Extensive discussion with Hacker oprative known as Felicity Willing.
The Bering situation is... bad. Hellfire Legion EMPed Pacifica, seemingly at the behest of Harmony. I suspect the Legion is the one actually pushing the conflict. Lane Hackers are currently neutral, officially, but were actively pushing for humanitarian aid to the Alster Union - they have already chosen their side, but are attempting so far to remain peaceful about it.
They want our help, and have offered to escort our transports.
And I didn't even have to threaten to throw anyone out of a window.
[31.08.2018 00:47:33] NO-I-Green.River: Hmm. Shiranui adjusted some things here... I'll sort that out later.
[31.08.2018 00:47:46] NO-I-Green.River: Well. I was informed you wanted to speak with a Taskmaster.
[31.08.2018 00:47:58] Felicity.Willing: That is correct.
[31.08.2018 00:48:06] NO-I-Green.River: I had intended to leave this matter to my agents, but if that's your wish.
[31.08.2018 00:48:12] NO-I-Green.River: I am Taskmaster Escher.
[31.08.2018 00:48:43] Felicity.Willing: I have had a belief that you would provide me with somewhat more... precise information.
[31.08.2018 00:49:04] NO-I-Green.River: Hm. We like to play our cards close, but I may be able to accomodate you.
[31.08.2018 00:49:15] NO-I-Green.River: I also need to survey the hull of Canberra.
[31.08.2018 00:49:25] NO-I-Green.River: There was an... incident earlier.
[31.08.2018 00:49:53] Felicity.Willing: I could feel that accident myself. And that was, uh... a Crayter dreadnought?
[31.08.2018 00:50:11] NO-I-Green.River: Yes. They have not done much to improve my opinion of Crayter.
[31.08.2018 00:50:35] Felicity.Willing: They did a lot to ruin it, rather.
[31.08.2018 00:50:49] NO-I-Green.River: But, it appears to be mostly surface damage. High-dispersal flak, limited penetration.
[31.08.2018 00:51:01] Felicity.Willing: What is actually going on within it? Have they had some sort of power shift?...
[31.08.2018 00:51:09] NO-I-Green.River: We'll still need to get the Dubbo out here to patch it up.
[31.08.2018 00:51:17] NO-I-Green.River: Crayter... to be entirely honest, we're working on figuring that out ourselves.
[31.08.2018 00:51:34] NO-I-Green.River: The Fleet Admiral and Minister that were our initial contact points are nowhere to be found.
[31.08.2018 00:51:38] NO-I-Green.River: An explanation has not been forthcoming.
[31.08.2018 00:51:58] Felicity.Willing: That does not sound very promising.
[31.08.2018 00:52:38] NO-I-Green.River: No, but it's not as surprising as it would be were this Bretonia.
[31.08.2018 00:53:01] NO-I-Green.River: Militant states are prone to sudden power shifts.
[31.08.2018 00:53:21] NO-I-Green.River: Teach your people to see everyone as the enemy, and they'll take that to its logical conclusion.
[31.08.2018 00:53:23] Felicity.Willing: Hm. Perhaps, i should pull some strings to try and find something out.
[31.08.2018 00:53:34] Felicity.Willing: If anything comes out - i will let you know.
[31.08.2018 00:53:46] NO-I-Green.River: That would be appreciated. I know Coronado is an important corridor to both of us.
[31.08.2018 00:54:06] Felicity.Willing: Now, mister Escher. Would you mind to... enligten me on a certain matter?
[31.08.2018 00:54:10] NO-I-Green.River: Go ahead.
[31.08.2018 00:54:41] Felicity.Willing: I have received a word from mister Saronsen that you are accepting refugees from Pacifica, and have had dealings with-
[31.08.2018 00:54:48] Felicity.Willing: the Alster Union in the past.
[31.08.2018 00:55:04] NO-I-Green.River: Not as much in the past, but recently yes. They actually reached out to us first.
[31.08.2018 00:55:21] NO-I-Green.River: Since they've never wronged us, we saw no reason not to work with them.
