The Mosquito and the Crimson Holy Cross

[Hidamari]

The Mosquito and the Crimson Holy Cross



The Misericorde experimental scout carrier vessel La Fenice D'oro -designed by Eduardo Garcia of the 75th mosquitos R&D division- had recently incurred a serious series of unfortunate and critical flaws in its internal workings, after a meeting with the head of engineering, and the designer of the carrier himself he admitted that the wiring used in the construction of the Misericorde class ship, was subpar and has resulted in a bottleneck so severe that further operation of the ship had become impossible, the ship had been taken to Cartagena shipyard in Omiron 81 to begin lengthy repairs that could take months, years, or potentially postponed indefinitely without assistance.
Claes Leslie, -Commandante of the 75th- has requested a meeting with a leading figurehead of the Holy order of the Crimson Cross in the hopes of possibly gaining manpower and financial support to help work on their vessel and hopefully get them into space again ahead of schedule, she also wanted to discuss other things in relation to the workings of Malta as a whole and a strange jumphole she had heard about leading deep into the omicrons.

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Claes stood near the cargo bay doors inside the Fenice D'oro, to the rear of the hangar bay. She was directing the enlisted personnel with furious abandon in anticipation of the arrival of the Crimson Cross envoy, every crew member and pilot in the mosquitos would be attending their arrival as a show of respect and good will, and Claes wanted it to go off without a hitch.
The crew knowing that any mistakes this time would be met with almost immediate death or a slow suffering torture in a Cardamine depravation chamber, which the Commandante had found to be an especially effective treatment for insubordination on board. Claes walked over to Arietta Bianchi -captain of the on board marine contingent- and she saluted her commanding officer as she approached, "Ma'am all the marines are fully ready to greet out guest when they arrive!" Bianchi shouted with an update on how their salute was proceeding, Claes nodded "Good, make sure you don't let me down, si? I trust that you won't, but... " Claes spoke forebodingly always prepared for mistakes even when her record was spotless.

Bianchi was not fazed by her words, [color=#9370db][i]"Yes ma'am we'll be ready ma'am!" she answered, Normally Claes spoke more informally with the high ranking members of her crew, like Hanna Veneto, Horacio Agulla and Arietta Bianchi, but today there was just simply no room for slip ups if a good impression was to be made. On Claes' left side stood Horacio Agulla, her highest ranking flight leader, -and in private- her boyfriend and lover. Though today there was no time for any of that. "Hora...Signore Agulla, make sure everyone is down here on time, they have a bit of time before the Crimson Cross are to arrive" she commanded to Horacio almost slipping up and using his first name, she checked her watch swiftly to make sure they were not running over.

Horacio saluted, "Everything will be perfect, you can count on me Cl...Commandante" he said loudly in the open hangar space, almost making the same mistake. As the last few Mosquitos returned to the hangar, the loud engines of their Scimitar fighters bellowed overhead, echoing around the large hall. before they were maglocked into the storage racks to the rear of the hangar. Claes walked a little closer to Horacio, "Mm, I know I can trust you, but don't make me have to punish you later" she answered in a sultry tone, pushing away from him before he could retort, giving him a playful wink. There was still some time before the Leaders of the Cross arrived, the longer it took the more anxious Claes felt about the whole thing, she hoped something could be gained from this endeavour.
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Minutes passed, followed by hours as they waited, the clock running up before finally, word of a battalion moving towards the station was reported from Cartagena's control tower on long range sensors. From the hangar, a small speck was viewable at a distance, the comms from Cartagena's tower exchanging information with the oncoming vessels before finally an "all clear" was sounded, and final approach was begun. The speck turned to several as two identifiable escort wings flew into viewing range in perfect formation. Like the wings of an eagle stretching to slow down as it lands, so too did the escorts fan out, encircling the shipyard in a wreath of blazing red engine exhaust and a flurry of running lights.

From the center of the formation; a lone Storta-class cruiser passed into view, coming up on the station in a slow and maybe even menacing manner. The traditional familial or Maltese Naval hull coloration or patterns were forsaken for a simple pale-gray hue that covered most of the vessel's framework, save for a solitary pair of thick red stripes that terminated on the spine of the vessel; right in the very place the winged Crimson Cross emblem was visible. Below it, a pair of ivy-colored crossed blades, enshrouding the name; "MNS Mgarr": known to be one of the Cross's command vessels. The bottom of the hull parted, the doors retreating into the vessel's hangar and a solitary Dromedary-class freighter descended, its manoeuvring thrusters firing every which way as it leveled out and cut all movement before slowly turning to the Fenice's open hangar and began a slow burn for it.

It drew closer and closer, finally meeting the barrier of the Fenice's open underbelly and poking it's nose it, followed by the rest of the ship. The low drum of the intakes began to flood the hangar, soon drowned out by the ear-splitting roar of the engines that most pilots were accustomed to."Mgarr CEV-04" was printed on the side, and plainly visible before all those gathered as the roar worked it's way down to a drone, and finally, nothing once more. The side of the hull split, a solitary door slid back along the exterior and a ramp from the main body descended onto the hangar deck. A pair of guards were the first to disembark, flanking the end of the ramp as they came to a stiff halt. They wore full combat attire, colored white with red patterns on their chestpieces, a solitary Cross logo on the front of one pauldron. The both of them came to a salute, and one finally spoke; the Mgarr in the background moving out of view as another pair of fighters, painted similarly passed in and out of view:

"Inquisition Admin and Right Hand of the Council, Inquisitor Espinosa"
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The entire hangar bay was immaculately clean, and lined with every member of personnel in the 75th mosquitos. the very back of the bay was lined with the mosquito's near famous Scimitar class fighters, twenty eight of them all perfectly clean and organised in the racks. Claes stood with her arms behind her back -legs together, in a formal military pose. Arietta Bianchi, Henrique Ferreira, and Horacio Agulla stood in a diamond formation with Claes at the front, facing the ramp as it descended.
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Another few minutes passed, an ever-present silence taking over as the shuttle began to power down, it's drone coming to an abrupt end and leaving the hangar with only the sound of rushing air as pressures equalized both internal and external of the vessel. A door within the hold opened; the airlock leading to the interior giving way for another set of guards to step down the ramp, both clad in the same white attire as the others and bearing combat rifles in hand. As they took their heavy steps down the ramp, another figure emerged from the confines of the ship; a relatively small figure clad in a scarlet uniform trimmed with alabaster patterns along it's surface. Inquisitor Espinosa stood in her full height, pausing briefly at the top of the ramp to glance around the spacious hangar before walking down the length of the ramp; her silver hair cascading behind her.
She hesitates at the edge of the ramp, nearly placing a boot on the hangar deck before stepping back, and looking towards the assembled cast before her with a piercing emerald gaze. "Who is in charge here?"
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The 75th personnel maintained eyes facing forwards as they stood in perfect rows perpendicular to the Crimson Cross transport vessel, as inquisitor Espinosa descended the ramp of the vessel Captain Bianchi began to shout loudly barking orders to the rest of the 200 strong formation on either side of them, a pathway flanked by Mosqutio marines, most of the general personal wore black jumpsuits with a broad golden band that ran along the length of the arm and down their flanks to their feet. The engineers and flight crew wore the reverse of this, their jumpsuit being a golden yellow with broad black bands along their sleeves and down to their feet. The marines that flanked the pathway through the personnel were all wearing similar clothing to the Cross marines, however the mosquito marines were Black for the most part with two broad parralel golden yellow bands running from their right shoulder straight down their uniform to their feet. in the middle of their torso a Maltese Golden Mosquito emblem was embossed, it shone and shimmered brightly in the brightly lit hangar.

Claes, Henrique, Horacio and Arietta were all wearing formal military attire, all of which were black and Golden yellow highlights, each were propperly decorated with the medals they had earned over their service. "Inquisitor on deck!!" Bianchi shrieked loudly, there was a quick but loud stomp as all the personnel stood to attention. Claes stepped forwards, still formally walking to just infront of the ramp, she stopped stamping her floor down and saluting in a quick and sharp movement. "Commandante Claes Leslie, Leader of the seventy fifth mosquito squadron scout fleet, ma'am!" she said loudly and clearly. Claes and Captain Bianchi had traditional Maltese female war makeup on, a triangle from their hairline down to just above the nasal bridge, and wide spreading but neat eyeliner using the mosquitos signature Black and Gold instead of Green.
The only person not present in on the Hangar floor being the nurse Claes had looking after her baby daughter, Angelica, whom was stood up on the catwalk next to the control tower.
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Espinosa stepped off the ramp, glancing around the hangar as another one of the re-colored Gladius's passed by the opening. Her piercing gaze passed from soldier to solider amongst the assembled gathered in the room, eventually turning around to one of her own guards and nodding for a moment before turning back. She raises a fist to her chest, taking half a bow before Claes before standing again at her diminutive stance with her arms crossed behind her at the wrist. "Inquisitor Espinosa, Hand of the Council, and Administrator of the Inquisition." She peered past Claes again to the assembled cast behind her. "I've heard of the Mosquitoes, even read reports of a few but never actually met any of you. S'this... all of your pilots?"
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"Si ma'am" Claes confirmed still loud and clear, not really knowing how to behave in front of the Cross as she too had never met them before either. however she figured she would just maintain a formal military conduct until requested to do otherwise.
"This is the entire seventy fifth ma'am" Claes responded again, wondering if she was pleased or shocked at what she saw.
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Erika cocked an eyebrow and nodded, glancing back at Claes "Color me surprised; I've heard good things about your little outfit here-- I would've expected more of you all. " She turned back to her guards, nodding again- seemingly signaling for 3 of the 4 of them to shuffle back to the shuttle. The last one stepping forward and taking up position behind the inquisitor. She reached for her waist and opened a pouch on her belt; producing a single cigar and sticking it in the side of her mouth. The guard handed her a lighter, one she took in hand and rapidly lit the cigar and closed the device again in a single fluid motion before looking back up. "I'm going to be frank now and save us all a bit of time; shelve the formalities. I get enough crap from the Council to stand around with a rod shoved up my spine every damn day. I appreciate the gesture of this.. formation you have here but I'm more than certain everyone has more than enough to do, especially if what I hear about the status of this fancy ship of yours is true."
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Claes relaxed and became a little more informal. Over her shoulder she signalled her fingers in a come here manner, Captain Bianchi stepped forwards, Claes half turned in her direction, "dismiss the men" she requested. Arietta acknowledged her Commandante and moved back a few meters behind her and shrieked loudly. "dismisssed!!" she yelled. there was a general air of confusion at being told to dismiss so suddenly. "What am I talking to myself?! Dismissed! Get back to work!" she yelled loudly and the crowd of gathered personnel began to slowly disperse. the room being filled with the echoing sounds of conversation.
"Grazie, signorina, I never know what the more prestigious factions wish to see when they come aboard. come.. allow me to introduce you to my head staff." Claes asked making a sweeping motion with her hand to guide the guest onwards.
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"Spend your life in the military system and you get tired of the formalities." She said, taking the cigar in hand as the two of them walked forward towards the assembled officer line.
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"Some discipline is still required though, especially for outfits as small as this one" Claes said in retrospect. "Inquisitor Erika Espinosa, Captain Arietta Bianchi, my chief of staff and security captain." she said introducing them to one another. Bianchi smiled and saluted, Claes coughed a little in an exaggerated manner. "ah si.. scusa.. im used to drills and things... Arietta Bianchi at your service signorina" she said with a slight curtsey and holding her hand out to shake.
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"It all depends." She shrugged, dismissing the subject and focusing on the individual in front of her as she introduced herself. She extended a gloved hand for a tense handshake, holding gaze for a moment "Knowing how the Naval Command structure works, that's probably for the best to be honest. It's driven as much by ego and arrogance as it is by soldiers and honor. Stringent adherence to standards does one well." She released her grip, looking back at Claes and popping her cigar back in her teeth, taking a short puff
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Claes moved over to the second person of three besides herself. "Henrique Ferreira, Ships captain" Claes said announcing him to Erika. "Glad to have you on board signorina Espinosa" Henrique said with the offering of a hand shake.
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"Interesting to be here honestly, I've been wanting to have a look around the Misericorde-class since I first heard you lot were workin' on her. Good to meet the man behind the helm dishin' out orders" Espinosa returned the favor of the handshake, keeping her cigar in her free hand while she maintained eye contact with Ferreira. She stepped back when she finished, taking another puff of her cigar before handing it to her associated guard.
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Henrique nodded, releasing her hand and stepping back, "And Horacio Agulla, Scout and Flight leader" Claes said gesturing to Horacio, Horacio was a giant compared to the rest of them, standing easily a foot over even Henrique and built like a wall. He leaned forwards and offered his giant hand to Erika as they stood dwarfed before him. "It is an honour to meet you" Horacio said with a clear tone.
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Espinosa glanced up at him, merely blinking at the large figure before him for an awkward moment before extending a hand back and meeting for the handshake. "The Honor's all mine. " parted hands with Horacio, looking back at Claes and reaching her hand back to her guard, who placed her still-lit cigar between her fingers. She took another puff "So. All I've been told is that you're having technical issues. I'm going to need something more specific to know what my crews are up against."

