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For House and Dominion: A Knight's Tale

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Fri 02 Jan 2026 16:20:05 No.6353859 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By:

For House and Dominion: A Knight's Tale
Previous Thread: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6216450/

H&D Wiki: https://houseanddominion.fandom.com/

https://twitter.com/ThatSlowTypingG

You are Joanna Farrell, a would be Knight from the Dominion of Royal Houses. You are among the few remaining survivors of House Meros, a minor House that fell during the turmoil and wars of the early 41st century. Now you and other aspirants have ventured out into the unexplored regions of the universe aboard the starship Bertrand to seek your fortune and gather resources to someday reclaim your lost House.

>The Crew
The now landless 'Errant' Knight Dar'el Camdie has gathered your group of Knight aspirants in the hopes of forging you into a force to be reckoned with. Despite his age he's a capable fighter and tough by the standards of the Dro'all.

Chief Miriam Hannah is in charge of your ship the Bertrand and has been acting as its captain for years now.

Sergeant Mulyadi Reza commands the marines aboard ship and acts as your training officer.

Sergeant Ram is a veteran who helps lead the squad of marines under your command.

>The would be Knights
Alar Ul'torel is a Dro'all Noble. A skilled Medic in addition to their training to one day become a Knight, they've gone out of their way to be friendly to everyone on the team.

Kalnit Bakor is a Kavarian. A drone specialist, you've made an agreement with him to trade a suit of Power Cell Armor between you depending on the requirements of the mission.

Ninnik Gehell is one of the diminutive Shallan. Though trained primarily as a pilot you've helped encourage them to keep up with the rest of the team in small arms combat.

Silvar Valnetios is one of the elf like Hune. Though sometimes distant he is a capable fighter, always ready to charge into the thick of the action.

Talaat Matevosian is another Human. A close combat specialist he has a fierce rivalry with Silvar, always striving to outdo him.

Vayall Trin'qua is a Dro'all Noble. Though still among the richest families of House Meros they've had trouble adjusting to the fall. A gifted sharpshooter.

As for you, you're nobody special. Not even from a noble family like most of the others. Your parents however were loyal to the House when it would have been all too easy to leave it behind. Because of that loyalty you were sent to the academy to be trained. You now have a chance to become an Errant Knight under Dar'el Camdie's tutelage. You'll still be without lands or a legitimate title, but it would be a first step to refounding or reclaiming House Meros and setting things right.

You will be a Knight of the Dominion some day.

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO Pirate_Carrier.gif, 12KiB, 1254x806

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sat 28 Feb 2026 19:33:56 No.6377440 Report

Quoted By:

Alliance Intelligence report to all forces in theater. A Pirate starship of approximately Heavy Carrier classification has been sighted in the region. Sightings are to be reported immediately. Information leading to its capture or destruction will be rewarded.

The ship and escort are known to employ long range jamming. Engagement should only be attempted in squadron size formations or larger.

Alliance teleport beacons are active in the Jem Leith region.

5minIP

5minIP ID:U5eT+J9M Sat 28 Feb 2026 19:54:34 No.6377448 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377427

>Mission: Deploy Com Relay + Patrol (Traverse)

Switching to this one.

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sat 28 Feb 2026 20:19:29 No.6377456 Report

Quoted By: >>6377459 >>6377466

The port side walker bay is loaded up with a deployable com relay. The first step should be relatively simple. Fly out into the relatively distantly space stars of the Traverse, deploy the package and once its confirmed to work patrol the region within com range. The total volume within range is too much to search yourself, but you can at least get it started. If anything goes wrong a distress signal will be easily picked up.

The jump into the Bright Tapestry Galaxy goes without incident as does the deployment of the probe. The Bertrand waits around for an hour as the Com relays goes through additional checks and scans. No distress signals detected within range. That's good news.

Silvar looks over the readout from the tests.
"It's too bad we can't bug the relay so that we get sent signals that we could exploit. Ships in distress that the Alliance might not respond to quickly enough. That sort of thing. Maybe find some smugglers in trouble that would be willing to pay us off with loot."

"Now now, we're supposed to arrest smugglers," Hannah reminds him. "We do have an observer aboard after all."

Roll 1d100 for patrol

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:Q4iv3hwg Sat 28 Feb 2026 20:28:07 No.6377459 Report

Quoted By:

Rolled 81 (1d100)

>>6377456
rolling for predicting an ambush

5minIP

5minIP ID:U5eT+J9M Sat 28 Feb 2026 20:43:26 No.6377466 Report

Quoted By:

Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>6377456

Lets see what we can discover out here.

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sat 28 Feb 2026 21:19:27 No.6377478 Report

Quoted By: >>6377495 >>6377496 >>6377501

You carry out scans and deploy survey probes for the usual bounty. Things are quiet relatively on the first day of patrols, or it seems so.

