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+--- Thread: Gladius et Incursus. (/showthread.php?tid=81410)
Gladius et Incursus. - Echo 7-7 - 06-02-2012
![[Image: screen310-2.jpg]](http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x364/masinoz7/HF/Bering/screen310-2.jpg)
![[Image: commfinisher.png]](http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x364/masinoz7/HF/commfinisher.png)
"Admiral Kinnaird, we've completed our approach to Pacifica Base."
"Very well then. Prepare my shuttle."
"Yes, sir."
It's time to put our cards on the table...
Gladius et Incursus. - Backo - 06-03-2012
Pacifica's docking control quickly transmitted a signal to the nearby ship:
[indent]*Tssss* Guten Tag, please proceed to docking bay 2...
Soon as the message finished the lights above the bay lit up, signalizing the incoming vessel where to approach. The hatch slowly opened, depressurizing the first chamber of the bay and waiting for the shuttle to enter. Soon as the vessel entered the doors behind them locked once again. The valves opened and the chamber began filling with air again. The inner doors slowly opened, lights on the floor of the docking bay signalised the vessel to proceed. The voice from before continued.
[indent]...The docking crew is ready to assist you once you've landed. Oh and welcome to Pacifica!
The docking bay was lively. Inside engineers, dock workers and pilots buzzed around, each minding his business, whether that be fixing things, navigating the traffic or handling cargo. From the crowd a single person stood out as she approached the shuttle waiting for the guests to get out.
Gladius et Incursus. - Echo 7-7 - 06-05-2012
![[Image: screen323-2.jpg]](http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x364/masinoz7/HF/screen323-2.jpg)
The Grizzly shuttle settled down on its landing struts, and the side hatch unfolded with a pneumatic hiss, lowering a ramp to the deck. A pair of heavily-armoured soldiers marched out first, rifles slung low but held firmly. Their full-faced helmets bore visages of grinning skulls.
A group of fixers put down their tools. "Crimson Guard! The Legion's elite marines - ruthless killers, one and all!"
Admiral Kinnaird strode out of the shuttle, decked in full dress regalia, medals adorning his charcoal-grey coat. The Legion's signature flaming skull glinted under the harsh floodlights, in pride of place across his left pectoral.
A pair of officers followed Kinnaird out of the shuttle, one with a bionic eye sitting in the midst of unkind scar tissue, and the other carrying a reinforced briefcase. A bored-looking pilot with ace's pips sauntered out behind them.
The bodyguards halted as they neared the woman who had come to greet them. Kinnaird stopped a polite distance away from her.
"I am Grand Admiral Dane Kinnaird of the Helfire Legion. I stand before you as an emissary of Lord Commander Markson, Sovereign of Vespucci and Warden of the Barrier March. Hail, Unioners! The Legion has returned to Pacifica Base... for however long that may be."
Gladius et Incursus. - Backo - 06-05-2012
It was expected of such a high ranked person like Admiral Kinnaird to have bodyguards, but the two soldiers that quickly made sure the area is secure for him to proceed were nothing like the image of a bodyguard the woman had in her mind, in fact they rather reminded her of shock troops. Hopefully they weren't going to be of any concern and just stayed there for display so nobody would get any funny ideas.
Her gaze quickly shifted to the person they were protecting, as he approached her. His attire was tidy and formal, which couldn't have been said for hers. The worker's boots, worn brown trousers and that dark top weren't exactly reflecting the same form of formality as what the main guest has showed so far.
[indent]"Guten Tag, Admiral Kinnaird. I'm not sure we have been introduced, I'm Yvonne Eberhart... I assume your trip went well?"
Her eyes shifted to the men behind him, together all of them were a colorful bunch. Though that wasn't what caught her interest, it was the reinforced briefcase that obviously had something important. Perhaps soon it's contents were going to be reviled? Though first it was better for them to go somewhere less crowded then the hangar filled with people who had no need to know anything about this meeting.
[indent]"Perhaps we should go somewhere more quiet, Admiral? I doubt there's need for everyone here to be eavesdropping on our conversation as it'll just keep them distracted from the work they should be doing."
Gladius et Incursus. - Echo 7-7 - 06-06-2012
"Ah, Fräulein Eberhart, it's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you, my trip was gracefully uneventful."
He paused and surveyed the docking bay; many pairs of eyes were watching them with curiosity. This was a good thing - the Unioners were not expecting visitors, as he had intended. Only a select few amongs the Arbeitergewerkschaft leadership had been informed prior to his arrival.
"Of course, an alternative location would be more suitable. Oh, and please do not mind the attitude of my Guards. They are simply as devoted to our cause as you are surely devoted to yours."
Kinnaird looked over his shoulder and made a short hand gesture. One Guard nodded and turned around, heading back up the shuttle ramp. The other slung his rifle across his back and fell in step with the Admiral's subordinates as they approached.
"Please, lead the way."
Gladius et Incursus. - Backo - 06-06-2012
![[Image: rayof7.png]](http://i46.tinypic.com/rayof7.png)
Yvonne nodded and motioned the men to follow her.
Pacifica was a base build in a hollowed out asteroid by a bunch of pirates so the base was made to function efficiently, rather then look pretty. The interior was crude and there were wires and pipes showing from the metallic walls. They entered a small hallway, not any different with it's looks from the rest of the base. On the left side there was a guardrail on the left side and every few meters to the right there was a steel door.