[31.08.2018 00:55:36] Felicity.Willing: What was that transmission, if i may ask?
[31.08.2018 00:56:00] Felicity.Willing: Don't get me wrong. We are on a mutual ground here. Our Professors... are not pleased with Harmony's actions.
[31.08.2018 00:56:09] NO-I-Green.River: Those messages were fielded by Taskmaster Kane, but the first contact was inquiring about the status of the Metropolis.
[31.08.2018 00:56:35] NO-I-Green.River: I believe there's been talk of ship repairs, but that may have been Kane attempting to help speed the Black Cloud's restoration
[31.08.2018 00:57:11] Felicity.Willing: Black Cloud? Is it some sort of a special vessel?
[31.08.2018 00:57:27] Felicity.Willing: Given the source of that veseel - a Hel cruiser, i would assume.
[31.08.2018 00:57:44] NO-I-Green.River: It was built off a Hel frame, at least.
[31.08.2018 00:58:04] NO-I-Green.River: It houses a number of scanners and defensive electronic warfare systems, but the exact details are kept quiet.
[31.08.2018 00:58:24] Felicity.Willing: That's understandable.
[31.08.2018 00:59:05] Felicity.Willing: Anyway. Since you house a certain number of Pacifica refugees... have Natio considered any active operation in regards-
[31.08.2018 00:59:21] Felicity.Willing: -to assisting Alster Union with moving them?
[31.08.2018 00:59:53] Felicity.Willing: Given you have the direct contact - you should be pretty much aware of the Harmony's blockade.
[31.08.2018 01:00:01] NO-I-Green.River: We have a ship enroute to ascertain the situation and begin humanitarian assistance.
[31.08.2018 01:00:26] NO-I-Green.River: We have heard of the blockade, but we're attempting to get more information before fully moving in.
[31.08.2018 01:00:49] Felicity.Willing: Well, i can update you on the situation as i have arrived to Canberra straight from Pacifica.
[31.08.2018 01:00:52] NO-I-Green.River: While we doubt the Union is intentionally decieving us, we would like a clearer picture of the situation.
[31.08.2018 01:01:01] NO-I-Green.River: That would help.
[31.08.2018 01:01:47] Felicity.Willing: Harmony have fallen to open hostilities with the Union. Pacifica suffered a launch of Nuclear EMP payload, supposedly - by the-
[31.08.2018 01:01:51] Felicity.Willing: -Hellfire Legion.
[31.08.2018 01:02:29] NO-I-Green.River: Odd. That fits with expected Legion resources, but I'm wondering *why*.
[31.08.2018 01:02:36] Felicity.Willing: Internal blockade have been instilled and any vessels trying to trespass and moor on Pacifica are either turned back - or shot-
[31.08.2018 01:02:38] Felicity.Willing: -down.
[31.08.2018 01:02:59] Felicity.Willing: I've had a chance to talk with Legionnaires.
[31.08.2018 01:03:18] Felicity.Willing: They seemed to be eager 'to get rid of the plague on the Liberty outskirts'.
[31.08.2018 01:03:31] Felicity.Willing: Bringing up Union's Texas raids as an excuse.
[31.08.2018 01:03:46] Felicity.Willing: Which is, honestly...
[31.08.2018 01:03:56] Felicity.Willing: A very weak excuse for such harsh measures.
[31.08.2018 01:04:22] Felicity.Willing: I assume Harmony 'asked' them to do this.
[31.08.2018 01:04:27] Felicity.Willing: As in 'provoked'.
[31.08.2018 01:05:04] NO-I-Green.River: I've yet to get a good reading on Harmony; they broke off from Liberty during our time in isolation.
[31.08.2018 01:05:04] Felicity.Willing: Blockade have been inflicted soon after, intercepting any incoming convoy intending to help Pacifica.
[31.08.2018 01:05:09] Felicity.Willing: Gaians, mostly.
[31.08.2018 01:05:55] Felicity.Willing: Harmony? A bunch of rogue Liberty Security Force pilots obsessed with the idea of Liberty Navy's infection.