Late in the day sensors picks up an FTL drive signature of another ship that seems to be shadowing you. Going back through previous scans it's been following you for several hours. The starfighters are soon readied and Marines put on alert. The Chief changes which system to jump into next in the hopes of luring them out. Fighters deploy as soon as you drop to sublight.

Nothing happens right away, but over the next two systems the contact jumps closer. Nin wishes he was at the controls of the corvette right now, but an argument can be made that the other ship wouldn't be getting this close if it saw two drive signatures.

When the mystery ship does drop out of FTL your fighters are ready to kill it if it makes the wrong move. It's an ugly thing that has a frigate body for a central hull with a pair of wings stretching out to either side merging into the hulls of what may have been attack corvettes. Did somebody try to make a scaled down Marauder using components from other ships?

Its shields are up but weapons aren't powered.

"We're being hailed," reports coms.
"Put it up."

The crew of the other ship claim their vessel was formerly operated by a pirate captain and officers. The crew has recently mutinied against the command staff and imprisoned them. They are seeking legitimate employment as mercenaries and are willing to hand over the former captain as a gesture of goodwill.

They do want to get paid however. They're requesting 250k in payment both for their services on an extended contract, and to hand over the rest of the command crew they arrested. You can collect bounties on them to offset that price.

The Alliance would want to debrief them of course but hiring on an escort ship is hardly unusual. Their regular pay would be covered by the Alliance but not the signing bonus they're looking for.

"What kind of ship is that?" you ask Nin.
"I think it's a modular attack cruiser. They're not very popular."

[ ] 250k for an attack cruiser? Sign them up
[ ] They have to be vetted by the Alliance first
[ ] Not interested, but you'll help them reach the Alliance
[ ] Tell them to surrender, you're taking them in

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:Q4iv3hwg Sat 28 Feb 2026 21:54:28 No.6377495 Report

Quoted By: >>6377505

>>6377478
>[ ] They have to be vetted by the Alliance first
my goodwill guess is they want us as a shield to be allowed to keep the ship and gain legitimacy and trust, my paranoia says they are out to stab us wherever whenever should we hire them.
ask them what the reason is they mutinied? also ask anyone what the laws says on pirate crews turning a new leaf? like are there incentives for a crew that mutinied against their criminal officer corps?

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:kz3kPVQm Sat 28 Feb 2026 21:56:57 No.6377496 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377478
>[ ] Not interested, but you'll help them reach the Alliance

5minIP

5minIP ID:U5eT+J9M Sat 28 Feb 2026 22:06:47 No.6377501 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377478
>[ ] Not interested, but you'll help them reach the Alliance

I hear alarm bells. But if they are serious about going straight. Let the Alliance be the ones to discover any treachery.

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sat 28 Feb 2026 22:25:17 No.6377505 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377495
>ask them what the reason is they mutinied?
Apparently the Captain took over the ship, promised everyone they would still get paid if they went pirate and proceeded to fly off into the middle of nowhere. They haven't been paid in 4 months and were barely getting paid before then.

As for crews abandoning their ways as pirates, the South Reach Mercenary Guild is fairly forgiving when it comes to regular crew from ships that have previously been pirates. Upper level people catch all of the blame and pay for it.

The Alliance is reasonably understanding with regular crew escaping from a life of piracy. This sort of situation with the ship would be unusual but not totally unheard of. Usually they dont like keeping such crews all on the same ship though. There is a risk of them going back to their old ways.

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sat 28 Feb 2026 22:57:12 No.6377515 Report

Quoted By: >>6377516

Though not interested in hiring them personally, you'll help them reach the Alliance. Your Alliance observer can smooth things out and ensure they can be properly vetted back at the fleet and get employment as a certified mercenary.

They send over a shuttle, which is watched closely, carrying their former captain as a hostage/payment. You've gotten your hands on a rather notorious pirate that was previously assumed dead.

Hannah makes sure the other ship is positioned well ahead of the Bertrand as both vessels accelerate for the jump out. You're not catching a surprise attack in the engines from these guys if this is some sort of convoluted method of getting you to drop your guard.

Back at the fleet the former pirate ship is escorted in and the Alliance takes things from there. You just have to send the prisoner across for a bounty of 80k.

On your second day out things remain smooth. You encounter a Rovinar ship that has entered the area also on patrol. The two of you are able to share navigation databases and ensure you won't be covering the same areas twice.

I need a 3rd roll for your last day on patrol.

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:kz3kPVQm Sat 28 Feb 2026 22:58:34 No.6377516 Report

Quoted By:

Rolled 81 (1d100)

>>6377515

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO Izuan_Pirate_and_Transport.gif, 12KiB, 718x630

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sat 28 Feb 2026 23:31:43 No.6377542 Report

Quoted By: >>6377550 >>6377561 >>6377562 >>6377618

The last day on patrol you pick up an odd signal. It may be Izuan in origin, appearing in deep space. As you close in on the contact it approaches a star system. Dropping out of FTL to investigate sensors pick up a pair of Izuan ships exchanging fire. They're both smaller than the Bertrand but one is carrying oversized weapon emplacements and is chasing the other.

