Christian understood the adventurism of the proposed idea, but he was still obliged to suggest alternative locations to fix the Vega. Although the shipyard has a rather modest throughput due to the difficulty in building new ships and repairing old ones. But with their administrative resources at the station, it wouldn't be too difficult for them to shift the schedule and prioritize the repair of the Bismarck. He smiled lightly "I understand the subtlety of this situation, but still I had to ask given the logistical issue." said Christian and continued more thoughtfully "I had a place to assume that you also have a hidden corner where we can make repairs." he shrugged slightly "But, since that's not possible, we'll take Livadia as a priority location for repairs."
Christian felt a slight lump in his throat, and considering that the conversation might take longer, he reached for the soda bottle and opened it sharply. His face took on a slightly steely hue, though the tone of his voice didn't change "Corsairs... We can't boast good relations with them either," he poured the water into the glass and put the bottle back on, closing the cap firmly "Living with those people around is like building an apartment building in front of an explosives warehouse with no safety precautions. " his gaze filled with rage for a second, though Christian quickly bought the emotion down and continued "After what they did to Freeport 9, our relationship is stretched like strings ready to break." He took the glass in his hand, leaning back against the back of his chair with a little sip.
"In any case, you're right Rupert. These panels were not designed for Kadesh, but for Vega. Although at the same time, it's all to maintain station security." he turned his head to Rupert and continued "I suppose we can leave the matter of the panels between our organizations. Before they can be brought to Livadia we need to ship you the iridium to cast them" he glanced at his watch to check the date "I believe my people will be contacting your transportation department shortly so we can discuss the details of this operation at a later date, I agree with you."
Christian turned to Gunter, continuing the main topic "As for the transportation of parts and personnel, we must be extremely careful. Unlike Iridium and the defense panels, where we can take the risk of relatively easy replacement in case of loss, we cannot risk losing highly trained personnel and expensive equipment." he took another sip of water and placed the glass on the table and said slowly, working through ideas in his head "We need to figure out how many ships will be needed to transport the cargo and their weight. Perhaps we can use a jumpdrive if the weight isn't significant?" Christian left the question hanging in the air and further continued.
"I don't doubt at all the professionalism of Phoenix engineers, but they may not know all the intricacies of this ship's specifications like yours. That's why I've provided you with a scan of all the ship's systems to determine exactly what we need to fix it completely, and given the complicated logistics we need to understand how many people and ships we need to bring in for the operation." he leaned back in his chair and looked around at his interlocutors "We need to assess the scope of the work and only then send in the specialists." some concern appeared on his face "Before we go any further we need to understand if this scan will be enough for you to estimate labor and material costs or your specialists will inspect the ship themselves to exclude possible errors in the autodiagnostic system and the human factor? Several men could trespass even Omicron Gamma without dragging any attention on one of our transports, for example."
Gunter stared at his glass of Rheinbier but listened carefully. "Corsairs are never to be trusted, but they will reap wat they sowed sooner or later." He proceeded to look back to the plans on the hologram while speaking grimly. "If we manage to get this ship back up to speed, they will think twice before attacking Kadesh, Christian."
He then pondered about the suggestion of Jumping towards the Omicrons, then leaned backwards after making up his mind. "It could be technically possible, however my expertise is only jumping with larger capital ships. I will leave the statistics of weight and size for the transports to Rupert for this one. Gunter then turned and looked serious to both men in the room. "I can tell you this however, jumping to the Omicrons is dangerous, even if you know where you are going. There is a reason House Militaries refrain from jumping there. The Omicrons are remarkably unstable, and i say this as someone who was stationed often in the Omegas."
He went silent for a few seconds, but his face then relaxed again and talked more calm again. "As you will expect, i can't offer transports from the Rheinland Handelsflotte to help out. But what i can offer are lets say... unofficial escorts. Freelancers i worked with before. They are reliable and excellent in their job..." He then took a sip. "-And they are wise enough to know what will happen if they cross me."
He started starring back to the bubbles in his glass. Speaking as he was talking to himself. "I suppose I can offer a team of 15 of our finest engineers. Of course they will have to know what is going on, but they are reliable and always in your eyesight." He then turned his face towards the Hologram again and started counting in a whisper. 4...8...16... "Hmm, Luckily the Bismarck model hasn't changed too much in it's many years in service. I'm not sure what the preference of weapons you had in mind though, Christian. Are you planning to make it an anti-capital ship, in other words a Bismarck in it's purest form? Or do you rather prefer making it some sort of mobile anti-fighter station? Personally ships like these tend to have enough powercore to have the best of both worlds, but in the end, it's your choice." He left the question hanging.
