>>5848727“Escape pods firing out from Albatross-3. They are evacuating.” Moynihan reports in monotone. Since this pursuit could hardly be part of the Komodo's plan, you wonder what has gotten into the Marlin's navarch. Even if the combined Qyngur force is fast enough to overtake you, like hell Ienaga would allow any torpedo-boats near your ship. Their force, in contrast, seemed to not handle 12 inch shells very well, as the survivors of Albatross-3 could no doubt tell. Merely minutes earlier it was trying to close the gap, only to get pinned down by crossfire from the Richardson and Yushi. Given the choice between a full heavy railgun broadside and a couple torpedoes, its captain elected to abandon ship. As Moynihan will add in the after-action report, less than a third of its crew managed to get out in time.
In the distance, Ox-1 and Ox-2 are helplessly floating to the edge of the system, occasionally jerked by a towing cable from the damaged Albatross-1. Without engines, there is no chance they can warp away. You can see now why the Qyngur navarch decided to pursue your retreating force. He cannot repair the vulnerable freighters with you still lurking in the system. Talk about getting caught between a heavy railgun shell and a fusion torpedo. Annoyed by the Komodo's pitiable salvos knocking on your shield, you decide to target the heavy cruiser next.
Three salvos were all it took to finally bring down Komodo-1's shield. Another two to shut down most of its weapons. Punching through the layers upon layers of ablative armor wrapped around the core of the ship will be much more daunting, however. The enemy commander, whoever it is, orders the formation back. Perhaps he finally realises the futility of the chase. A more likely explanation is the distress call your warp comms just picked up, broadcasted from the same position as the research station. What the hell is happening over there?
<span class="mu-s">With Jean-Pierre still maintaining radio silence for some reason, you are on your own. You decide to try out the ivory dice set he gave you as an apology. Somehow your fates feel as though bound together as the three 2d100 hits the table</span>
>A sense of unease. Convince Ienaga to keep watch over the remnants of the enemy while you investigate the call. (full charisma bonus applied)>A sense of trust. Continue to harass the Qyngur convoy, Jean-Pierre has his job and you yours.>A sense of confidence. Charge the retreating enemy, you must knock out this force before you can reinforce Jean-Pierre (major success required to keep Ienaga out of this) 