Coms is able to raise the fleeing ship which is transmitting what you're now certain is a distress signal.

"We don't know who you are but we're being attacked by pirates. Save yourselves and flee. It will take the better part of a day for them to loot our cargo holds."

The pirate sends a signal soon after.
"I don't know who you are but our guns can make anything but a Man-of-war run in terror. Leave us to our catch, we dont share."

Their guns are quite impressive for coil weaponry. If it were the 2650's or earlier they might have posed a legitimate threat to your ship. Then the Dominion got pissed off with the Terrans constant use of mass drivers and developed shields resistant to those weapons.

[ ] Destroy the pirate ship
[ ] Cripple them for boarding
[ ] Drive them off to warn others
[ ] Write-in

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:Q4iv3hwg Sat 28 Feb 2026 23:47:24 No.6377550 Report

Quoted By: >>6377576

>>6377542
>[ ] Cripple them for boarding
this is what they call jackpot, right?

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:kz3kPVQm Sun 01 Mar 2026 00:11:08 No.6377561 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377542
>[ ] Cripple them for boarding

5minIP

5minIP ID:U5eT+J9M Sun 01 Mar 2026 00:12:53 No.6377562 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377542
>[ ] Cripple them for boarding

Big words for bugs in RAID distance.

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sun 01 Mar 2026 00:46:29 No.6377576 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377550
>this is what they call jackpot, right?
Depending on how much damage you have to do in order to cripple it.

Will post in the morning.

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:CuiJjLUo Sun 01 Mar 2026 02:41:09 No.6377618 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377542
[x] Cripple them for boarding

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sun 01 Mar 2026 13:41:22 No.6377761 Report

Quoted By:

"Sounds like the perfect chance to salvage Izuan tech."
Most of the others not only agree but are already heading for the shuttles.

Reza requests you escort Ninnik aboard given your Power Cell Armor is still under repair. It's back to hard plate since the reserve suits are still back at the fleet.

This isn't a colonized system so the treaty with the Izuan regarding jumps in system doesn't apply. The Bertrand micro jump several AU dropping out within weapons range of the target and deploys fighters. Phase cannon turrets open fire hamming the shield of the pirate vessel.

The Pirate rolls and the coil gun turrets rotate to open fire on you. A number of smaller secondary weapons start throwing laser fire towards the starfighters. The fighters report that the lasers are powerful enough to be an actual threat, not like those typically used by shuttles for antipersonnel work. The new shields save one of the bomber pilots from taking a hit that might have scorched their armor.

For being a smaller ship its shields are quite tough. After a full minute of trading shots the pirate shields are finally weakening while yours are barely showing a blip. Some of the kinetic hits do cause damage but most deflect off the curvature of the shield taking only a glancing blow.

"They're going to need a lot more mass to damage shields like ours," says Nin.

The Chief orders the fighters to set their torpedoes for minimum yield and armor penetration before detonation. Just shy of exploding on the exterior of the hull. She wants to do as little damage as possible to the ship while knocking out its engines.

The moment the torpedoes launch the pirate ship immediately pulls a hard maneuver. They're less worried about shots on target than they are avoiding the incoming fire. The gravitational space time warping at the bow and stern of the ship used for propulsion can apparently also be used to deflect incoming fire. Some of the phase cannon shots are warped, being thrown out into open space, while the torpedoes end up being diverted.

Hannah orders more warheads launched. An overwhelming number this time. They must be planning to disarm some at the last minute if it looks like too many will get through. One strikes the aft gravity drive, two hit some of the main guns, while one catches the side of the forward drive. The rest of the torpedoes are diverted or rendered safe at the last moment.

The Bertrand pulls in close still rapid firing phase cannons. The forward gravity drive didn't fail completely and the ship is still maneuvering. You have to wonder if their shields work like yours. If you can get the relative velocity between them low enough the shields will intersect. Whatever the answer something fails on the enemy warship and its shields flicker.

>Cont

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sun 01 Mar 2026 13:46:24 No.6377763 Report

Quoted By:

Phase cannon fire rips apart the hull around the forward drive until internal explosions roil outwards. The drive goes offline. Weapons fire doesn't cease so your point defense guns open up, disabling a dozen laser cannons. Phase cannon fire cuts the power feeds to the larger coil guns.

With an opening gained the shuttles launch, docking to the cleared dorsal hull, or whatever the Izuan call the equivalent. Broadcasts for the crew to surrender goes out. Some of your suits play the same message, which gives away the position of your advancing troops but it cant be helped. The crew has to be made aware they can throw down their weapons and you'll merely take them prisoner.