Christian had not previously heard of the problem of jumping into the Omicron sector, especially since the Phoenix often utilizes the technology on a daily basis. However, the impact of Nomads on this technology has yet to be fully explored, and it would rather make more sense to run the entire operation as a normal transport convoy from the central regions to the Omicron edge.
He nodded to Gunther "Using Military ships is really too risky." Christian had a slight hesitation "I hope your freelancers will be very motivated by these consequences" he squared his shoulders slightly as if dismissing bad thoughts "Though I doubt the Corsairs have the wits or rationality to bribe the freelancers, their blind pride often plays into their hands." he smirked slightly remembering the old days when, in conjunction with GMG, they would make forays into Omicron Gamma to cool their ardor.
"As for weaponry, our group is interested in restoring the Bismarck to its original role - anti-capital." his face brightened somewhat as if relieving the tension of voicing the plans "So far we've been able to hold back their onslaught with reserve using our ships and allies. But there is little we can do, against their capital fleet" he picked up a glass of water and knocked it over to the bottom and set it back down.
"In any case, we need to get the ship inside in order first." he looked around at both interlocutors as if considering how to hint to his interlocutors about a possible alternative to all known routes "As you may know, the planet Pygar is under our administrative resource." he leaned slightly forward, and continued further in an undertone "My people have often seen on their scanners ships with the encrypted identifier Rheinland near our orbit, but they do not use jumpholes in Sigma or Omega." he leaned back in his chair "Is there some route we don't know about? It has to be specifically safer than the alternatives."
Rupert sit back more comfortably in his chair, fingers crossed, and hands on the table. He agreed with Christian.
"Indeed, using military ships is far too risky for a mission such as this one. Not withstanding the fact that it could attract unwanted attention, the other Houses could see this as a move for territory expansion from Rheinland, and it would not endanger this mission, but could also weaken Pheonix's political position for other means of support in their efforts against the Nomads."
After hearing what Christian had to say about the weaponry, he thought about how Daumann could help them out. But as for the Rheinland Mlitary sights in the Omicrons, he could not explain how it could be possible.
"Well, from our perspective, we do not have knowledge of another route than the one already explored during this conversation. I think we should strengthen our escort, and try to get our scientists and engineers to destination as fast as possible, using regular trading routes. As regards for supplies, we may be more discreet, as any contractor could sollicit our help for supplies, it would not be difficult for our pilots to ease their way around the Omicrons. What do you think about that, gentlemen?"
Gunter nodded to Rupert's proposal. He hated to remain quiet on the Thuringia-Theta route, but chances were slim the Marinenachrichtendienst allowing corporate convoys, let alone zoner ships to pass through their system. The second issue would be the Suhle anomaly. Even knowing how to navigate the cloud of destruction, one small misstep was enough to meet certain death. He continued, by saying: "I agree, Rupert. Christian, you think some of your men would be able to meet us up to strenghten the convoy? At least at a certain point during the trip? "
"As for the route, i see only one alternative left at the moment: the route through the Sigmas. We will have to dodge the Gas Miner Guild and the Corsairs in the Omicrons, let alone other anomalies along the way." He looked back to Rupert. "I don't doubt the quality of your pilots and the technology of your transports to navigate these systems, Rupert. However, we will not be able to afford any breaks towards Livadia. The longer we stay in a single system, the more likely the locals will find out about our little trip. My escorts are good, but there is only so much a couple of fighters and gunboats can do."
He turned to the window in a dreamy way. "If they say you have to go on without them, i don't want any hesitation from any of you gentlemen, nor your subordinates."
"We should accept the fact that for this trip, sacrifices are probable."
Christian listened attentively to his interlocutors, the decision on the choice of route was very important that decided the fate of the mission and Vega repairs. At the moment Phoenix knew of several routes from Rheinland to Omicrons: one led through the Omega region, the other through Sigmas. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, which, however, Christian would like to share. "For now, I expect that the path that will not bring us much difficulty lies through Sigma space, so I concur with you Gunter" he glanced at Rupert, gauging on his reaction. Hearing no objections he continued "According to our statistics this is the path that is least likely to cause us problems. And while the Gas Miners Guild people may pose a threat, the Corsairs have been shaken by the siege of Freeport 9 and healing their wounds in the Theta, and the Outcasts have shown less interest in the region since the destruction of Atka Station" he leaned back in his chair and rested his elbow on its handle and continued "As for the Omegas, the Corsairs and Hessians have not been affected by recent events. There's a very good chance of being caught off guard by both factions in different parts of the systems, which won't please anyone, given the cargo and specialists we'll be carrying."