---

[Hidamari]

"of course" Claes acknowledged and turned, gesturing her hand in order to better guide them to the control tower behind them and the Dromedary her guest had arrived in. "Arietta, Horacio, Henrique you're dismissed, good work, continue you're other duties" Claes said and nodded to them, "Si Commandante!" they shouted in unison. The other personnel left Claes and Erika alone, The lights on the deck of the hangar began to glow in a undulating pattern towards the centre circle where the crimson cross dromedary was positioned. Claes looked out of the shield barrier and saw one of her own Dromedary waiting for clearance to land. "Signoritta Epinosa, would it be possible to clear the deck of your ship? we can only manage one Dromedary at a time, and.." she turned pointing to one waiting to land. "we need the space, if.. thats okay with you...?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
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The Inquisitor raised her gloved hand near her face, the screen on her gauntlet igniting and chirping to life before going silent. "CEV 4 return to base." A few moments later the Dromedary roared to life again, and the gangway out the side of the vessel retracted. The three guards Espinosa left behind retreated to the far hangar wall and stood silently in full attention as the shuttle began to startup.
Faint radio chatter began to play through the Inquisitor's gauntlet as the shuttle began to take off, maneuvering thrusters flashing all around the hull before deciding on a downward direction to counteract the Fience's artificial gravity. Another few moments of lingering above the deck, and the main engine ignited, the shuttle listing away slowly at first but picking up speed as it phased through the hangar's barrier and out of sight- carefully passing through Cartagena's scaffolds and passing above a CSV outside. Espinosa looked at Claes, curious but with a slight hint of suspicion on her voice "We're expecting someone else?"
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Claes shook her head slightly, "no... but repair materials are constantly arriving from other area's of space, its expensive to buy them from here, we outsource almost everything.. We can't really afford much these days.. anyway.. oh, hold on." she warned holding her arm in front of Erika while the Black and gold Dromedary marked 'Ombra' entered the shield, bringing loud bellowing engines with it. Once the craft had cleared over the walkway, Claes dropped her arm and half turned to Erika, "alright, let's go". They crossed the long walkway in front of the shield and moved to the control tower, gradually the sound of the engines died down as the ship closed down, crewmen of every kind swarming it to refuel, repair and unload the craft.
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Espinosa followed, her single entourage of a guard followed while the rest remained behind, standing out of the way in the bay. "Funding that much of an issue for you?" She asked, interest piqued
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Claes rubbed her hair a little, making sure not to smudge the paint on her face, not really wanting to admit that they were poor, as a matter of pride but saw no option really, it wasnt difficult to see. "Si.. we are small, always have been, you just saw all but six of the personell under my command in the Mosquito squadron, five of them should be due back here on Dromedary runs for supplies like Ombra here, the last, is my personal nurse.." Claes said with a pause, "She looks after my baby daughter when myself and Horacio are doing other things"Claes Guided Erika into the base of the control tower and through the airlock door, there was a long shaft going upwards with no apparent elevator control. Looking upwards, Claes stepped into the shaft and jumped, the passage being designed to have minimal gravity, so it was possible to jump up several tens of meters almost up to the top of the tower.
Stepping off at the top Claes got her footing again in the normal gravity and awaited Erika to follow.
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Perplexed, Espinosa watched Claes ascend up the shaft so easily. Surprised at first but quickly catching onto the jist of the situation. She hopped into the shaft and jumped, springing up the tube and keeping her arms crossed the way up. At the height of the shaft, she came eye-level with Claes and made a perched landing on a single boot re-adjusting to the normal gravity. "Curious.. one of the old Tridente-Classes had that same shaft concept.. though I believe it was more of a design flaw in the grav-plating than intentional." Her escort was next up, grunting as he landed but otherwise remaining silent. "and back up a second... you carry a child on a warship?"
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"The Fenice D'Oro is as much a warship as it is my home, and the culmination of my men's efforts under my leadership. There is nowhere else I would feel safe keeping her." Claes answered, her tone light but dry, not really liking thinking about it. "You saw the Galacticus I'm sure... it's there to keep this ship as far from harm's way as possible, while also being able to guide and direct all of our forces wherever they may be simultaneously" Claes continued as they walked down the halls of the Fenice D'Oro. Crewmen from the ship stopped and saluted as Claes and Erika passed them, together with her aide.
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Espinosa mockingly brought up her computer gauntlet in front of her, looking it over for only a split second. "Last I checked, most the Navy was doing it's job, Malta would logically be safer but I'm probably the last one to give parenting advice I suppose.." She trailed off, her sarcasm replaced with monotone for a moment before she shook herself back to focus, nodding to one of the crewmen In the halls as they walked. "and I will say I'm impressed; few have managed a full re-design of a vessel in such a way and still maintain effectiveness, current predicament not withstanding, obviously."
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"You think the ground on Malta is safer than this ship? I would have to completely disagree with you there.. the only reason I have a daughter is because Malta isn't safe at all. Might be safe from invasion from a foreign power, but that's all... Land grabs are still commonplace, I have many enemies down planet side." Claes answered not really paying attention to Erika's mocking tone and mannerisms. "The ship is impressive... I can't disagree with that, but I wish it wasn't going to take so long to repair" Claes said with a sigh. "Fenice?" Claes asked, a moment later a hologram appeared before them with a male avatar and maintained in positon in front of them as they walked. ::Si? Commandante?:: it answered, Claes eye twitched a little. "What have I told you about appearing before me with a physical presence... voice only" she hissed quietly. The hologram disappeared and then Claes continued, "Ready the observation room for conference mode" she demanded sternly. ::Si, Commandante:: the AI responded and then was heard no further.
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"There are places on Malta better secured than others yes, but I wouldn't consider it completely inhospitible- Though I suppose that largely depends on ones own standing." She pondered aloud, trailing off. "And I suppose thats what I'm here for; to alleviate some of these repair problems." She paused, taking a moment to acknowledge the on-board system persona, chuckling to herself "An AI? You actually bother with those?"
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"Dont ask..." Claes asked, putting her the thunb and index finger of her right hand against her nasal bridge, feeling a migrane coming on again as her stress levels quickly rose. "Eduardo Garcia -designer of this ship and our chief- engineer found a discarded AI core and managed to tame it " Claes responded with stress evident in her tone as they walked. Taking a left down another corridor they approached another anti-gravity space, Claes jumped up and ascended to the top level deck, and waited for Erika and her aide again.
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Espinosa followed Claes up the shaft, taking a moment at the top to run her fingers through her hair and get it back into it's usual shape. "Can't say I've had much in the way of luck with any Artificial Intelligence-- one particularly annoying associate of mine keeps one as a pet so I get to hear from it all the time-" She paused, turning around to note the guard following the two of them up "- and the recently those damn 'Prime' beings" she said, making sarcastic finger airquotes "- have started to prove more trouble than they're worth."
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The group walked onto the bridge of the ship, looking out of the window the bow Light mortar turret could be seen and a Storta class vessel in the dock a little ways off. Claes turned and guided the party down a small corridor to the rear of the Bridge, they walked along it eventually entering the communications centre. The giant Galacticus radar array was set into the room causing most of the central space to be blocked by a round wall, inside of which the machines that controlled the radars spin and angle were contained. the walls were lined with desks and high tech communication and imaging equipment.