The interior of the ship has that patterned resin like material you've seen before. Underlying structural elements still appear to have been constructed out of that Tritanium hybrid material but it has been covered over with resin anywhere that there might be traffic. Maybe they dont care for the feeling of bare metal? To be fair the high traffic areas on some Faction starships are covered in padding to prevent injuries when a ship is struck by fire. This might be something similar?

Silvar heads for the aft engine section, Kalnit for the bow. Everyone else spreads out pacifying the ship. Nin shows you the way to what should be the bridge. At least the location of the bridge on the other Izuan ship he'd been on. That was a freighter and a warship might have different priorities for placement. Either way its buried in the heart of the ship with a chamber attached aft that a queen could be housed in to keep an eye on things. Not unlike the Bridge/Ops arrangement of your own ship.

Talaat's team gets there first and he has a fight with a larger than average Izuan male. One wearing armor similar to but still distinct from the previously seen power armor. You provide some supporting fire but his team mostly has this. In the end the pirate captain is beheaded by Talaat using both of his swords to cleave through its neck from either side.

The systems doesn't appear to be keyed to the captain and Nin quickly takes control. Weapons are ordered to stand down, remaining engines cut. A broadcast is put out over the ships intercom telling the crew to stop resisting. That the captain is dead but they will not be harmed if they surrender. Whether they're tried for their crimes later isn't your department.

Vayall also reports that her team engaged a larger than average male. They had enough mass driver rifles to bring it down but she had to step in to draw its fire away from the marines.
"I may have to change my armor colour so that I stand out more."

The ship is soon reported secure. Some of the crew killed themselves to avoid capture. You're not sure what that was about. Using the com relay the Chief has reported your position and called for a salvage recovery ship.

>Cont 2/3

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sun 01 Mar 2026 14:26:33 No.6377778 Report

Quoted By: >>6377784 >>6377785 >>6377797 >>6377841

The Izuan transport has halted farther in system. A lexicon and translation package is transmitted to them and you identify yourselves as being with the Alliance.

They're far enough from the main Izuan colonies that they dont have regular contact with them. As a result they've never heard of you. Cautious about the idea of a new species arriving in the region they nonetheless are willing to establish contact between their colony and the Alliance.

"You clearly have weaponry that surpasses ours. It might be best to attempt diplomacy now rather than wait. Our colony is independent but we have struggled with keeping it free of the influence of the queens of the greater arm. Perhaps it is time we looked for allies elsewhere."

They will wait in system for the next day or two conducting repairs if you wish to return with them to their colony.

The salvage ship arrives and recovers the pirate ship. You jump back to the fleet with them to ensure salvage rights are carried through and the crew handed over.

You get an intel bounty both on the ship, which is a new variant which hasn't been encountered before, but also the large males. These may be the hypothesized warrior caste. Intel is going to go over their physiological differences and wishes to study their armor as well.

They're offering a tech bounty of 86k each on the 2 suits of armor.

As for the ship it's the size of a frigate and the gravity drives are damaged. Enough is intact to study some of their theoretical operation. The Alliance is offering 2.3 million for your share. You'd also be getting a tech bounty on top of that which they're still calculating. This seems like they're lowballing its value but there are upsides to that estimate.

You could outright buy the Alliance's share of the wreck for the same amount. This would allow you to sell it to a Dominion House. It would cost basically all of your fleet money to do it but it's a possibility. You don't immediately have a buyer lined up so offloading it could take time. The engines aren't intact so it's not like you could fly it out to your Fence either.

>1) Warrior Armor
1A) Hang onto the armor, the Alliance can get scans
1B) Add Tech bounty to Fleet Finances
1C) Talaat and Vayall should get most of the bounty

>2) Izuan Pirate Ship
2A) Sell your share for cash (+2.3m)
2B) Sell it but you get to keep intact guns
2C) Buy out the wreck (-2.3m)

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sun 01 Mar 2026 14:35:59 No.6377783 Report

Quoted By:

Gone on a grocery run so I may be a bit.

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:kz3kPVQm Sun 01 Mar 2026 14:36:25 No.6377784 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377778
>1C) Talaat and Vayall should get most of the bounty

2A) Sell your share for cash (+2.3m)

5minIP

5minIP ID:U5eT+J9M Sun 01 Mar 2026 14:39:39 No.6377785 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377778

>1C) Talaat and Vayall should get most of the bounty
>2A) Sell your share for cash (+2.3m)

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:Q4iv3hwg Sun 01 Mar 2026 15:14:06 No.6377797 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377778
>1C) Talaat and Vayall should get most of the bounty
such is the dominion
>2A) Sell your share for cash (+2.3m)
im enticed to sell it to Tho'ros or someone they think would like such tech, but reality is 2.3mil right now is a really fat bird as opposed to those 2 in the bush called clout with some bigger houses

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO Rex_Paint.gif, 74KiB, 1752x1526

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sun 01 Mar 2026 16:32:04 No.6377829 Report

Quoted By: >>6377831 >>6377838 >>6377841 >>6377856

Talaat and Vayall should get most of the bounty, it's only fair as they did the heavy lifting. Some of the Marines will get bonuses as they helped poke some holes in the the Izuan.