Christian had a hunch that the Rheinland ships with scrambled signals had hit the mark although Gunter ignored his question.It was obvious that despite the sincere conversation not all secrets could be revealed and it was to the benefit of all present "As for the escort from our side we can literally start it from the beginning of the route. As alternative starting points of our part of escort we can consider Freeport 8, Pygar planet and Corfu station" Christian continued his speech, feeling the tension rising in the room "The planet may be most useful to us as an intermediate stopping point where the escort can rest, manning and be reinforced by our ships. And then Livadia will be one system away, where Vega is already waiting for us."
Rupert had listened at the different arguments exposed by his interlocutors. Though the task seemed harder than expected, the risks/rewards balance was positive. A cooperation between Phoenix, the Rheinland Military, and Daumann Heavy Construction grants better odds for the success of this operation, rather than Phoenix and Daumann alone. Rupert was satisfied with the terms.
"As the Admiral said, sacrifices are probable. However, the Convoy and Security Division, and Pheonix's pilots, have already showed great resillience and strength together. The help of the Rheinland Military, even for a smaller part of the convoy, is very welcome. The chances of this mission to be a success have increased, and should enemies of the House rally to put a stop on the convoy, I have no doubt our ships will overcome their attack."
He got up to grab a glass of water, drank it halfway through, and continued."The maintenance of the Vega is of utmost importance in the war against a Nomad resurgence. This meeting, and the agreement we seem to have reached, is a first step to prevent it. To secure the convoy, Daumann will dispatch its best pilots. As for the route we should take, the Omega route is preferable. Going through the Sigma route could arise unwanted attention from Kusari and its allies. I am certain Christian can understand that secrecy of this operation for our Kusarian neighbour is necessary. Should the existence of the Vega be made public before it is ready, it could be a liability for the foreign relations of Rheinland."
The personal intercom of Rupert made sounds. The time was up, he needed to get back to The Ring, as other matters of the company needed his attention.
"I guess we have reached a common understanding of the situation, and that our objectives are set. I will have to leave now, duty calls me back to New Berlin. We should open a communication channel between the three of us to arrange the details of the convoy. Admiral, Christian, have a nice day."
Rupert stood up, got around the table to shake the hand of Christian, and then the Admiral's. He left the office, satisfied with the turn of events regarding the Vega.
Christian was a bit taken aback by Rupert's suggestions to keep going through Omega, as he assumed that the path through Sigmas was already predetermined. Although for Daumann the Omega sector was more familiar and the threat of being spotted by various groups from Kusari was great, so it made sense. Christian saw no problem being spotted by the forces of the Gas Miners Guild, but at the same time it was more than obvious the Rheinlanders did not share his viewpoint.
"Omegas? Well that will be an interesting adventure" he grinned slightly "In any case, we teach a good lesson to those who get in our way" Christian crossed his legs and rolled back in his chair a little and continued "Vega will indeed be crucial to containing the Nomads and... Other external threats. Regardless of the level of publicity your assistance receives, I wish to express my gratitude on behalf of our group. With your help, we will be able to guarantee the safety of our people and guests of Kadesh and the other stations under our administration." He moved away from the table, stood up and slowly walked back to the window, admiring the view from the window.
He seemed lost in his thoughts, then turned to the others and continued, "If you find yourself in our area, or if you need our help, you are welcome to contact or visit us anytime. Phoenix possibilities are way more limited to house industries, but given the specifics of the region, I am more than confident that we will find more points of common ground for mutually beneficial cooperation." He approached Rupert and Gunter for a handshake and then continued, "As the convoy begins to move, let us know. My team will be waiting for you in the borderworlds and join the convoy further escorting you to Livadia Shipyard."
He hurriedly left the office as he still needed to get his freighter to Hyperion, which was waiting for him at Omega 5. It was necessary to relay all instructions as soon as possible to the team so that the mission would go off without a hitch.
Gunter stood up and shook both the hands of Rupert and Christian. "The honor was all mine. Thank the both of you. We will be awaiting your message for the convoy start. Auf wiedersehn, Herren." He closed the door behind them, walked towards is desk and opened the intercom. "Badstuber, get back here. We got work to do."
