Forlorn Hope Operations Manual

[Forlorn Hope Command]

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| Forlorn Hope - Operations Manual |

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Welcome to the Forlorn Hope. As one of our Knights, this manual will serve to help you settle into your role as a mercenary and a member of the Order. While this is designed to address many concerns you might have, it is by no means a comprehensive guide, and we recommend directly asking your Captains and Chapter Masters about anything you have questions about.

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Glossary:

»»» Introduction
»»» Operations Guidelines
»»» Relations and Diplomacy
»»» Ships and Equipment
»»» Hope's Watch
»»» Ranks and Awards

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| Forlorn Hope - Operations Manual |

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The Forlorn Hope

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| »Information« | »Recruitment« | »Manual« | »Feedback« |

[Forlorn Hope Command]

Forlorn Hope Operations Manual - Introduction

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Welcome

If you're seeing this, it means you're already a member of the Forlorn Hope. That means you're either a Knight-Apprentice or a fully fledged Knight. Either way, you are now part of the core of the Forlorn Hope, and it's first point of contact in daily life.

This section will detail the basic need to knows, as well as cover your questions about being part of the Forlorn Hope.

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Expectations

As a pilot of the Forlorn Hope, you are expected to fulfill several roles and tasks during your career. First and foremost of these is completion of any and all contracts assigned to you by the Captains above you.

We might be more than mercenaries, but our primary means of funding ourselves is found in contract work. Whether that be combat, trading or other tasks, the contract's completion means that we, and by extension you, get paid.

As such, it is part of the expectations of all members to commit themselves fully to mastering the three basics of being a Forlorn Hope Knight. Combat, Navigation and Recon. Due to the ever changing nature of our lifestyle, we can not afford to grow complacent, and a transport pilot today might be a combat pilot tomorrow.

We value your lives and skills, and as such we have set up extensive training programs to ensure the best possible outcome for you in any situation. To get involved with a training program, contact your Chapter Master.

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Payment

This is one of our most commonly received questions, and a very important one. How do I get paid.

Payment is handled in two ways, depending on varying circumstances. The first, is given to all members of the Forlorn Hope by default. With a monthly payment being issued on the last day of the given month to all members, will all expenses deducted in advance.

This salary is a given, and will never change. The amount you get paid is based on your position, and your deeds during the month.

The second means of payment is somewhat of a bonus, and is drawn from contracts assigned you by a superior. Sometimes the Captain assigning you to a task will let you know that the entire contract reward will be allocated to you in the event of a successful contract.

This does not detract from your monthly salary, and should be seen as a bonus for good work.

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Benefits

As a member of the Forlorn Hope, you are entitled to various benefits to keep you in fighting shape.

Medical care, ship maintenance, ammo purchases, paid leave, vacation days, therapy, education and extra training programs are all provided for you, the cost picked up by the Forlorn Hope.

Please contact your Chapter Master to see how you are covered, and to discuss any exceptions that might need to be catered for.

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Severance

In the event that you believe your time with the Forlorn Hope has come to an end, we offer two severance packages, with the stipulation of a signed and binding NDA.

Option 1: We let you keep your ships, equipment and pay you the reminder of your awaiting salary.
Option 2: We keep your ships and equipment, and reimburse you the value in credits.

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Forlorn Hope Operations Manual - Introduction

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The Forlorn Hope

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| »Information« | »Recruitment« | »Manual« | »Feedback« |

[Forlorn Hope Command]

Forlorn Hope Operations Manual - Operations Guidelines

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Welcome

In this section, we will detail the basic guidelines and rules of engagement to follow in a variety of situations. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and should be taken as a guideline, not a bible.

Should you have questions, or even advice based on past experience, contact your Chapter Master to pursue it further.

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Duels

A large portion of your combat flight time will feature One on One duels. Similarly, you'll notice every single one of our recommended ships feature agility heavily.

Often your contracts will focus on eliminating a single target, or your bounty listings will target an entire group of targets, many of which are lone wolves. We rely on a technological advantage and training to overwhelm our opponents in duels.

Generally, it is expected that in any match up between a Knight and an enemy, the Knight will ultimately prove victorious, due to a combination of factors revolving around training and technology, as well as experience.

Despite this, there are still ace pilots out there that might be too much for you to handle yourself. An example that springs to mind is the corsair Angelos Katsouranis.

While it stings, in the event that you come across an ace pilot beyond your own capabilities, the suggested course of action is to disengage and call for support.

Don't throw your lives away chasing glory.

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Group fights

This one is big. You'll see these occur more with the better trained and more well organized enemies, who prefer to lean on each others strengths than get picked off in duels.