"Can't say I have either, no matter how many times I tell the thing not to use a visual avatar and to remain voice only, it just seems to either forget, or ignores me." Claes said massaging the bridge of her nose slowly.
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"quite the sensors you all have on this thing.." She said, pointing out the massive sensor dish mounted to the spine of the hull. "This thing /has/ to be a hindrance in an actual engagement" she reached up a fist and lightly banged on the internals of the sensor array with an audible "clank"
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Claes turned around with a curious expression, "This sensor array is what keeps us as far away from engagements as possible, unless the enemy present no tangible threat to the ship" Claes answered folding her arms.
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Espinosa shrugged. "I guess I'm just used to preparing warships for combat over support classes. Must just be a mentality we're used to over at Tarxien."
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Claes puts her hands against her hips "Don't misunderstand, Fenice is more than capable of defending itself from anything that might dare to attack it. but unlike yourself, we can't afford the damage that might be incurred, and the loss of this ship is the loss of our whole faction as a whole" she finished, turning around and continuing down another narrow passageway on the other side of the room from the one they had just been through. After another hundred meters they entered a large room spanned by windows, rows of radio, radar and visual imagining equipment of every kind lined this room as well.
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Erika followed, her smirk returning "No vessel or life is thrown away carelessly. I guess when you're used to having a larger backing of vessels, plantations, families, personnel, and weapons, you tend to rely on those things coming to your aide." She peered out over the scenery before them outside; the scaffolding and passing support vessels gracing the view of the pair in the room as a lone CSV passed within a few metres to the window. She turned back to her shadow of a guard, nodding to him, whereupon he took up position just inside the doorway without a word.
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Claes stopped, and slowly turned around, "As I've said, the sensor we installed together with our patrol craft keep this ship well out of harm's way, we do not ask others to come to our aid in battle, nor require it, fore battle is not what we are in space to do." Claes said a little sternly as she felt like she was being insulted. turning around again Claes climbed up a set of ladders leading to the observation deck where they could talk in private finally.
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The Inquisitor followed, removing her gloves at the top in the observation deck while the guard took up position next to the ladder below. "Hard to believe as it is: that wasn't meant as a foray against you. I've worked with the Cross for longer than most people would care to know about it's very existance." Erika stated with a short pause before continuing "Which brings us back to the topic on hand I suppose: support and assistance. You need support, and we can provide assistance."
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"We are used to receiving slights against our faction, from our choice of vessel, right down to mine or my squadron mates' heritage. It is of little consequence." Claes said standing in front of the huge gold rimmed black conference table, Claes moved to the nearest seat on the table and sat down. "yes indeed, our chief engineer has recently told me that the power output we receive isn't what is coming out of the core in engineering." She revealed with a pause. "He claims this is due to a bottleneck in the system which to fix, would require the complete and total re-wiring of the entire. ship." she paused again, subtly twisting the chair side to side with a movement of her leg before standing again.
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Espinosa nodded, opting however to stand behind a chair of the table as Claes spoke, listening intently while turning on her heel and pacing up and down the room. "And you're sure it's not a power generation issue?" she asked to be certain.
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"According to Signore Garcia who designed the ship and watches over the engine room, it's a wiring issue, he claimed we could get past the issue by installing two smaller generators of gunboat size, or we could re-wire the ship" Claes said pacing up and down on the opposite side of the table. But if we do just install these smaller generators, we are simply throwing away a huge amount of our power output while increasing energy consumption and waste exponentially..." She revealed rolling her eyes. "SO... ive ordered him to re-wire the ship, either decision I made wouldn't have been any cheaper than the other." she grumbled with a sigh.
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"Right. So, new wiring it is." Erika responded, punctuating her sentence and standing still on the spot. Espinosa briefly checked her gauntlet and quickly flipped through a few messages ensuring they were nothing urgent. "so... aside from a renovation crew, what exactly would you need?"
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As Claes paced she looked up to Erika, still walking. "How many men can you commit to helping us?" Claes asked, "we would also need materials to continue the repairs, that Dromedary that just came in, -the Ombra- that was the... last of our money"
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Espinosa paused, flipping through her gauntlet again and checking some files; presumably a duty roster. "I have a crew from Valetta that just finished work on a 'friend's' vessel upgrades. They've contracted out an organization to assist with supplies and resources that would be otherwise.. unattainable, I suppose you could say." She paused again "and if you need any particularly well-versed engineers or weapons developers, I've got just the man ready for the job" A smirk spread across her face as she looked back up Claes. "People or resources shouldn't be too much of an issue. Don't worry your head about that--"
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Claes stopped and turned to Erika, "just the right man for the job? you say." she quoted curiously, "and does that mean you want Fenice D'Oro moving to Valetta?" Claes asked in a surprised but cautious manner, "we've never been able to afford the astronomical berthing fees to dock at the homeworld shipyard" Claes mentioned.
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"Valetta or here, your choice. Doesn't make a difference to me; I just need to know where to start shipping people towards." Espinosa paused again, and stepped over to the table, sitting half perched on the edge. "Now... you said that shipment was the last of your the 75th's credits?"
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"Until next harvest season, yes, unfortunately that is the case" Claes responded folding her hands watching a drone fly by the window off to the stern of the ship. "I wouldn't want to chance moving the vessel when there are open panels all over the ship, might cause even more damage to Fenice' internal systems." She sighed hoping that wouldnt have to be the case.
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"Cartagena it is then. Once we're squared here, I'll get crews on the way and they can get to work." Espinosa shifted on her spot on the table, straightening her posture and keeping her shoulders back. "Before that however, tell me: how much do you know of the Cross as an organization?"
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Claes continued to pace for a moment, "I know you are a highly organised, powerful and religious sect of our kin from the homeworld. but honestly, my dealings with internal affairs have been lacking in the face of my more.. Immediate concerns let's say, my daughter and this ship." Claes stated, as she stopped pacing and faced Erika.
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The Inquisitor nodded; closing her eyes for a moment before continuing. "Religious and powerful, sure. The Order of Tarxien began as a sect of priests in the mountains, studying a series of tablets and artifacts found there; the very stones that Tarxien now stands on and protects. Those stones, once interpreted told of a brilliant Light that would lead the Maltese people to glory and power. The ancient Cross followed the rest of the tablets blindly into an attack on our enemies, who promptly wiped out most of the support they had gained." Erika told, as if telling a story, continuing on a moment later.
The Cross remained in a state of desolation with much of what returned from that destruction left in orbit over Vesuvius. When the spirits led their attack on humanity 20 years ago, they reinvigorated our order; suddenly everything the tablets that had been disregarded proved to be true. Some of those that still resided in Tarxien believed it was time to shelve the war effort and focus our energy elsewhere. The Armando family simply disagreed, and backed by them, the new Cross that you now know of was formed. The inquisitor stated, making sure Claes was paying attention and didnt look lost, "It was with this new spirit and fire that we now garner the respect and strength of the countless other familias that now make up the Holy Order's ranks. Our eyes are set upon Malta's enemies again, and we're in a better position now than ever to make good on our promises from those years ago. "

