A young man sits in the captain chair, on the bridge of what appears to be a colony ship at first glance. Further study of the picture shows many modifications, superior stations, advanced systems, all noted before a fairly large metal beam falls from the ceiling at one end, laying diagonally across the background of the picture, reaching from the roof in one corner, to touching the ground in the opposite. The ship, clear from this moment, is in its final stages of life, close to falling into disrepair. It is a Nephilim, in its final stages of life, a rare sight to behold
Good evening to the most wondrous gentlemen in the Bounty Hunters Guild Core.
He bows his head slightly in a respectful, courteous nod before looking back into the camera
Gentlemen, i come to you with a request. We have not had much interaction, i will admit, and i will come to that shortly. My request, however, is for formal permission to use one of your Mako class battleships.
As you can likely tell from the feed of the bridge behind me, this old Nephilim is in its final days. It has been pushed beyond its limits, made into more than just a colony ship. No, it served as the primary vessel for those i represent today, the Solar Runners. A group of Zoners whom stand for exploration, research, and comradery in the darkest of times, in the deepest corners of the expanse we call space.
I come to you, seeking a replacement. You see, the Mako stands out to me, as it is large enough to fulfill the roles of research and ship repair, of which i have many-a-time used my ships for, but also the role as a command center, a central home, for myself and my fellow runners. We have no stations or planets to return to, we have our ships, and our time together. The Mako would prove perfect in these situations, from what i know of it at least.
Now i come back to my earlier point, the idea of us not having spoke before this missive. Understandably, because of this, you may be hesitant to allow us access to one of your vessels. Rest assured, this vessel will stay to the Omicrons for the most part, only leaving in circumstances where absolutely necessary, and will never be used for any combat exercise against anything other than the Nomad menace that threatens the lives of all humanity, and even then, we will act in self defence, for this is not a combat ship. We are Zoners after all, the nomads are your job, not ours. Any further trust that may be required is understandable, and i respectfully request you make my aware of what might be needed, within reason of course, so that i can make sure it is accomplished and complete for you, so that we may work alongside one another in future.
I thank you in advance for your most valuable time and assistance in this effort. I hope that you will approve my request, and that we may leave the other side of this as friends, and not just names behind a screen.
Councilman Joseph Wolf,
Secretary of Fleets and Diplomatic Affairs,
Solar Runner Council
The feed closes, and a small glass of whiskey rises from the arm of the captains chair. Drinking it quickly, he turns back to a view screen, working to prolong the life of his ship just long enough...
Connecting to Secure channel 771-***-*69-***-77... Password required...
Password entered, verifying...
Passwordaccepted....... Guild secure line opened.
Message status:in progress ........
Comms ID:Guildmaster Stoat Target ID:Councilman Joseph Wolf
Councilman
I must say I am surprised to receive your communique. You must be aware that we a military organisation. Our ships are ships of war, Mr Wolf. They are not purposed as research vessels, or habitats, but for dealing death and destruction to those that oppose us. Nor does APM, our shipbuilding arm, offer to customise such vessels for private sale.
I am aware that some organisations offer old vessels for public sale. We are not such an organisation Mr Wolf. Even before the losses to our fleet we sustained in the nomad attacks on the Omicron Minor system, our vessels were purposed solely for war. Now, as we attempt to rebuild, that necessity is even more apparent.
It seems to me that your own people, the Zoners, are the ones you should be contacting for a replacement ship. They are certainly more suited to a research role, whilst offering suitable comfort and space for a civilian crew.
So, without a vastly more specific outline as to the reasons behind your requirement for an out and out war ship, and exactly how we stand to benefit from expending our own manpower and resources on such an unusual request, I am afraid I must, for now, decline your request.
I wish you all the best for your future, Mt Wolf. By the looks of the bridge you sit in, you are going to need it. Remember, should you encounter any situation where the lives of you and your crew are threatened, the Core are the ones best suited to protect you.
The feed opens, once again, the bridge in tatters, but Stoat only now notices that the bridge is unmaned, and eerily silent. The only sound being the distant hum of the power core
Guildmaster Stoat,
I thank you for your swift reply. I will try my best to explain my position to you. Allow me to work through your message and try to explain each point in turn.
To begin, customisation and re-purposing. This is not something you and your people, in the Core or in APM, would have to worry yourselves over. Any and all customisation made on my ships is carried out by myself. I would literally only be requesting, of you, a standardised Mako. You would not have to worry yourselves over it, but would be welcome to make an inspection on the changes I would perform once completed.
