Indeed, one of our operatives has found a weapon of similar signature on your ship piloted by officer Layla Whitaker. Due to the fact that expected efficiency of the weapon is subpar to our existing designs and that we have other priorities for our R&D, I do not think it will be necessary to further investigate this.
As for the other issue you have risen, I must admit that I had anticipated it since the day we have sent our fighter wing to support you in the escape from Alaska. It is also something that in the end could benefit us both, so let me explain what I have in mind first. Over three months ago a very powerful ion storm has irreparably damaged our heavy hitters stationed in Cold Lake Nebula in Alberta. Among damaged assets were our two cruisers, which only yesterday left dry-docks of our dear Rogue allies. This unfortunate ion storm and the scale of the logistical effort needed to undone it made us realize how badly we require a dry-dock of our own to improve both our ship-building and ship-maintenance abilities. We have already procured industrial blueprints of a dry-dock we wish to place deep inside a Cold Lake Nebula.
We are currently in the process of securing assets and manpower for this construction project. Consider this an invitation to join our efforts. I am more than sure that you realize what is the strategic value of a friendly dry-dock in a heart of your operational zone for your mission.
so far things are going very well. I am glad you decide to join our effort in this way and seeing that you are making progress in this direction is suprising but appreciated.
I do see the value of it and I am well willing to assist in the construction or defense as far as it is possible. We haven't been idle either. During the past weeks we finished getting all logistics vessels out and running. Our engineers began to build an installation of our own. Marshall Station is operational as far as basic construction allows.
I can relay the base administrations invite to you and your affiliates. The Navy is well losing grasp on the system and the Unioners and our forces are capable of defending it. Still we need to bring up suitable scanner arrays and defense systems.
Tell me how we can assist you with that dock while we build up in Bering. Once we got all of this sorted the Lane Hacker's help with the Harmony and Marshall Station would be much appreciated. Marshall should be a great way for your group to access this side of the Lane Network in relative peace.
I would also be interested to hear if you relations through Sirius might contain any groups that open the house markets to us. Liberty's corporations are out of question.
I must say I am quite astonished how we, The Lane Hackers, have underestimated both your resourcefulness and heavy construction capabilities. At this point I am not entirely sure if I fully understand your plans and whether I can confidently anticipate your next moves. I think that this unexpected turn of events changed a lot in what I had in mind for nearest future.
First of all, our heavy construction capabilities are more limited than yours, it seems. Construction of the dry dock, which is currently our priority, will take a considerable amount of time and resources to such extent, that we will have to outsource additional workforce from one of our business partners. Having this in mind we will not be able to aid you logistically in your project in Bering.
Secondly, I do expect that you are fully occupied with the development and up-keeping of the Marshal Station. Therefore, it would be unrealistic of me to expect you to actively contribute to our construction initiative in Alberta, simply because your logistic corps are fully occupied in Bering.
Although we cannot support Marshal Station logistically, we can of course send a team of our engineers and technicians to design and implement both its sensor and communication systems. I do believe it is crucial that you maintain near real-time link with your operations control located on Cochrane Depot in Ontario. To achieve this goal we will have to partially plug Marshal Station into our Spyglass Network.
Finally, while erecting your own base in the heart of Unioner-controlled space has numerous advantages it also comes at the cost of alienation from a number of possible partners.
As I have been told you were already approached by your most natural supporter in Rheinland, Das Büro der Marineintelligenz. It is in the best interest of Rheinland government to keep you an active fighting force weakening Liberty Navy from within. I am more than sure that Das Büro would be capable and willing to support you both financially and logistically. However, they will not send their logistic corps to Bering on a regular basis due to high risk of interception by the Unioners.
If we were wrong about your construction capabilities, we might have also underestimated your financial reserves. We do have an understanding with a number of commercial entities that could be capable of supporting you logistically if you provide appropriate funding. We could introduce you and properly motivate appropriate executives within ALG, IMG or Junkers, but the burden of conducting negotiations and providing security to their transport fleets would lie solely on your shoulders.
I am always glad to surprise in these ways. Certainly we can both agree that this is better than to meet your expectations.
Luckily we progressed with our installation within the Bering system. We managed to fend of Navy and LSF forces together with the Unioners. If your Lane Hackers would be available to help us upgrade the installation's scanning arrays that would allow us to lock down the system more effectively. I believe you could use the station as well. The close connection to a Trade Lane that the Navy cannot regain might also be further useful to your cause. As is the easy access to the south of Liberty.
The Harmony is mooring at Pacifica for planned retrofitting as I had informed you already. Most of our combat forces are freed up with Marshall Station's weapon grid being online so we can resume supporting and moving further north into Liberty.