As for the ship it's best to sell it and collect the money now. Adding it to your war chest helps you get that one step closer to some big ticket items.

Before returning to your patrol the refit docks report that the Rex class assault corvettes has been cleared for service. The pirates had some tracking programs of their own installed to broadcast its location if stolen. They are no doubt aware one of their ships are in Alliance hands rather than just taken by a pirate striking out on their own.

The Alliance are requesting that you change the paint scheme on the ship as soon as possible to prevent friendly fire incidents. If for whatever reason the IFF were to go down you'd be a target very quickly while carrying markings of the local pirate gang.

Basic Dominion corvette purple is available in quantity to the point of being free, as is a simple white used by many Alliance corvettes and frigates. You could pay a couple thousand and get the ship done up in the House colours.

Nin is split between something simple like Dominion or Alliance. He hasn't done anything noteworthy with the ship yet and thus doesn't think he's earned any sort of customization.

What is your suggestion for something to paint the ship? If you have any custom ideas post them. They could be used in a vote later.

5minIP

5minIP ID:U5eT+J9M Sun 01 Mar 2026 16:35:21 No.6377831 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377829
>What is your suggestion for something to paint the ship? If you have any custom ideas post them. They could be used in a vote later.

House Colors Primary, Dominion Colors Secondary, Alliance Colors tertiary. At least for now. When he feels more comfortable with it he can alter it as he likes.

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:Q4iv3hwg Sun 01 Mar 2026 16:55:36 No.6377838 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377829
Alliance White, just to add a layer of obfuscation, dont mind dominion colours either, but no spending a couple thousand for paint, lol

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:CuiJjLUo Sun 01 Mar 2026 17:01:21 No.6377841 Report

Quoted By: >>6377849

>>6377778
>1) Warrior Armor
>1C) Talaat and Vayall should get most of the bounty
>2) Izuan Pirate Ship
2A) Sell your share for cash (+2.3m)

2.3M+ for something we can actually maintain sounds okay. It's a frigate which means it'll be a significant project to overhaul ourselves to get up to a decent spec where it can keep pace with the Bertrand.
Now the pirate carrier on the other hand..

>>6377829
Purple, red and gold trim, like the power cell armour if I remember right
>>6372542

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sun 01 Mar 2026 17:15:38 No.6377849 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377841
The gold wasn't part of the House colours so it was removed once Joanna got her own armor. Kalnit still keeps using the gold.

House colours are Vermilion and mercury, but the mercury is usually simplified to silver since its hard to colour something with it otherwise.

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:kz3kPVQm Sun 01 Mar 2026 17:25:03 No.6377856 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377829
>Alliance White
Best to let it blend in.

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sun 01 Mar 2026 18:04:51 No.6377878 Report

Quoted By:

You tell Nin that if he's uncertain just get the Alliance White for free to start off with and the fleet can save up a bit of money for a House paint scheme or something once he's certain. It's enough to get the ship out and into space for the time being without a mistaken identity.

The Bertrand returns to continue its patrol but with an escort for the first time. It's a shame that the Rex hadn't been available before. It might have allowed you to capture the pirate ship intact. Oh well, pirates are bound to give you another opportunity in the future.

The Rex is carrying a skeleton crew from among the prize crews for its first few missions. Assault Corvettes normally carry a lot of automation so that they can be flown with only a crew of three. The chief engineer controls a fleet of internal maintenance drones while out on a mission. The Alliance has replaced the pirate drones with standard models and more of them but there are still questions as to how well this ship will function. The extra crew will keep an eye on things and evaluate the actual operation of the ship.

Jumping in you find the civilian freighter still present. They're pushing out of the system gravity well after completing repairs.

"We greet you slayers of pirates. Your space craft are strange to us. They appear to be torch ships layered with vast volumes of armor yet they move as swiftly as ships with common gravity drives. Our people will want to learn more of you. Did you travel to another system to dispose of the hostile vessel?"

Hannah explains you actually traveled outside of the plane of the galaxy to return to the Alliance fleet. A number of Izuan nations have sent representatives as part of contact missions. The missions to some Izuan nations have not all gone smoothly with some taken hostage by rebellious governments or powerful Queens.

"That is something we have come to expect. We are willing to risk contact with outsiders in the hopes of avoiding a similar fate."

You're sent navigation data including a route through some nearby systems. The freighter crew hope you'll be able to follow them. When they accelerate to FTL sensors are able to track them for a time as the space warping distorts reality around the ship. Once they reach actual FTL velocities it becomes difficult -though not impossible- to track them.