She paused again, looking directly into Claes' eyes."I give you this little history lesson because as much as I hold respect for you and your people and what you do, I cannot simply pledge people, credits and resources to something for nothing in return. I need something I can take back to the Council and justify the expenses incurred. Credits are not a concern, but the people and resources could be spent elsewhere to support the gathering war effort. "
Espinosa stood, coming to full attention with her hands behind her back. "You are in possession of something the Maltese fleets could use; a class of ship that can better direct a battle than any other, and quickly deploy teams and people where needed. A vessel that can detect any flanking elements scores better than anything I currently maintain command over. You have the Misericorde class. Not only would your people's efforts go towards benefitting yourselves, but would also benefit the whole of Malta at the same time. The Cross's interests and Ishmael's are one in the same. What I'm offering is this: upon completion of your renovations and repairs, you would allow the Cross access to the schematics to the Misericorde-class for us to put into service to the Holy Order of Tarxien. Is this something we can agree to?"

[Hidamari]

Claes paced slowly around the table in thought, "We had planned to unveil our schematics at the Council of Dons at some point after we had ironed out all of the flaws, this latest setback delaying that even further." She revealed and stopping near to Erika, "so to answer your question yes, I would be more than glad to perform this service to yourselves and our other kin, though again I do ask that you allow us to give it some time so that you are not made a mockery of, should the craft fail again, it wouldn't do to have you look bad on our behalf." Claes said making a small curtsey to Erika before she continued walking around the table slowly.
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"Hey, every advantage to stay ahead is appreciated. Besides, the Dons have been sitting on their hands for over a year now with no hearings. Good luck getting anything done with them anytime soon." Espinosa shrugged, "Besides, Olmos and the rest of the Crimson Council will bloody well erect a statue in my honor even if they knew you planned to share it. No matter what; everyone wins." Espinosa relaxed a bit, placing a hand on her cocked hip and immediately losing the prim-and-proper posture she'd had before "So. We're settled then?"
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Claes looked up at the ceiling in thought, after a few seconds she walked over to Erika and held out her hand "Yea.. id say so."
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Erika clapped her hands together "Fantastic-- I'll start getting things moving then. I'm going to need a list of all the supplies you'll need-- coordinate with your engineers and send us the list and I'll make sure my staff are on board one of the first transports here." She reached down to one of her belt's pouches and pulled out her gloves, slipping them on again as she prepared to make her departure.
Espinosa began to gather herself and make for the hatch, when she paused, opening another pouch and producing a small flask from within it's confides. She opened the lid and downed a small sip of the contents before reaching out, flask in hand to Claes, offering her a drink "Armando family tradition to drink to the conclusion of a deal, go ahead, s'not anything too strong; just some moscato d'asti"
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Claes began to follow Erika as she made for the hatchway down into the secondary communcation center. "Si.. Grazie" Claes said thanking Erika for the gesture, taking a quick swig of the liquid, frothing it around her mouth a little to get the taste while handing Erika back the bottle, after a few seconds Claes swallowed the drink "aah.. dios mio, this is expensive stuff, tastes good, Grazie" She responded with a grin, "after you signorita" Claes offered, motioning her had for her to go first.
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"Expensive, but worth it. Some of the preists on Tarxien make it from the vineyards in the palace gardens." Espinosa repocketed her flask, stuffing it in place and clasping the pouch on her belt again before proceeding to the hatch and checking her gauntlet-screen. "If we're done here then, I do believe I have a small army of technicians and engineers to get moving so, it'd likely be best I return to the Mgarr--"
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"hm, well since you are requesting the ship plans, wouldnt it be better for you to take a tour of the vessel before departing?" Claes asked heading down the hatchway after Erika had also done so.
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Pausing, Espinosa glanced back at her gauntlet and looked over a few things as Claes finished climbing down the hatch. "I think I can spare a few minutes. Lead on then" She said, gesturing for Claes to take the lead with her free hand behind her back.
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Claes lead on, Erica Veneto stood on the bridge waiting for her Commandante to appear from the corridor to the rear of the room. "The Misericorde class has a minimal crew requirement of one hundred and ninety, we just about scratch that number, we have enough space onboard to house a total of three hundred and thirty crewmembers." Claes announced as they walked, never having given somebody a tour but knowing enough about the ship to easily be able to give one.
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"A little bit higher on the requirements than the Storta so, no surprise there. I imagine a lot of that is engineering staff for the hangar?" She ambled side by side with Claes down the halls, looking around the interior as she went with her hands behind her back, a curious look on her face.