As such, it is imperative that you follow the instructions of the shot callers to the letter. If a Knight has been designated as lead, you follow their orders in such a brawl without questions.

If you have the chance to refit your weapons before a brawl breaks out, use higher refires and speeds, even if it means having to leave your beloved magma hammers at home for once.

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Capital Ships

We only have two of these, and neither of them are combat ready. As such this isn't to detail how to fly one in battle, but rather details how we bring one down.

Our bombers are almost exclusively of the light bomber class, relying more on speed and agility to get the job done than leaning on armor.

We hunt capital ships in wolf packs of bombers, utilizing the numbers to quickly overwhelm their defenses and bring the monsters down.

Neutralizer bombs tear through shields, nova torpedoes render armaments and equipment non-existent and the corona beam is capable of slicing through even the heaviest armor of the biggest dreadnoughts with ease. As a result, our bombers rely on each other to bring the correct amount of firepower to the field, with each role requiring the others to bring down the target.

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Contracts

It will happen that you will be offered a contract, on the spot, and often without much time to make an informed decision. As such, it is the responsibility of every Forlorn pilot to keep up to date with ongoing contracts and bounties, and not to accept a contract simply because it sounds good.

As an example, the House of Liberty hosts our home, and should be assisted in combat as far as possible within the bounds of Liberty. Accepting a rogues payment to fight a member of the Navy is likely to have dire ramifications for us all.

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Forlorn Hope Operations Manual - Introduction

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The Forlorn Hope

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| »Information« | »Recruitment« | »Manual« | »Feedback« |

[Forlorn Hope Command]

Forlorn Hope Operations Manual - Hope's Watch

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Welcome

Welcome to Hope's Watch. Your home and hanger during your career with the Forlorn Hope. As our only current installation, it is the base of all of the Forlorn, and all of you are currently part of the Hope's Watch Chapter.

In this section, we will detail the basics of Hope's Watch, and what you will find made available to you on board the station.

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Facilities

Hope's Watch is a large, hollowed out asteroid abandoned by it's initial creators. Designed as an outpost, the uncompleted station was discovered, and annexed by the first incarnation of the Forlorn Hope. As such the base is well hidden, not having been added to any star charts, and the members of the Forlorn Hope can enjoy peace and relaxation inside its confines.

The station offers several important facilities, due to its nature as the sole base of operations for the Forlorn Hope.

A fully fitted hanger and maintenance bay is attended to by a swarm of robotic assistants, tasked solely with the job of keeping Forlorn ships running at peak condition.

Training and Relaxation decks are available to all members of the Forlorn Hope, offering chance to pursue hobbies and further their own abilities at their leisure.

Additionally, the old bar at our previous base in Coronado was moved to Hope's Watch, and the 96 Slide is still catering for all the members of the base after hours.

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Foundry

Any organization worth its salt is capable of manufacturing the tools needed to preform their trade. While the Forlorn Hope lacks any shipbuilding capabilities, it more than makes up for it with their self-sufficiency in weapons construction.

Whether it be designed for space combat or for ground operations, the Foundry is capable of producing the tools needed to overcome any threat, thanks to access of several patterns of weapons. Having shown remarkable progress in reverse engineering prototype weaponry, the Foundry is also capable of replicating the highly sought after and rare weapons of Sirius.

Currently the Foundry is investigating an expansion, with the stated intention being prototyping a recon craft.

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Research Labs

While the Forlorn Hope is not known for it's research capabilities, they are not to be under-estimated either. One of the partners in the Vergil Foundation, the Forlorn Hope offers all of its pilots access to the versatile upgrade, and the Research lab here is focused on further developing the Vergil project.

Additionally, many of the experimental techniques applied in the Foundry are developed here, resulting in the slow development of Forlorn Pattern equipment.

The research lab also pays rewards for rare items handed to them, commonly requested items being nomad remains and technology.

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Command Center

The heart of Forlorn Hope operations across the Sector, the command center here is constantly monitoring the NeuralNet and long range sensors, providing constant feedback and updates to the staff working in it.

The meeting point for the Commander, Captains and Chapter Master, the command center is restricted to those with adequate clearance, and is guarded by the combat drones of the previous Forlorn Hope. If you have to ask, you can't enter.

The Command Center also features a full list of all members of the Forlorn Hope, both past and current, retired, deceased and living. Among other artifacts stored here, one can find the legacy of the Forlorn Hope, it's chronicle a physical entity, added to by the Chapter Master personally.

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Forlorn Hope Operations Manual - Hope's Watch

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The Forlorn Hope

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| »Information« | »Recruitment« | »Manual« | »Feedback« |