A mellow baritone voice came over the comm. "Attention, any station! This is ISS Kellhound, declaring an emergency! Repeat, ISS Kellhound is declaring an emergency. Any station, please respond.
Kellhound is at the Omega 3 jump gate leading to Cambridge.
Any station, please respond."
We all have an Angelic and a Demonic side. Use of them determines good or evil in the end.
Captain Briggson, Kellhound appreciates your swift actions. This is a difficult situation as Kellhound is, itself, uncertain of the nature of the disaster.
First, the ship is in good order, and not under attack.
Kellhound suspects that it has suffered a quantum universal displacement.
If it would not discomfort the Captain, would you submit to answering a few questions?"
We all have an Angelic and a Demonic side. Use of them determines good or evil in the end.
Posts: 3,619
Threads: 326
Joined: Aug 2012
Staff roles: Server Administrator
Erm.
Kellhound, can you provide more details about your ship and your affiliation? A couple of Agents will rendezvous witht he Armed Forces Officers and they'll be sent to your aid.
Agent Lancaster
Chief of Operations
Director of MI5
"Certainly, Director Lancaster. ISS Kellhound, PCA11-16, is the sixth parasite cruiser of the first battle squadron of ISS Wales, BT11.
Wales is assigned to 267th Fleet, Admiral Sir Thomas LeRoy commanding, operating out of Ley Sector of the Third Imperium.
Kellhound suspects, both from data acquired through your gate network, local star conditions, and human response, that the provided information will be less than satisfactory."
We all have an Angelic and a Demonic side. Use of them determines good or evil in the end.
Priority: Medium
To: The Kellhound
From: Admiral George Richard Hall
Location: H.M.S. Norfolk, Cambridge System
Subject: Reply
"Salutations, I.S.S. Kellhound of the Third Imperium. I am admiral George Richard Hall, in service of Her Royal and Imperial Majesty, Carina I, by the Grace of her Forebears, Sovereign of the Realm of Greater Bretonia, Empress of Tau, of the Kingdom of the Near Omegas and of her other Realms and Territories Queen, Protector of the Independent Worlds of Magellan and Cortez, Defender of Justice, Head of the Order of the Bretonian Empire.
Safety of Cambridge system and the Near Omegas is my duty, and thus dealing with your matter is my responsibility.
I am authorizing your vessel to moor with Bristol mining facility in C4 sector of Cambridge system. We can have a less formal and more informative talk among its amenities. As soon as you moor, the Kellhound will be boarded by a regiment of Bretonia Royal Marines, but don't worry about that. They will be there for your protection, and to make sure -- excuse me if this offends you -- to make sure that you are not part of our enemies' tricks. If everything is clear, you will retain command of your ship. I hope that you understand.
Until we reach wider agreements, the only Bretonian system the Kellhound is allowed to be in is Cambridge.
Notify me when you have reached Bristol. If you stumble upon any problems, call us. If your ship is attacked, you are authorized to defend.
Safe journey."
From: ISS Kellhound
To: Admiral Hall, Commanding Officer, System Defense Command: Cambridge and Associated Territories
Subject: Mooring and associated issues
1. Sir, Kellhound appreciates your actions, and, will, provisionally, place itself under your jurisdiction and authority. As of this time, Kellhound finds that it must restrict itself from action other than self defense due to the uncertain nature of the situation.
2. Kellhound must respectfully decline large scale boarding. Accommodations aboard are restricted to a three person flag bridge and quarters. Kellhound will agree to whatever alternative arrangements can be made that do not place either Kellhound or your personnel in immediate danger.
Given the Admiral's legitimate concerns about subterfuge, Kellhound is willing to accept inboarding of destructive materials under Admiralty control in place of a boarding force.
Respectfully,
ISS Kellhound, PCA11-16
We all have an Angelic and a Demonic side. Use of them determines good or evil in the end.
Priority: Medium
To: The Kellhound
From: Admiral George Richard Hall
Location: H.M.S. Norfolk, Cambridge System
Subject: Reply
"Greetings again.
I am pleased with your first term.
About the second, the boarding force will be only temporary. They will be accompanying a small team of scientists who will assess the hazard level. If everything is in order, they will leave your ship.
I am expecting you."
"Attention, Bristol station, this is ISS Kellhound, requesting mooring under the authority of Admiral Hall. Kellhound is to be put into restricted access."
"Err, copy, Kellhound, welcome to Bristol station. Proceed to bay 4. Your... party is already there. Do you have any pressing service needs?"
The baritone voice chuckled. "Kellhound appreciates your concern, but, no, all systems are nominal."
Leaving aside differences in routine procedures, the docking was uneventful. The biggest problem was that there were no appropriate power couplings, and no service ports at all.
The crew chief, a senior petty officer, looked around in confusion. "We're doing all of this ourselves? The crew is not coming out?"
A marine Lieutenant Colonel stepped out of the bay's office, reserved but friendly. "The ship is in quarantine right now. Are you finished?"
Military protocol kicked in, banishing the confusion, if not the curiosity. "Uh, Yessir. She's dependent on her internals, but securely moored." He gave the Marine a slightly pointed look. "This isn't gonna stop her from leaving if she chooses, sir."
The Colonel nodded thoughtfully as a seemingly endless supply of Marines in battle dress began debarking from the lift. "Good enough, Boatswain. We'll take it from here." He raised his voice, bellowing, "Make a hole! Get these folks out of the area!"
The petty officer's last sight as the doors closed on the lift was a fire team assembling a crew served plasma gun.
We all have an Angelic and a Demonic side. Use of them determines good or evil in the end.