[31.08.2018 01:06:06] NO-I-Green.River: I feel like I've heard that exact story before.
[31.08.2018 01:06:10] Felicity.Willing: Not the whole Navy, of courrse, but their higher ranks, that is.
[31.08.2018 01:06:20] NO-I-Green.River: ... since when does the LSF have "battlegroups"?
[31.08.2018 01:06:43] NO-I-Green.River: Nevermind, that's tangential at best.
[31.08.2018 01:07:03] NO-I-Green.River: It sounds like the Hackers aren't exactly friendly with Harmony, then.
[31.08.2018 01:07:07] Felicity.Willing: Back in the Nomad War, Harmony was a battleship of a Naval battlegroup. During their exaltation, LSF backed them up.
[31.08.2018 01:07:34] Felicity.Willing: More like neutral at this moment.
[31.08.2018 01:08:05] Felicity.Willing: Their agression is not tolerated, yet this is not just another simple case.
[31.08.2018 01:08:11] Felicity.Willing: The course of action is yet to be picked.
[31.08.2018 01:09:01] NO-I-Green.River: It is a complicated situation.
[31.08.2018 01:09:58] NO-I-Green.River: It's rather distant from us, but we have reasons to be interested. I'll see what we can dig up.
[31.08.2018 01:10:06] Felicity.Willing: There is another thing. Johnatan Kalh, that fool is... troublesome, to say the least.
[31.08.2018 01:10:27] NO-I-Green.River: We've had limited contact with him. He seems to have a one-track mind.
[31.08.2018 01:10:37] Felicity.Willing: He also should be dealt with, and reminded of his place in the universe.
[31.08.2018 01:11:17] Felicity.Willing: We would not like to attract external assets to this, but, perhaps, you know someone capable of providing us with a Mark IV-
[31.08.2018 01:11:18] NO-I-Green.River: I take it there's been a recurring issue, there.
[31.08.2018 01:11:21] Felicity.Willing: -Jump Drive?
[31.08.2018 01:11:53] NO-I-Green.River: Hm. The only contact we have that we know has the capacity to produce them is Crayter.
[31.08.2018 01:11:55] Felicity.Willing: *Inhales* Johnatan Kalh's Harmony milksop.
[31.08.2018 01:12:37] Felicity.Willing: Perhaps, we will need one such device soon enough.
[31.08.2018 01:13:33] NO-I-Green.River: Crayter definitely has the capacity to produce them. The willingness to part with them, that's another matter.
[31.08.2018 01:14:11] Felicity.Willing: Show people the money and they fall for it. Crayter is no exception, no matter who's in charge of it.
[31.08.2018 01:15:02] NO-I-Green.River: Fair, especially with how they've treated their other military technology.
[31.08.2018 01:15:03] Felicity.Willing: Oh, and remind your vessel to be extremely cautious in Bering.
[31.08.2018 01:15:20] Felicity.Willing: Harmony is way more trigger-happy now than they were before.
[31.08.2018 01:16:05] NO-I-Green.River: We have ideas for that, but we'll have to go over the exact details internally.
[31.08.2018 01:16:40] NO-I-Green.River: The Hackers haven't taken a side, but you do seem to be leaning toward the Unioners.
[31.08.2018 01:17:03] Felicity.Willing: What i am certain about is that they will not, most likely, engage any ship escorted with our assets.
[31.08.2018 01:17:22] Felicity.Willing: Yes, we are leaning towards The Union.
[31.08.2018 01:17:35] Felicity.Willing: Their stance in the conflict is what we find more justified.
[31.08.2018 01:17:55] NO-I-Green.River: What exactly started this whole situation?
[31.08.2018 01:18:32] Felicity.Willing: Of what i know - it started off a Hel cruiser that Harmony requested, later on supplied it's construction, but never received-
[31.08.2018 01:18:36] Felicity.Willing: -the end result.
[31.08.2018 01:19:02] Felicity.Willing: Then the Hellfire interfered, first shots from Harmony's side were fired...
