Dark it seems are these times of late. I would never have believed it for myself to see that the members of our High Command have cast aside a tested and proven ally for the mere favor of barbarians.
Rest assured that this folly will not go unopposed. I however, fear for the worst. For months now, the Order High Command has squandered our allies and stretched our forces too thin - and what little faith that I have had in the chain of command has evaporated, leaving only my bare obligation of duty.
I still believe that I have a debt of sorts to pay to you, seeing as how you have saved my particular vessel and crew several times in the past. I also have no love for the Corsair Empire, which has tainted our pure mission of pursuing salvation for all mankind into political squabbling.
As such, I offer my services, and the use of my ship - the Ianthe. It is an old vessel, lacking much of the heavy offensive weaponry that now come standard in many ships of her class - but her shields are still strong, her hull still sturdy, and her life support and reactor capacity is still more than enough to service a small fleet worth of crew and maintenance operations.
No doubt, you will begin operations within the Omicron Systems in order to re-assert your zones of control there - you may consider my vessel to be at your disposal in terms of gathering supplies and munitions in an otherwise inhospitable corner of space.
I ask only that when the time comes when the Order High Command comes to their senses, that you are lenient with them in light of the shared comradeship that had gone on for so long.
It weighs heavily on my heart that I would have to betray an establishment to which I had sworn my allegiance long ago, however some actions are necessary for the Order as a whole to regain its senses.
For the duration of this silent mutiny, however, my officers and I have renounced our military ranks and no longer wear the uniform of the Order. I hope that a time will come soon when I can don both my title and my uniform in good conscience.
INCOMING TRANSMISSION
DECRYPTING: ...... 100%
COMM ID: Commissar-General Ulrich Eichel
Interesting.
Forgive me for not being enthusiastic, but you see I am what you might call a detective of sorts. My specialty is counter-intelligence, meaning I root out the spies and play them like puppets before a show, before I send them to a death in a place where the rats and other vermin would consider beneath them. So you'll understand my concern when something like crosses the desk of the Politburo.
As such, it has been assigned to me the less than glorious task of deciding what to do with this. Whether or not to accept it, or merely to discard it and afford you the same end that the rest of your spineless organization will endure.
However, before I am to make such a decision I need clarifications.
Firstly, why should I trust you? You are, after all, betraying an organization of betrayers. What's stopping you from betraying us should it prove convenient for you at a later time?
Second, and perhaps a bit more important, is what do you have to offer besides an old ship that, at this time, is merely target practice for the men and women of our glorious Fighter Corps?
I suggest you make your case, and make it something of value. I do not give second chances to those waste my time.
It seems that the bar chatter of SCRA pilots during post sortie drinks did not do justice to the brutal pragmatism of the politburo.
To begin, let us set one thing straight. My loyalties lie with the cause of the Order. I have sworn myself into the service of the greater good for all of humanity, not to some politicized and tainted agenda of those who would spend more time attacking allies and fielding massive fleets against fellow humans than against the threat of the Phantoms and the Slomon K'Hara.
Call me an idealist, however I believe that the current incarnation of the Order High Command has lost its mandate of Heaven - and that the SCRA are the only ones who can possibly replace this decayed regime with one possessing more purpose. Know this, my crew and I are only in this for the reclamation of the Order cause. Aiding you in your war against the old regime is in our interest, and it would be unlikely for that to change in any meaningful time frame.
If, perhaps, knowing of our intent and how it makes the task of betraying your organization extremely counterproductive is not sufficient, then I am willing to place my life and the lives of my crew in your hands by means of remote explosives to ensure loyalty. This however, is merely a suggestion, and I will submit myself to whatever means of insurance you wish.
With regards to what we have to offer, our ship still visibly serves on the Order fleet command network. This gives us, and by extension, you, internal access to fleet deployment locations and time tables, tactical and strategic level communications, base locations, and general access to the Order infonet. In addition, the ship itself may serve as a logistical platform for repairs and restocking for your long range sorties.
As Sun Tsu once said, "He who knows himself and his enemy shall not fear the results of a hundred battles."
As I presume you know of yourself quite well in the way that your forces are one of the most competent in all of Sirius, the insight you can gain on your enemy through me would make your victory all the more swift.
INCOMING TRANSMISSION
DECRYPTING: ...... 100%
COMM ID: Commissar-General Ulrich Eichel
One must learn to walk before he can run.
You may have earned yourself a stay of execution, but that does not mean I trust you. Trust is something that is build on a solid foundation, so that even the smallest tremor doesn't topple everything like a house of cards.
Deeds, not words.
You professing your admiration for us matters practically nothing. Any simpleton can tell me what he thinks I want to hear. What I need is something tangible I can present to the powers that be so I don't look like an incompetent idiot if I were to recommend that even a single Order ship be spared. We don't need gushing admiration.
As such, you will provide me on this channel extensive intelligence information on Omicron Minor, including the defensive capabilities of the Isis that were kept secret from us. You will also provide a detailed report on the adjacent Order controlled system. I believe you refer to it as Omicron-100.
Lisbon station serves as a fighter production facility. It is guarded only by several weapons platforms and the nearby Battleship Apophis.
I hope that these are to your satisfaction, as the action of gathering this intel is enough for the summary execution orders for all involved. I trust these will be put to good use, and hope that our involvement in the procurement of these documents has earned at least an iota of your trust.
INCOMING TRANSMISSION
DECRYPTING: ...... 100%
COMM ID: Commissar-General Ulrich Eichel
These are satisfactory.
You may consider your ship to be spared for the time being. However, there are some rules you must follow in the interest of your protection, both from us and from the Order.
If there is an engagement between our forces and that of the Order, you are to make yourself scarce. If you are part of a combined fleet, you will be targeted last giving you ample opportunity to leave the battlefield. Should circumstances prevent this, and you are targeted, we will not use our cruise disruptors to full effect, giving you a chance to escape.
Keeping up the charade is of utmost importance, and any damage incurred will be compensated by our contacts. Loose lips sink ships, so I suggest you keep even your crew except those you can trust out of the loop. If you at any time declare the existence of our working relationship we will deny and you will be destroyed.
You may use this secure channel to contact us for any reason, and we will use this channel should we need your services in the future.