They reached a door left open, it was the room intended for the meeting. Inside at the center of the room there was a big wooden table surrounded by 4 chairs on each side. The furniture was nowhere near new, but it somewhat freshened up the atmosphere, compared to the cold metallic hallway they were just in.
[indent]"Make yourselves comfortable, gentlemen. Perhaps I could get you something to drink?"
Gladius et Incursus. - Echo 7-7 - 06-07-2012
The Guard took a position outside the chamber as the rest of the party entered, and sealed the door behind them. Kinnaird took a seat in the middle of the table. Sauntering down to the back of the room, the Ace appeared remarkably uninterested as he examined the other items scattered about.
"Captains, my case, please."
"Just a moment, Admiral."
Fleet Captain Smithson set the heavy briefcase down on the table. The other officer, who one might call "scarface" for the mass of ruined tissue obscuring his features, reached into his coat and withdrew a data key. He inserted it into the side of the case and turned it. Part of the case's cover slid back to reveal a numbered keypad. Kinnaird leaned forward and typed in a code, and the case finally clicked open.
"Let me see now..."
He pulled out a data-tablet.
"... let us cut to the chase, Yvonne. May I call you Yvonne?"
Gladius et Incursus. - Backo - 06-09-2012
It seemed they weren't really thirsty, or rather were all business. Well, all besides that ace that seemed a bit disinterested from the whole meeting. She took a seat across the table, facing the Admiral and leaned forward on the old wooden table, observing them open up the briefcase that held her curiosity for a while now.
[indent]"Of course."
The briefcase had quite the protection, so whatever that data-tablet contained must've been quite valuable. Her eyes were locked on it, while she was waiting for the Admiral to continue.
Gladius et Incursus. - Echo 7-7 - 06-09-2012
As he poked around obliviously in the corner of the room, a glint of light caught on the ace's shoulder patch. It was possible to read some hand-sewn lines on his jacket sleeve:
DAVIDSONS I + II
WE ARE RELENTLESS
The ace paused and turned around, looking intently at Eberhart.WE ARE RELENTLESS
"Hey, uh, Yvonne...", he tested the name on his tongue, "I'd like to take you up on that offer of something to drink."
Kinnaird glared briefly at him and turned back to the pad, pulling a stylus out of his pocket.
"No need to get up. Is there a cooler around here somewhere?"
The Admiral ignored him and switched on the tablet.
"Yvonne, as you know, for quite some time, the Legion was basing Task Force Gladius off Pacifica Base and the surrounding region of space. That was until we got caught between a battlegroup of BDM U-boats and a deployment of the Navy's new Battlecruisers, and all of our Capital assets stationed here suffered inhibiting damage to various degrees."
He paused and rubbed his eyes before continuing.
"Fortuitously, Task Force Gladius was able to escort the Project Mythic ships back from far Rheinland space to our headquarters in time for the unplanned Battle of New Year's Eve, which was won swiftly with a minimum of casualties on our side. Those we were fighting weren't so lucky... but that's not important right now."
Scarface had quietly taken a seat while the Admiral was speaking, and briefcase guy was leaning against the wall with his arms folded. Kinnaird leaned forward.
"To that end, as I alluded to in our earlier communications, the Legion is looking to acquire any intelligence you may have concerning the movements of the Rheinland Military fleet along the border. We require this before we make such a serious commitment again. If the Military chooses to dig in and hold their ground in order to weather the Navy's redoubled assault, our actions here are may be in vain, as we cannot win a war of attrition, particularly with our casualties over the past few months. We have the ships, but not the crew at this point in time. Conversely, if the Navy is becoming more aggressive, that will leave gaps on the home front which we can exploit. The Legion's best tactic is to outmanoeuvre tougher opponents, so we need to act in a somewhat reactionary manner in this war zone."
"Admiral, perhaps you should... skip to the point." Briefcase man offered his opinion.
"Captain Hargraves, this is all part of the point. You know that."
Kinnaird paused to allow his words time to sink in.
Gladius et Incursus. - Backo - 06-09-2012
The ace snapped Yvonne out of her attention at the data tablet. I guess he really was quite different to the rest of them, perhaps because he hadn't let the time he served in the Legion sink into his character? Or perhaps it was just a high command trait? She couldn't really be sure which of the two it was.
[indent]"On the shelves behind you'll find some of Stuttgart's work and a few glasses."
The shelves had a few bottles of Stuttgart wine and some glasses accompanying them. The wine was of fine quality, stolen and then sold all around Rheinland on the black market. After all, when you're having important guests you have to treat them good.
Her glance moved back to the table and the people there as she began listening to what the Admiral had to say. She waited for him to finish and then gave herself some time to think over her answer.
[indent]"Things have changed a bit since last time we saw Task Force Gladius, Admiral. I'll just list things chronologically. Battleship Westfalen has been taken back by the Rheinwehr and that put an end to Liberty's aggressive assaults. There even was a short while where both sides seemed to just try and collect themselves and regroup numbers in which there were nearly no skirmishes by neither side. That of course changed as Rheinland managed to develop cloaking devices with which they continued their offensive campaign over Texas. Though from reports there haven't been many counter attacks from the Liberty Navy, even if most of these Texas assaults tend to end up unsuccessful for the Rheinlanders... I could go into detail for each of this if you'd like."
She leaned forward on the table, waiting for his response.