[31.08.2018 01:19:21] Felicity.Willing: Actually, Harmony's officer given an order to terminate Union's vessel.
[31.08.2018 01:19:38] Felicity.Willing: Supposedly, Legionnaires took their part in the show.
[31.08.2018 01:20:18] NO-I-Green.River: Hm. I wonder if perhaps the Legion had a hand in pushing it toward open hostilities.
[31.08.2018 01:21:26] NO-I-Green.River: If they're the ones who supposedly EMPed Pacifica, and claimed it was in response to raids on Texas... but, that's speculation.
[31.08.2018 01:22:07] Felicity.Willing: They not 'supposedly' NEMPed Pacifica, 'we' know they did.
[31.08.2018 01:22:13] NO-I-Green.River: My mistake.
[31.08.2018 01:22:41] NO-I-Green.River: Our intel on the events in Bering has been spottier than I would like. The problems of distance.
[31.08.2018 01:23:00] Felicity.Willing: I ended up getting in touch with former Pacifica administrator on quite a sensitive matter.
[31.08.2018 01:23:18] Felicity.Willing: Once accomplishing it - i've picked up another patch of the information from him.
[31.08.2018 01:23:36] Felicity.Willing: To have the full view and make a better judgement of the situation.
[31.08.2018 01:24:19] Felicity.Willing: As i have mentioned - i suggest extreme precaution if you are willing to send blockade runners.
[31.08.2018 01:24:49] Felicity.Willing: Use Freighters for their speed, use unpredictable routes - given the circumstances, the one through Rheinland and Puerto Rico-
[31.08.2018 01:24:55] Felicity.Willing: -would be the best one.
[31.08.2018 01:24:56] NO-I-Green.River: We have considerable experience in the field, don't worry.
[31.08.2018 01:25:19] Felicity.Willing: I am not putting your experience to a doubt.
[31.08.2018 01:25:29] NO-I-Green.River: On that note, though
[31.08.2018 01:25:35] NO-I-Green.River: do you know what the Junkers' angle is on the situation?
[31.08.2018 01:25:39] Felicity.Willing: It's a 'better safe than sorry' kind of advice.
[31.08.2018 01:25:45] NO-I-Green.River: If we're to pass through Puerto Rico, it would be good to know.
[31.08.2018 01:26:19] Felicity.Willing: Right. Unfortunately, i lack that piece of information. But i doubt they will mind your minor traverse.
[31.08.2018 01:26:34] Felicity.Willing: I haven't seen them assisting Harmony in any way lately.
[31.08.2018 01:26:47] Felicity.Willing: So there is a high probability of getting on their good side.
[31.08.2018 01:27:16] NO-I-Green.River: They are generally easy enough to work with.
[31.08.2018 01:27:44] Felicity.Willing: Unless you really, 'really' piss them off.
[31.08.2018 01:27:57] Felicity.Willing: Which is quite difficult to perform.
[31.08.2018 01:28:08] NO-I-Green.River: But, that's the Bering matter addressed, pending updates.
[31.08.2018 01:28:17] NO-I-Green.River: Did you have other questions?
[31.08.2018 01:29:13] Felicity.Willing: I would ask you again if you plan to direct any transports with humanitarian supplies or for the sake of evacuation, but-
[31.08.2018 01:29:26] Felicity.Willing: -i assume it to be pointless at this point in time.
[31.08.2018 01:29:38] NO-I-Green.River: As I said, we have to ascertain the situation first. If the situation allows, we likely will.
[31.08.2018 01:29:57] Felicity.Willing: I am grateful for your honest answers, Taskmaster.
[31.08.2018 01:30:02] NO-I-Green.River: It's less a matter of diplomatic concerns and more a matter of *tactical* concern.
[31.08.2018 01:30:14] Felicity.Willing: Tactical concern.
[31.08.2018 01:30:20] Felicity.Willing: Care to elaborate further?