Sensors calls up the readings.
"We won't be able to track them when we're at FTL. Subspace distorts our readings of real space too much."

It's not like you cant overtake. A jump of a few seconds lands you in the next system waiting for them to arrive. The crew deploys a survey probe netting you another thousand Seni payout.

>Cont

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sun 01 Mar 2026 18:08:18 No.6377879 Report

Quoted By: >>6377888 >>6377900 >>6377924 >>6378042

You continue to follow the Izuan ship through a number of systems deploying probes the whole time until you arrive in the "Innet" system. The habitable world is populated by a half billion Izuan by the looks of things. There are well established shipdocks in orbit capable of constructing ships the size of light cruisers. There must by 50 ships in system, half in orbit or docked, with the rest headed in or out of the gravity well. The station looks well defended. Even that pirate wouldn't have been crazy enough to attack this place.

The translation package is sent out and soon the local government greets you and welcomes you to engage in trade. Their immediate concern is if peaceful trade is a possibility with the Alliance and the Factions, as it is apparently the life blood of their local cluster. Coms are able to get readings from the station indicating they're in subspace communication with at least 6 other nearby systems. This place may be a local crossroads.

You can engage in trade to put them at ease, though Reza is going to have the Marines on standby in case these people turn out to be like some places contact teams have visited. You could provide with with a communications system capable of contacting the local com relay you deployed. They can establish relations with the Alliance at their own pace that way. Or you can offer to return with a dedicated contact mission with ambassadors.

[ ] Trade
[ ] Provide them with communications
[ ] Return with Ambassadors

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:Q4iv3hwg Sun 01 Mar 2026 18:35:02 No.6377888 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377879
>[ ] Trade
earning some brownie points, getting a feel for the local air
>[ ] Return with Ambassadors
earning brownie points with the alliance

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Sun 01 Mar 2026 18:36:59 No.6377890 Report

Quoted By:

Heads up that I have to step out for a good part of the afternoon.

5minIP

5minIP ID:U5eT+J9M Sun 01 Mar 2026 18:52:46 No.6377900 Report

Quoted By: >>6378042

>>6377879

I would say lets go with all three, but if we had to choose.
>[ ] Trade
See if we can get some tech from them (I doubt we will). Or other minor things that they might want that we have that is not the medicine that allows them to breed. Let the Alliance open that can of worms.

>[ ] Return with Ambassadors
Once we get done trading we can grab some Ambassadors and hope to god they don't bring up immediately that medicine that allows them all to have kids. Since it seems every time the Izuan learn of it things go bad, rapidly. They don't have to hide it but try not to mention it?

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:kz3kPVQm Sun 01 Mar 2026 19:30:19 No.6377924 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377879
>[ ] Trade
>[ ] Return with Ambassadors

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:CuiJjLUo Mon 02 Mar 2026 02:30:15 No.6378042 Report

Quoted By:

>>6377879
Assuming this is first contact with this colony, trade, share simple things like beer or a spin in a repulsor IFV for some of their simple things.
We could ask about how commonplace the walking tank is too.
>>6377900
support all three with trade priority.

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Mon 02 Mar 2026 13:31:28 No.6378248 Report

Quoted By:

You're going to do some trading and general first contact positive relations. At first you're not sure if you have any trade goods but Hannah gets the department heads to do some thinking and pull reserve equipment and basic older tech you can show off. There's also all of the small arms taken from the Izuan pirate ship you just captured.

The Bertrand docks at the orbital station and a pressurized umbilical used for offloading cargo is extended to the vehicle bay. It's a bit awkward but it works and allows some cargo lifters, a pair of IFV's and some of the technicals loaded up with gear to simply drive over to the station.

An area is set up like an open air market with display stands showing off whatever trade goods the crew has managed to scrounge up. The Marines and infantry didn't like it but a good portion of the alcohol stockpile is carted out. They've been promised whatever sells will be replaced with interest. The same with everything else that the Izuan buy. This could be worth more than the money you make.

Holographics of various types are shown off, repulsor plates, communications and detection systems. One of the IFV's are used to show off repulsor vehicle movement and even drive a few people around.

Although reluctant at first to go near the stand with all of the salvaged weapons once they find out that these have been taken from pirates it quickly draws a crowd. They're all common Izuan weapons like those you saw on Auburn Vista so it's not like you dont have more.

Word soon spreads that your group killed an infamous pirate and before long people want to see proof. Holoprojectors are turned to showing off sensor footage of your battle with the pirate ship and suddenly there s a bidding war over a few of the weapons. In particular they want the rifle used by the Warrior captain.

You're not sure how much money you're making but it sounds like a lot. Hopefully in any future visit to this planet the Alliance diplomats will have set an exchange rate.

The pirate nonsense is still attracting crowds a few hours later. When people demand video of the boarding action Reza puts his foot down.
"No. We're not playing that in a crowded market. We have rules about showing stuff like that where they may be children."