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"we've never been able to afford that many mind, but it's there if we suddenly get a spike in productivity." Claes said as they emmerged from the small corridor again, "This is the bridge, It has most of the systems you would expect of a typical cruiser class vessel, it has two extra stations here" Claes said nodding to Erica whom was holding Angelica. Claes took her daughter in hand and Erica curtsied to both Espinosa and her Commandante before dropping down the anti-grav hatch and leaving the bridge. Angelica coo'ed quietly in her mothers' arms as she directed Erika around.

"This is the tower control station, the bridges direct line to the Hangarbay and its functions, we can control everything in the hangar from here if needed." she said confidently, "All incoming craft are screened from here, scanned and allotted a specific time frame for their stay, unless they are part of the squad in which case they are simply put back in their racks." Claes continued.
Angelica leaned over to try and grab Erika's hair as the Inquisitor stood closer to Claes.
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"Well. Crew certainly won't be an issue I suppose. Though saying that at this point almost feels like gloating-- which isn't my intent" She paused, looking down at the child grabbing for her hair and reaching behind her head, tying her silver locks in a bun with a pair of clips, and disregarding the child. "Clever retaining control access to the hangar from up here though, another prevention method against boarding actions I suppose?"
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"The shield itself prevents people boarding, before your ship landed it was scanned by a beam at the entrance to the shield grid, the shield can detect the residue that the scan leaves against your ship and allows it to enter the bubble, without the scan on your ship the shield would remain solid to your vessel and you wouldnt be able to enter" Claes commented moving closer to the console and activating it, showing her the four nodes that are currently inactive on the hologram display, at the mouth of the left side entrance to the ship.
"while this does create a very secure system it makes emergency landings almost impossible to do which can be hazardous, but it prevents us having to lower the shield and depressurise the bay." she said leaning with her back against the console. kicking off from that she walked over to the three man communications station, which was much larger than the typical one person unit on most ships Misericorde's size.
"Mamaamama!" Angelica yelled and turned to her mother and began playing with her face. "And here is the control surfaces for the Galacticus and all other related imaging and scanning equipment, telemetry comes from down the hall we came through, from the room under the observation lounge, and the room under the Galacticus motor room, this all gets fed into this machine so trained personnel can quickly and easily tell us whats going on out there and how to direct the ship."
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"Well, partial allowance of vessels during combat is preferable to just sealing the hangar doors and not opening them until an engagement has concluded I suppose." She followed Claes to the comms pannel, her eyes locking on the different screens and darting back and forth. "Sensor ranges like these are usually only found on the Sarissa and Ranseur-classes-- color me surprised and quite impressed you've been able to minimize it like this." She leaned in close on some of the displays, scanning it's feed up and down "Something like this would be oh-so very useful as a command centre in an engagement-- forget what I said earlier, this actually looks more detailed than the Naxxar's own scanners-- Well done on the Galacticus indeed"
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"Thank you ma'am" Claes said saluting, before breaking with a slight grunt forgetting to keep it casual, "scusa.." she asked in apology.
"Si it is a significant advancement to anything else ive seen, there was once a time when I was looking for a Sarissa to move to, but instead we settled on this, we were a little more wealthy back then. Now? well.. it is as you have been made aware... come" Claes asked, Angelica playing with her mothers chin. Rather than taking the antigrav chamber Claes took the stairs down so as not endanger her baby in anyway, which took a little longer.
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"If I were you lot, I'd look into possibly getting some new benefactors. Seems whatever plantations you have aren't paying the bills sufficiently." Erika commented turning to Claes "Forgive my rabid curiosity but mind my asking whereabouts planetside you all have claims? and how many?" Espinosa followed Claes down the stairs, keeping a hand waist-level behind her back with the other on the railing.
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"We have my birth plantation -the Lazurati familia plantation, the Leslie familia plantation which is several hectares of good land, both on the southern hemisphere, and recently the Agulla plantation as well as the recently captured plantation once belonging to one of the smaller Garcia families... what a battle that was" Claes said looking up the ceiling with a grin, "Its about a thousand miles due east of the central spaceport on the northern hemisphere. however like the others it has already been reaped, and we are waiting until it is ready again for harvest." Claes said as they walked down the stairs. Angelica was looking back and Erika and laughing ambiently, "mamama...." she gurgled, "mama's here, hush baba.." Claes said quietly but softly to her child.
"As for benefactors, well... the powers of Malta are very transient at best.. it is difficult to secure a decent level of funding when our operations are in ruins like they are now." she said.
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"you all sound like you're about set once the harvest starts again truth be told. And theres plenty of places for work you know. I could think of a few places now that I could use your people, and even this vessel--" she said, stomping a boot down on the hull plating to emphasize the point "-where it'd be useful. But one thing at a time I suppose--" Espinosa glanced down at Angelica for a moment, her eyes going soft before they darted away and she shook her head only briefly, returning to her neutral expression and staring straight ahead.
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They reached the bottom of the first stairwell, Angelica laughed playfully at Erika's face for a moment Claes turned to the inquisitor wondering what she was doing to make her child laugh, as she only ever seemed to laugh if Horacio played peekaboo with her. Since Erika looked like she always did Claes continued as normal "do you like children, signoritta.. I appologise if she offends you in some way" Claes asked unsuredly.
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Espinosa's tone dipped a little, getting quieter "She doesn't, don't worry about it. Children and I have never really gotten along; we live with the choices we make and move on. Anywhere else I need to see that's had major changes?" Her tone returned to normal and her expression the same as she looked at Claes dead-on.
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Claes looked at Erika, turning to her fully and lowering her head, "this might sound disrespectful, but if you ever need somebody to talk to, i would be willing to listen" She offered placing a fist across her front sharply as a sign of respect. "s..scusa, signoritta, I know what its like to lead a troubled life, I mean no disrespect" she added a moment later realising she may have seemed very disrespectful. Turning around Claes lifted her head and said no more about it, her mothering nature coming out naturally as she heard Erika become solemn for a moment.

