this will happen again. But since they became our protectorate before the laws went into effect they don't apply to them. We sold them five Dreadnaughts before we realized our error and halted sales. I suggest you set up a coalition to catch them off-guard and destroy them when they leave our space. However, until there are legal grounds to expel them, we can do nothing for the next ten years."

"I know. Since the Trasnians began their pirating we have changed our laws to ensure that nothing like this will happen again. But since they became our protectorate before the laws went into effect they don't apply to them. We sold them five Dreadnaughts before we realized our error and halted sales. I suggest you set up a coalition to catch them off-guard and destroy them when they leave our space. However, until there are legal grounds to expel them, we can do nothing for the next ten years."

"We may be able to come up with a plan. Could you help?"

"I know. Since the Trasnians began their pirating we have changed our laws to ensure that nothing like this will happen again. But since they became our protectorate before the laws went into effect they don't apply to them. We sold them five Dreadnaughts before we realized our error and halted sales. I suggest you set up a coalition to catch them off-guard and destroy them when they leave our space. However, until there are legal grounds to expel them, we can do nothing for the next ten years."

"We may be able to come up with a plan. Could you help?"

"Plan? Explain."

"Plan? Explain."

"It is simple. We take merchant ships, put them in a convoy on the edge of Xanthalian space, and send out distress signals. The pirates come to take them, and they turn out to be filled with Xanthalian marines. The marines would then take control of the Dreadnaughts, and arrest all of the pirates. All you need is simple non-lethal weaponry."

"Were you listening? It's not legal for us to take back the vessels. If you want to do that, feel free to try. Be warned though, the Trasnians are crafty."

"Were you listening? It's not legal for us to take back the vessels. If you want to do that, feel free to try. Be warned though, the Trasnians are crafty."

"We also have another point. Can you not legally arrest them? There must be Xanthalian laws against piracy!"

"Yes, but only in Xanthalian territory, and they never conduct their piracy within our borders."

"Yes, but only in Xanthalian territory, and they never conduct their piracy within our borders."

"Would your laws allow you to arrest the pirates and repo the dreadnaughts if we set bait for them within your own borders? Or perhaps they wouldn't take it. Would you allow a group of marines from LRR and possibly other nations to repo the stolen ships and the Dreadnaughts?"

"We can look the other way, but only if you conduct your operations with marines. If you fire a single shot from a ship we will be forced to step in. You can set bait if you want, but they won't take it. They know their protectorate status depends on them staying within Xanthalian law."

"We can look the other way, but only if you conduct your operations with marines. If you fire a single shot from a ship we will be forced to step in. You can set bait if you want, but they won't take it. They know their protectorate status depends on them staying within Xanthalian law."

"Alright. Where is the closest place to Talmaraan V where we could stage from?"
"I'll call the marines in now."
"TM, this is Frigate group A-7-G-Z-9. Marines are cleared."
"Roger that, A-7-G-Z-9. They're on their way."

A raider class assault frigate pulls out of the cavernous launch bay of the Traveling Mothership.

"Nowhere, unfortunately. You'll have to conduct the operation on Talmaraan V itself. You can use your transports as command centers. Be warned, you will come under ship-to-ship fire from the Trasnians. Just remember, you cannot return fire. Now I must alert the Armada of what you are doing. Carrin out." The connection is cut.

"Nowhere, unfortunately. You'll have to conduct the operation on Talmaraan V itself. You can use your transports as command centers. Be warned, you will come under ship-to-ship fire from the Trasnians. Just remember, you cannot return fire. Now I must alert the Armada of what you are doing. Carrin out." The connection is cut.

"Wait.....awww. Helm, set course for the blockade of Talmaraan V."

The three Raider class frigates dissappear into hyperspace, bound for Talmaraan.

"I hope they don't mind us landing 10,000 marines plus battlemechs and heavy armor on the planet."

The Armada's blockade around Talmaraan V is alerted to stand down against the LRR ships, but word travels fast and the Trasnians know of the impending attack within minutes. They begin preparing their ships to attack, knowing that the intruders will not be allowed to fire on them.