The Commander of the station and the captains of a few other ships request to see the combat footage in private. The merchants set up a private viewing room and a holoprojector is brought in. They leave seeming rather subdued. Clearly they weren't expecting such a one sided fight. Some of your marines were injured, a few even needing stasis but none of them were killed.

The civilians still seem happy to have a bunch of pirate killers visiting and business remains steady as you run out of things to trade.

Asking about the walking tanks you've seen elsewhere they sound as though they're a common vehicle. Some have gravity drives installed allowing them to float much like your repulsor vehicles.

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Mon 02 Mar 2026 13:32:55 No.6378249 Report

Quoted By: >>6378264 >>6378403

The colony has some walking tanks but they prefer other weapon systems they refuse to divulge.

Have to run to work! Other trade ideas welcome!

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:Q4iv3hwg Mon 02 Mar 2026 15:29:57 No.6378264 Report

Quoted By:

>>6378249
do our stasis fields fit Izuan Physiology? id like to try to interest the local bigwigs in them. oh also maybe ask Talaat how interested he is in parting with his swords? considering their interest in the pirates weapon maybe they have even more interest in the weapons that ended said pirate?

Also id like to ask them some question about Izuan in general like, do their queens lay eggs? how old do the different Izuan get? are they organized in respect to which queen their progenitor is? do they keep to their own "hive"? do they mingle? how individual does a single Izuan get to be? what are their most popular sports?
Do they view themself as an independent government? how often do inter-planetary/system wars happen? is there a galaxy wide Izuan political body acting something like a peacekeeper/neutral mediator?
Are they interested in hiring mercenarys?

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO 68589404.jpg, 57KiB, 600x297

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Mon 02 Mar 2026 21:44:18 No.6378400 Report

Quoted By: >>6378403 >>6378404 >>6378406

Movies are selling well. The Chief sends and update to the crewman selling them to make sure the customers know what the word 'Fiction' means and that historical dramas are typically inaccurate.

One of the mess hall cooks is carting out samples along with medical scanners to check for toxicity on top of the guides that can be downloaded from the fleet. A dozen Izuan medical officers from just as many of the ships in dock are present. They're ensuring safety of their crews near the food stands on top of satisfying their own curiosity.

Stasis technology is something else attracting attention. There are various demonstrations with medical grade devices and food storage boxes. A stasis ejection capsule from one of the starfighters is brought out to show a reinforced structure resistant to damage.

Most typical Izuan don't mass that much more than a larger humanoid but because of their body plan have larger dimensions. A standard medical field won't be able to easily contain them. Some modifications will be necessary to make sure it consistently covers the head, torso and abdomen. You're not an expert so you cant say how difficult that will be. By the looks of things it could probably be done but the limbs would likely not fit.

>id like to try to interest the local bigwigs in them
A number of people from planet side have visited the station just to look them over.
"Your people can produce containment vessels to almost any shape able to be reinforced with these fields?"
"That's right. Storage cubicles, crew berths for extended missions, you name it. There are even big fuel tankers back home that use stasis reinforcement to carry metallic hydrogen or antimatter."
The locals are getting ideas.

>ask Talaat how interested he is in parting with his swords?
"Hell no. I've got this sweet dual wielding thing down, with the holoblade being virtually weightless it doesn't throw me off."
"Has anybody offered to buy them?"
"Five or six now?" he admits.
"What if you sold signed replicas?" says Alar.

Talaat considers. "We could do that."

"Hold on," says Silvar. "As in display only replicas or real HF and Holo blades? You know, the actually dangerous weapons somebody might be able to use against us or the Alliance in the future?"

On the one hand guaranteed sales, on the other weapons that are an actual threat to your armor being proliferated. Maybe that would not be a good idea? Then again this is a fairly remote territory for the time being. Maybe proliferation wont be an issue from this region?
Or maybe you should wait to see what the diplomats say about potentially selling weapons?

[ ] Use this to drum up HF/Holo blade sales
[ ] Sell signed display only replicas
[ ] Just use it to sell Training holoblades
[ ] All of the above
[ ] Hold off for the diplomats say so

5minIP

5minIP ID:U5eT+J9M Mon 02 Mar 2026 21:51:53 No.6378403 Report

Quoted By:

>>6378249

I am curious to see if we can get either data on their gravity drive or a functional gravity drive or a fixer upper gravity drive. If we can fit one in the Bertrand. Though I get the feeling they would ask for data on our own which I am positive is a no.

>>6378400

>[ ] Sell signed display only replicas
Money

>[ ] Hold off for the diplomats say so
I want to avoid spreading tech out to the Izuan. But if the diplomats clear it then it would be nice to know for the future.