"Si... there are a few more places i think you should see before leaving." Claes said continueing to walk them around, moving down to R&D.
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Espinosa's expression didn't change, maintaining eye contact "I appreciate it, but it won't be necessary." She followed Claes, her stoic pace and stance unchanging.
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The pair entered an elevator, and turned around to the door, Claes pressing the appropriate button to take them down to the Labs. "with a fleet like the one you have this area could be better served doing something else, but for us it is extremely important." Claes said as the doors opened, revealing a lot of people in white suits and helmets similar to space helmets, almost all of the walls were glass. with white borders, Claes -her baby- and Erika walked along a catwalk over the middle of the boothes, each trying to develope something. "we are now in R&D..." Claes said simply, Angelica began to kick up a fuss and began to cry, Claes did her best to hush down her baby.
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"Valetta has a few R&D labs, some of which we make use of, Ibiza and Bastia the same story. Corsica's still for the most part under the control of the Ghosts but... they've been notably absent from anywhere else. That may be changing soon, but we'll see.

Regardless: Unless it's something like a specialized research vessel, you're right; we typically don't bother on warships. I see your reasoning for it but this part would likely be ripped out for a more combat-oriented model."
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"understandable, here we are attempting to produce a new light scout vessel" Claes said pointing down to the right of them, where parts of a small new craft could be seen, "Over here we are working on duplicating a 'Thors Hammer' codename we recovered, so far 12 have been replicated successfully, unfortunately we will soon be unable to support all of this" Claes said as she turned to Erika trying to hush Angelica's tears down, "want to see more of this deck?" Claes asked, Angelica would not stop crying but she hadnt wet herself, figuring she was hungry claes half turned away from Erika and unzipped her flight suit, underneath she had a loose black, button shirt, she opened it and allowed her child access to her bosom where she began to feed hungrily. "if you wish, we can move on" Claes said not even mentioning it, and actually started to head back, as Erika didnt seem too interested.
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The Inquisitor shrugged, ignoring Claes attendance to Angelica out of respect and followed "Quite. Theoreticals never much interested me, I always preferred practical results- though I am impressed you've managed to replicate a 'Codename' as such. I've only seen a small number done so, so your people deserve for praise for that."[color=#7e3eb0]