Do you still offer your support? We'd be ready to support the construction of your dock by escorting your supply ships.
And I have one personal matter to request. I require a clean ship with a cleaned ID. I realise now that certain actions are simply out of my reach while we are hidden away and fending of Liberty's forces.
I have previously been given a mission by Miss Hunter, and here I am to inform you that the mission has been complete. Your new identity and ship are awaiting for you on Cochrane Depot. The name will be Julie Morrel, all other information will be given to you when approaching the vessel. Try not to draw too much attention to yourself, but shouldn't be too hard, after all she was a lonely orphan with no family connections. But for our help I do ask for 40,000,000 S.C for the whole operation. Send it to LH~R&D as soon as you can.
Julie Morrel locked her rusty Kestrel freighter after successful landing on Barrier Gate Station and headed straight to the bar level. She was a very attractive woman in her early thirties. Over a year ago she just lost her parents in a shuttle accident. Through her grief she realized futility of "the Libertonian dream". She decided to quit her job, sell her house and using money from the insurance she bought a second-hand freighter hoping to fulfill her childhood dreams of freedom and adventure. Without suitable business connections, instead of an experience of a lifetime, she was doing only routine low-income supply runs within Independent Worlds. This was to change now. She got a tip about a guy looking for her specifically and willing to offer a much better deal. She entered the bar with high hopes. A handsome man was sitting at the reserved table with drinks. He introduced himself as Brad Whitaker. Julie felt that her bad luck was finally going to end. She had a very pleasant chat with a handsome man who was offering her a good job and seemed genuinely interested in her. He was attractive and charming - she thought and decided that if it comes to it she will not be resisting.
***
Brad Whitaker was struggling internally with a growing uneasiness and hesitation. He was playing a role of a lovely boy too well and genuinely got attracted to Julie Morrel. Julie, who was not aware that her fate was decided over four days ago when a Lane Hacker AI search program found her to be a perfect match - a lonely orphan with no family connections and fitting overall visual description. Brad successfully gained her trust and got invited to her ship. They left the Barrier Gate and were heading to Ontario. He planted several cracking devices on the ship which later gained access to her logs and neural-account. Her portfolio was completed. There was only one thing left. Brad looked at his personal wrist comm where a message from Professor Nicole Hunter read: "Kill her". A voice in his head was telling him that there is still a way out, that he can let her escape, that they can both escape. But deep inside he knew well that her fate was already decided. If only, he would just delay the inevitable and most likely get himself killed in the process. All he could do now was to do it in the most gentle and painless way possible. He looked once again at the message from the professor and headed straight to the freighter cockpit.
***
Once the freighter moored the Cochrane Depot in Ontario a team of technicians entered the ship to complete the identity theft. Vessel's transponder was left intact with original seals and check-sums, but before disposing of a body Lane Hackers have prepared a full set of tissue samples, fingerprint adapters and even contact lenses able to fool standard eye-recognition devices. After memorizing a prepared portfolio any person could use these to authenticate themselves even during a routine LPI inspection or preliminary interrogation. The Lane Hackers strongly believed that the best credentials are the genuine ones.
I am most grateful for... your quick delivery. Really that is quite the work you did. I took care of sending you the money and well I hope there is no further- trouble like this needed. Still I assume a good job done.
That name will- work I believe. Thank you. I am curious if it wouldn't have been possible to do this in an easier way? Though that is your line of work... one of my Lieutenants will contact you regarding the scanner upgrade for Marshall and eventually the Harmony.
Just yesterday during our operation we have picked up your new transponder in New York. I hope your new acquisition is to your liking and met all your expectations. As for your request I am happy to inform you that we're currently preparing our battleliner before dispatching it to Bering with all required components to upgrade your battleship and plug your station into our network.
In anticipation of upcoming operations, we would like to request a full rundown of the Alberta system. Potential threats, potential resources, that kind of thing. Even if its had only a minor presence in the system, such information would be valuable in helping determine our next move in that regard.
I wouldn't expect this information for free, so please do not hesitate to let us know what you would require in exchange.
Professor Hunter has instructed me to bring to your attention the current situation in the Alberta system. It must be said that Little has changed in the past few months but the areas of interest are outlined below.
Regarding the Platinum Inc station, you should be aware that the defences are numerous and will open fire on unfriendly ships should they venture too close. We advise caution when approaching this station.
I have also been instructed by the professor to request from Battlegroup Harmony the current situation of the Alaska and New Hampshire systems. We find that our navigational charts are somewhat out of date due to sudden shifts in gravitational anomalies resulting in unstable or closed connections between systems thus preventing our own investigations into these systems.
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