[31.08.2018 01:30:37] NO-I-Green.River: Simply ensuring there *is* a feasible way around the blockades without losing our ships.
[31.08.2018 01:30:45] NO-I-Green.River: Which there likely will be.
[31.08.2018 01:30:56] Felicity.Willing: I have proposed at least one opportunity.
[31.08.2018 01:31:11] Felicity.Willing: Have one of our escorts tagging along with your convoys.
[31.08.2018 01:31:25] Felicity.Willing: That increases your probability of success drastically.
[31.08.2018 01:31:47] NO-I-Green.River: That is a viable option, yes.
[31.08.2018 01:31:59] Felicity.Willing: I understand that we've had some uneasy terms in the past, but there you'll need to have some trust in us.
[31.08.2018 01:32:27] Felicity.Willing: Not for our sake, but for the sake of people secluded and suffering on Pacifica.
[31.08.2018 01:32:43] Felicity.Willing: I assume you understand.
[31.08.2018 01:32:45] NO-I-Green.River: There is a saying, "trust but verify." My job is to verify. Kane, I'm sure, is willing to dedicate aid to the cause.
[31.08.2018 01:33:17] Felicity.Willing: A very good saying, to be blunt and honest.
[31.08.2018 01:33:56] Felicity.Willing: Anyway, i suppose we've discussed pretty much everything we could at this point.
[31.08.2018 01:34:18] NO-I-Green.River: We will send a ship in the near future. Exact timing is usually not disclosed for obvious reasons.
[31.08.2018 01:34:49] Felicity.Willing: Understandable.
[31.08.2018 01:35:11] Felicity.Willing: But, perhaps, that would be a perfect moment to see if our escort will make some effect.
[31.08.2018 01:35:22] Felicity.Willing: To kill two rabbits with just one shot.
[31.08.2018 01:35:48] NO-I-Green.River: Barring any unexpected tactical problems, I believe the aid will be delivered. Hold on, I'm getting a message...
[31.08.2018 01:37:04] NO-I-Green.River: [he sighs] Civilians...
[31.08.2018 01:37:21] Felicity.Willing: Anything requiring your attention?
[31.08.2018 01:37:27] NO-I-Green.River: No, I don't believe so.
[31.08.2018 01:37:55] NO-I-Green.River: There *may* be a ship available now, but I'm checking on that.
[31.08.2018 01:38:17] Felicity.Willing: I believe i could send a word to one of my trusted colleagues to meet your vessel of choice and escort it.
[31.08.2018 01:38:43] Felicity.Willing: I personally would like to stay on Canberra for a while longer before departing.
[31.08.2018 01:39:33] NO-I-Green.River: We may have someone available, a ship passing through Coronado .
[31.08.2018 01:40:05] NO-I-Green.River: It's the... am I reading this right?
[31.08.2018 01:40:21] NO-I-Green.River: OTS Run Like Hell. I suppose it's appropriately named.
[31.08.2018 01:40:50] Felicity.Willing: Hm.
[31.08.2018 01:40:53] Felicity.Willing: Fits the cause.
[31.08.2018 01:41:14] Felicity.Willing: Perhaps they should be put on a standby for now, however.
[31.08.2018 01:41:31] NO-I-Green.River: That may be for the best, actually, I"m getting odd reports of hardware issues on their end.
[31.08.2018 01:41:49] NO-I-Green.River: Minor ones, but best fixed before such an endeavor.
[31.08.2018 01:42:12] Felicity.Willing: True that. Everything should be working perfect on such a risky endeavour.
[31.08.2018 01:42:43] Felicity.Willing: Even through Spyglass picks no Harmony signatures within Bering...
[31.08.2018 01:43:03] Felicity.Willing: It won't take them long to appear should somehting unidentified try and get through.
[31.08.2018 01:44:55] NO-I-Green.River: Anyway, now I do have matters to attend to. You are of course still welcome on Canberra.
[31.08.2018 01:45:09] Felicity.Willing: Very well.
[31.08.2018 01:45:15] Felicity.Willing: Until next time, Taskmaster.