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:kz3kPVQm Mon 02 Mar 2026 22:02:15 No.6378404 Report

Quoted By:

>>6378400
>[ ] Sell signed display only replicas
>[ ] Hold off for the diplomats say so

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:Q4iv3hwg Mon 02 Mar 2026 22:08:52 No.6378406 Report

Quoted By:

>>6378400
>[ ] Use this to drum up HF/Holo blade sales
>[ ] Sell signed display only replicas
>[ ] Just use it to sell Training holoblades
>[ ] All of the above
the diplomats can sort it our later, time to get some brownie points
can find out who got a lot of sway around here and network a little?

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Mon 02 Mar 2026 22:47:55 No.6378420 Report

Quoted By:

You strike up a conversation with one of the medical officers near the food stands. You have questions, they have similar ones about Faction species that you answer.

>do their queens lay eggs?
Izuan do lay eggs which then go through a larval stage.

>how old do the different Izuan get?
Workers can live as much as 100 years, sometimes longer. Poor environment of some worlds will usually shorten life spans. Queens typically live up to 150 years if they're not assassinated.

>are they organized in respect to which queen their progenitor is?
Frequently but the local cluster has been trying to find ways of preventing queens from being the ones in charge. A result of them having settled this region to escape the power struggles of the galactic arm.

>do they keep to their own "hive"? do they mingle?
Most Izuan societies mingle creating a larger civilization, though queens will try to get their children to control key areas of a colony to expand their influence. It sounds like the locals are even more intermingled than most.

>how individual does a single Izuan get to be?
Some are very individual, full on anarchists exist and can be a real headache for some queens. People like that tend to be targets of assassinations.

>what are their most popular sports?
There are various contests of an individuals physical prowess. Running, carrying weights, that sort of thing. There are few team sports aside from queen's ball where a team tries to gain control of a ball and carry it into the opponents goal. Often this will devolve into a general melee for control of the ball. Injuries are common.

>Do they view themself as an independent government?
Very. They're far from the frequent wars of the galactic core and largely avoid contact with the arm in general. It can take months for traders to reach them. Because of this they are largely ignored.

>how often do inter-planetary/system wars happen?
The Core, Homeworlds and Prime Worlds always have some low lying conflict going on. Their queens are always trying to one up the others. The locals consider the queens of the core to be ruthless and without mercy.

>is there a galaxy wide Izuan political body acting something like a peacekeeper/neutral mediator?
Unfortunately the people of Innet are too out of touch to be aware of any such organisation if it exists.

>Are they interested in hiring mercenarys?
Not at this time. In their region mercenaries are often just the first stage of a would be pirate. Those that have abandoned -or been abandoned by- their queen striking out on their own. They've seen their share of pirates and more than one has tried to strike up a protection racket claiming to be mercenaries.

"It sounds like you need a Mercenary Guild that can act as a regulatory body," you suggest.
"Such things may exist in the core. Colonies in the Traverse are often far apart and lacking infrastructure to support private war ships or fighting forces."

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS

That slow typing guy !!kTj7PQS8iSS ID:2beXPEiW Tue 03 Mar 2026 00:39:01 No.6378479 Report

Quoted By: >>6378483 >>6378490 >>6378500

They're understandably reluctant to sell gravity drives. The only ones that could fit aboard your ship are military grade ones and they're definitely not selling those. Maybe in the future once regular diplomatic relations are established.

They are of course interested in your FTL which is a no go. Repulsors however are common enough that some samples of those are sold. An example of what they can get from regular trade.

One of the engineers think another potential trade good in the future could be capacitor banks. Those used by the Factions are more capable but civilian ones are only marginally so. The ones on the Bertrand are the current military grade, almost double the capacity for the same size. It's something that could show up as contraband for smugglers.

With most of your trade goods sold and plans made to come back to sell collectors items among other things, you pack up and depart. It takes a few hours to complete the burn out of the system before jump, but soon you're headed bak to the fleet.

After sending in your report you're asked not to depart on any missions for a day while diplomatic teams go over your report in detail. You do have time to visit your Fence which is good because he's sitting on a supply of SP Torpedoes for you.

Confirm trade of 30 high yield SP Torpedoes for 60 lower yield ones?
>Y/N?

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:Q4iv3hwg Tue 03 Mar 2026 00:51:48 No.6378483 Report

Quoted By:

>>6378479
how well would that pirate carrier fare against a salvo of 60 lower yields SPs?

5minIP

5minIP ID:U5eT+J9M Tue 03 Mar 2026 01:05:40 No.6378490 Report

Quoted By:

>>6378479
>Confirm trade of 30 high yield SP Torpedoes for 60 lower yield ones?

Since the Terran ones were meant to overpower and destroy Neeran ships with little care for remains? Yeah, lower yield Dominion or Republic SP Torps would be nice for salvaging purposes.

Anonymous

Anonymous ID:kz3kPVQm Tue 03 Mar 2026 01:21:34 No.6378500 Report

Quoted By:

>>6378479
Yes

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