COMM ID:Agent Brandon Bunnett TARGET ID:Taskmaster "Escher", Ministry of Intelligence, Natio Octavarium SUBJECT:Intel Feedback & Cooperation ENCRYPTION:High
Good evening Taskmaster Escher.
My name is Brandon Bunnett, I've been tasked and authorized by the LSF to send this communique as well as manage the first stage of cooperation, communication. One of our agents spoke to someone claiming to be yourself, if it indeed was you, then you already know the background and reasoning of this communique.
The Agency has decided that the Turtle Creek Nebula is now an area of interest. Of course, we recognize Octavarium territorial claims of the system itself, which is why we sent this communique before anything else. Your cooperation is requested and advised.
We'd like an answer before any of our operational decisions are made.
Yes, that was me flying the Superstition. Taskmaster Escher, head of Merak Squadron, operational wing of the Octavarium Intelligence Commission, answering directly to Minister Delacroix.
To be honest, our interest in the nebula is simple. We want nothing to go in, we want nothing to come out. I know better than to trust anything that gives scanners that much trouble.
Your agent, Vigil, saw an ITS transport read a sudden thermal flareup from an installation that suffered no such fire, and that was within about 3K. Just so we're clear how difficult that nebula is.
That is our position, though I'm sure a more detailed explanation has been relayed to you.
You request cooperation. I'm authorized to discuss the matter, but cooperation with what precisely?
Now that your identity is confirmed, I can give more detail into the matter, although a forewarning, what I'm about to tell you should be considered as classified and restricted to the Octavarium Intelligence Commission and no one else.
While your own Commission might not want to (or claim to not) investigate the Nebula, this isn't the case for us, the LSF Directorate has authorized the deployment of a TacOps squadron within Kansas, specifically the Turtle Creek Nebula, the resources for the operation have already been relocated to the squadron itself.
Our request of cooperation -other than allowing us within the Nebula without restriction- is merely a gesture of good faith, allowing yourselves to deploy your own squadron and keep an eye on ours to make sure we're not up to "no good" within your borders.
But if you decide to simply stay on the sidelines, it would not affect us in any way and we would of course understand your decision. Although any assistance would of course be appreciated. If you agree to this "cooperation", I'm ready to discuss operational details with yourself.
Hm. Depending on the time, we can send Merak vessels to assist in the recon.
Our past attempts, brief though they were, ended in failure thus the ban on civilian traffic. But I don't like not knowing what's going on. That's a security risk.
I'm hoping that having a larger team performing the operation will lead to better results.
Very good, Taskmaster. Now onto the operation itself, the Directorate has authorized the use of a fairly small but specialized squadron setup. One of our Assault Battlecruisers, the King's Bay will be our base of operations and connection to the "outside world" since communications will be severely limited without the King's Bay's powerful comm arrays. Our snubcraft, which consists of a wing of TacOps operatives, will be using short-ranged focused beam comm systems to communicate with each other, the Nebula has no affect on this type of communication technology, your own vessels will have access to the comm mainframe we'll be setting up, as well as to the King's Bay. We'll also have a Bison from our Logistics department tagging along with King's Bay to ensure we have extra supplies if required.
The operation will be focused on randomized patrol paths and scan probe trajectories within the Nebula, the King's Bay will be the home-base and its navigation will be limited to ensure that our main tools to map the Nebula -our snubcraft- will be able to RTB without much trouble.
Your own pilots may oversee the operation and join our squadrons in their search for anything of interest within the Nebula, a small portion of King's Bay -as well as the supporting Bison's- has been retrofitted to serve as living quarters for your men, however they will be restricted only to those quarters and decks within the ships, no where else.
You can of course deploy your own capital assets if you do not want to rely on our own. And while we will allow for your immediate observation and active joining in our squadron operations, it should be known that we will be directing the show, to ensure maximum efficiency.
Was there anything you wanted more information on, Taskmaster?
Upon hearing the details, Taskmaster Kane and I both immediately objected to one part.
Namely, the battlecruiser. There's something in the works that will explain why, perhaps above your clearance though it's not my place to say. If you have any... government contacts, perhaps they can explain in more detail. I suspect it will all come out very soon anyway.
What I can permit is leaving the cruiser outside of the system and using VCS Metropolis as a comms relay.
So far the lockdown on the nebula has been enforced with the assistance of the Metropolis, and therefore it is already in position in the event of intruders. There is no sense in expending the additional effort repositioning yet another warship.
There are more matters I need to attend to internally before I can finalize anything, but you should hear back within 48 hours.
If you are implying the diplomatic events unfolding between our two reigning governments, well, we had assumed the Ocavarium Intelligence Comission was somewhat autonomous in it's operations and had a certain level of freedom and influence.
Either way, if the King's Bay will be a problem, then we would have to up the number of Bisons to 3 and perhaps bring in a gunboat-class vessel for our communication requirement. The Metropolis, I'm sure has a very advanced array of comm's tech, but I'm sure you understand why our protocols will simply not allow any of our communications going through a foreign warship's systems.
=== Incoming Transmission ===
== Encryption: Goes to eleven ==
The Metropolis is Kane's flagship. The LSF's equivalent of my suggestion of its use would be commandeering the flagship of the Liberty Navy - you understand, I would hope, why this requires further consultation.
I'd not even suggest it were it not in the area and the most capable ship for the role.
The newer proposal is an improvement. We may have a transport of our own in the area should it prove necessary.
I do have one additional requirement. As I said earlier, I do not like not knowing what's going on. If you agree to it, a copy of the LSF data on this operation will be delivered over a secure channel.
Of course, if you don't agree to it, we're going to run into something of an impasse.
Even if we granted your request and handed over a copy of any data we may have obtained, it's quite obvious that it wouldn't be the complete documentation in the slightest if there was anything of real interest found within the Nebula.
Which is the reason we had extended the offer of your own vessels joining the operation, your own ships would be on-site to deliver you any data instead of relying on any incomplete information.
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