Your loss is known to me, and with this i understand your position. My question to this, is what if i was to supply the parts for my own Mako, or to be allowed plans to construct my own, so as to free up your own people? These are my thoughts here, due to your less than ideal situation regarding fleet numbers.
The Zoners. Yes. Perhaps you are right in this one, but currently, there are talks, maybe nothing beyond rumors at this stage, that Nephilim construction is to be ceased. This one is beyond repair, and unlike any other Nephilim before, or after it. I'd like to think there isn't anyways. Space and comfort for crew is not necessarily needed. The advanced systems I have here, would be installed in similar fashion to the Mako, allowing almost autonomous operations.
As for how this benefits you, I had partially expected this. I could give you reasons for "this" and "that", but who knows better what you truly want, than yourself? If you tell me what you require of us, i'll ensure that it is completed, so long as its within reason of course. I'm sure you understand that i cannot complete tasks that might put us in a position of war for example, but i have transport captains standing by if there are specific items you might need picked up, like food, a certain drink that tickles your fancy, perhaps parts for vessels? It's your call Guildmaster, just tell me what you need. As for the requirement for a war vessel, my work sometimes takes me to less than hospitable places, and thus, my research requires me to be in a place where the security capabilities of my vessel are paramount. The Mako, as far as i am aware, can excel in this field.
Once again, i understand the situation is difficult for you, which is why I will do all I can to prove to you, and your people, that we can be trusted with such a magnificent vessel. Once again, I must thank you profusely for your invaluable time.
Councilman Joseph Wolf
Secretary of Fleets and Diplomatic Affairs
Solar Runner Council
The feed ends,he takes another sip, and hopes that he can provide enough for the guild to be satisfied. His position is tough, but times are for all. Flicking a few switches, Runner assets are alerted, Whales moving into Omicron 74, ready to move out and accomplish the goal that may be set for them
Connecting to Secure channel 771-***-*69-***-77... Password required...
Password entered, verifying...
Passwordaccepted....... Guild secure line opened.
Message status:in progress ........
Comms ID:Guildmaster Stoat Target ID:Councilman Joseph Wolf
Mr Wolf
Whilst I sympathise with your predicament, there is nothing you provide that makes me think that I should expend precious Guild time and resources in constructing what you request. You are wrong in your assumption that it is I that should be telling you what we want. It is encumbent upon yourself to sell your idea to us, to convince us why we should spend our time constructing our most powerful vessel of war for you, rather than for our own fleet which is sorely in need of replacement after the occurrences in Omicron Minor. Tell me why I should task APM with building a vessel for your use, rather than for the use of my own people.
As for your request to build the vessel yourself, well I would wish you luck, but you will not be receiving the blueprints for the vessel from ourselves.
Placing the whiskey glass on a work-station beside the captains chair, he stands this time, facing the camera
Guildmaster Stoat,
I wish to start with an apology. It was not my intention to offend you, i only meant that if it would be easier for you, and in the means of freeing up space for yourself and the people at APM, then i would construct one myself, with your blessing too of course. I did not mean any offense with this, so again, my sincerest apologies for this.
Once again, my apologies, i only thought that your thoughts would be greater than mine, but you are indeed right. I should try to give you impressive reasons. My result of extensive thought and talks with my fellow Runners has lead me to this. We will provide any and all parts required for the vessel, so as not to affect your own stock. I will also assign my brother to work with you in creating an AI of your design, something i would like to think of as unique, due to being a little more advanced than your average ships AI. We will also double the required parts, so that you may also construct a further Mako, with assistance from any of the Solar Runners if required, to operate under the command of your chief engineer to replace the one that we might take, in half the normal time. These efforts would be to ensure you can continue operating at maximum efficiency, and that we would not remove any of the efficiency you would expect of your shipyards.
As for why this vessel should be give to us, instead of your own fleets, is a tough one. We may not particularly agree on what registers as important, so i ask that you might rest assured it will continue to serve against the nomad menace, and that we might spread the word of the core, explaining how they use magnificent, superior ships, much like the one we would be flying, to defend us from the nomad menace, unlike any others I might add.
I hope this might prove sufficient for you, and once again extend my sincerest apologies to you for any offense that I may have unintentionally caused, this was never my intention.
On behalf of the Solar Runners Council,
Councilman Joseph Wolf,
Secretary of Fleets and Diplomatic Affairs,
Solar Runner Council
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