[color=#7e3eb0]"And sure" She said, responding to the question regarding continuation of the tour "I do like the increased interior space to be honest- better reminds me of the Mdina, one of our Sarissa-class interior's by size. Some parts of the Mgarr are pretty tight and some of the smaller crew quarters could barely pass for cupboards, much less areas meant for sleeping"
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"Si she is very spacious, we have pulled out most of what used to be down here, i actually dont remember what that was anymore" Claes mentioned, getting back into the elevator with Erika in tow. "I would show you the engine core but they are doing maintenance on it as we speak so it will not be possible, instead I can show you the main addition the Misericorde brings to the table" she said proudly.
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"Out with the old and in with the new I suppose" Espinosa thought aloud, following Claes and shifting slightly in the elevator, glancing back at her gauntlet again as it chirped briefly, and the holographic display came to life covering her forearm with what appeared to be messages. She flipped through a few and disregarded the rest as the elevator was underway. "This would be the hangar then, yes?"
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"Si, signorina" Claes answered with a nod, Angelica continued to feed despite the sounds around her, Claes didnt disturb her daughter and continued as normal. The doors of the elevator opened and they stepped out, taking a right the pair walked a little way before turning left and re-entering the Control tower, all the personell kept there eyes to front while saluting Claes and Erika as they entered, knowing what would happen if they gawked at the commandante while she attended to her daughters needs.
"This is the main tower, signorina, all information from the hangar below and the cargobay beyond is fed up here and then directed around the ship to where it needs to go. be that inventory information, food supplies, which fighters are in the bay and which arent, etcetera" Claes spoke, before remembering, "at ease" she commanded before turning to Erika, all the men and women in the tower returned to their duties. Claes motoned for her to follow her out of the door to the right of the tower.
They walked onto the Catwalk which ran about 18 meters up around the perimiter of the hangar, you could see everything in the hangar from these walkways, and there were several ladders at varying intervals incase of emmergency.
"The hangar bay is 3400 cubic meters in volume, it can be used to house up to twenty four scout fighters of scimitar class or smaller, or 8 Sabre and or cutlass sized vessels. However unless more storage space for ammunition is created it wouldnt be possible to fully provide the extensive logistical support needed to refuel and re-arm a wing of bombers of that size. and due to the size of the racks its not really possible to house many kinds of ship here, like the more recent fighter designs our engineers have come up with. The bar would need to be re-organised to house them due to how wide spread the wing bases are." Claes spoke confidently as they moved around the walkway heading towards the first of the fighter racks.
"Currently the Fenice D'Oro has been set up to provide for our squadron of twenty four scimitar, as you can see just over there" Claes pointed to the already clearly visible fighters stacked into the bays, three to a bay.
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"So far the Cross's been focusing more on the Conquistidor series than the standard Borderworlds series. The newer vessel designs are far easier to modify on a larger scale in terms of cost. I don't recall the Gladius being much larger than a scimitar.." She thought aloud, trailing off as her emerald eyes gazed up and down the hangar. Espinosa came to the side of the catwalk, leaning on the railing and looking over the activity below as crew members ran back and forth carrying varying sizes of equipment and supplies. Her extra guards remained in their place on the deck, eyes affixed forward and having hardly moved while the fourth member of Erika's entourage followed up behind the pair with his rifle on it's strap over his shoulder. A moment later, the Inquisitor pushed off from the railing and came back to Claes's side and the trio resumed their walk.
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They walked down the long catwalk over the entry shielding below and towards the fighter storage racks, "Each gantry has a single person sized elevator which gives people access to their ships without them needing to run across the hazards that are often littered around the hangar, power lines, ammo carts, and the like" Claes mentioned as she turned, pointing to the scaffolding to the left of one set of scimitar, showing the single person elevator inside of it. using it herself first to get to the hangar floor and waiting for Espinosa to follow.
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Walking over to the elevator, the Inquisitor descended and came besides Claes as her guard remained up on the gantry. Stumbling, she stepped forward towards the commandante and following her along the hangar deck. "Can't say I've been on a ship that has an elaborate one of these honestly- the Ranseurs-class come pre-built with multi-level launch rails, every Sarissa-class I've been on employs the standard single-level inverted hangar with the launch catapult in the underbelly, same as the Storta's."
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"I know, we went over all the specs of every ship, the larger capital vessels couldnt cut it because we didnt have the money to crew such a large ship, not to mention they are unweildly and we need to be moblile. and the stortas single launch catapult just couldnt cut it either, so we settled on this design, we took the old destroyed Razgriz destroyer La Falange D'oro, and rebuilt it from the ground up" Claes said as the walked towards the back of the hangar towards the huge open doorway to the cargo bay area.
"Since the ship was reborn again from the ashes of its former self, we renamed the ship from The Golden Phalanx, to The Golden Phoenix, to better reflect its true nature." Claes explained. she looked down as she felt Angelica finish suckling, carefully putting her right arm and bosom back into her flight suit, then placing Angelica over her shoulder to gently wind the baby as they walked.
"last but not least is the cargo area here, about third the volume of the hangar but twenty times the storage capacity of the storta equivalent" she said confidently stepping to the side and helping Erika and her aide out of the way or a passing cart. "we store most things we need for the fighters in here, ammo is stored over there in those big crates, hullpanels are here" Claes revealed, kicking the large crate just to the right of the blast door. "and just to make sure that the loading and unloading doesnt get in the way of hangar activities most ships larger than a freighter use the rear cargo bay hatch to load, and unload cargo, unless the ship is one of ours and in need of a serivicing itself." Claes explained turning to Erika, wondering what she thought of all this.
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"Fitting name I suppose. Color me surprised the Ghosts would hand over any tech to another familiga. Casa rivalries have done nothing but get greater and more agitating over the past couple of years. Different times I suppose" She paused, following Claes to the cargobay door, looking around it's frame and briefly behind her at the fighter racks before returning her attention forwards, listening to Claes's description of the bay. "Good way of doing things I suppose, but would it not make more sense to leave the rear bay door for landing vessels and only keep the front two bays available for launches?"
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"we cant endanger the supplys we have on board during excursions into the field, so the right side..." Claes said turning and pointing down the huge hangar to the right side shield, "... Is for Entry, and the left side is for Exit, only in cases of emmergency do we use either side for both, and never do we allow the cargobay door to be opened during our excursion exploits." Claes said directing them out of the cargo hold, walking casually now back to where they had started as the tour was over.
"And indeed they are tight gripped with any of their tech, but do keep in mind that the storta was scrap, it wasnt at all usable for any purpose when they gave it to us, which is not only reason why they gave it to us, but also the only reason we could afford to take it to begin with." Claes said with a sigh as Angelica burped from her mothers careful motions.
So thats all there is to it, besides the experimental power system we are using, which was salvaged by the junkers congress and then rebuilt into the ship.. Our engine room is at least twice the size of the storta RM-2 varient.. it is quite impressive.. and because of all this extra weight we are carrying around we added an additional RM-2A Livigno class cruiser propulsion units to aft and starboard." Claes mentioned.
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"different configurations would operate differently I suppose. Was just a curiosity really; I've only had issues with launching-landing vessels once before, and it only resulted in a few scratches and a woefully dented flight deck. I suppose that was luck.." She followed, heading back to the landing pad, tapping a flashing holographic image formed on her gauntlet and returning her attention to Claes as the white and red clad soldiers came and formed a single 4-man line behind her.
"You should really give a shot to the improved MK2 Primrose reactors by the way; they're an expansion upon the Ghost's original design by some members of the Navy; should be a good bump to the core efficiency with next to no increase in scan-profile." she mused, walking up to Claes and offering a handshake in a full proper military stance with a hand behind her back, it's professionalism comprimised slighty by a smirk. "This was nice though, color me very impressed. For what little you had to work with, you Mosquitoes have managed to pull off some pretty nice results here. I'll get things moving on my end and the retrofits should be finished in no-time."
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Angelica burped again quietly over Claes' shoulder, she stood upright properly and shook Erika's hand, "Gracias, signoritta Espinosa, I look forwards to welcoming your men and women on board, once all repairs are complete and tested for further issues, with everything ironed out we would be glad to pass you the designs of this fine craft." Claes smiled letting go of her hand as Angelica burped again and began to coo' quietly.
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The roar of the Cross's Dromedary began to fill the hangar again as the vessel touched down on the deck, the ramp extending and two of Espinosa's guard stepping aboard, waiting onboard and looking back at the Inquisitor while the other two flanked her on either side as she stepped back

"Good to hear it." She brought her clenched fist to her chest and planted it firmly over her heart with an audible 'thump'; apparently a salute of the Cross's. She broke stance and began to step back onto the ramp; grabbing the railing while her guards filed in behind the Inquisitor. Espinosa spun around, working her way up until she was aboard, her guard disppearing behind a bulkhead in the side of the vessel as it began to move again with it's thrusters jetting off in every direction. Espinosa hollared against the noise "Gloria a Malta , Comandante. Possiamo attraversare di nuovo percorsi!"
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Claes saluted the White Dromedary as it left the hangar shield, holding her fist to her heart as Erika did. "Sarebbe un onore, amante inquisitore Espinosa" Claes said quietly to herself as the ship began to leave. turning around she began to walk towards the cargo bay in order to tell the Eduardo to expect and be ready to receive further personnel to help repair the ship, and that they should be treated as VIP's while on board.
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The Dromedary slowly inched forward as Espinosa closed the hatch, the white hull a stark contrast to the bright red logo on the door. The shuttle's engines fired again, this time more forcefully as it jetted out of the hangar and made its way to the Mgarr in the distance; already with its engines turned to Cartagena and it's fighter escorts flanking the shuttle and the destroyer as it departed.

~End