It has been a while since we last talked. If I remember right, our discussion was about a certain "Jackdaw"-class Heavy Fighter and the ways of improving its performance. The GRG has finished their part of upgrades on it a while ago, now I come to the Alster Union - provided you still call yourselves like that - to continue maintenance. Give me a date your engineers can take a look at the "CV-2400" and by default, "Bit".
However, that is not the only reason I contact you. As you may know, I only recently got full ownership of Tarancon Base within Omicron Minor - base the Voltaic Junkers call home. While I'd celebrate the fact that this station already flourished with time, the Nomad Threat always looms on the horizon. As of late, I received reports of one of their dreaded structures being repaired by an unknown group. That only means one thing: The Nomads are getting active again and Tarancon is the first base to come in contact with them. I need some heavy artillery, you see - something that can take on larger Nomads and better any unwelcome guests. Do you folks still manufacture "Hel" class cruisers? Or something better by all means. In compensation, I can probably arrange some salvaging ops to support the Unioners - or perhaps you want outright money. Your call, really.
And one more thing, a little bird told me of something very interesting the Unioners have and surely caused a lot of drama. Rumors are rumors - they can always be lies. I am sure you know what I mean.
Branchgroup: Unioners Riehl is obviously missing. Gunda Riehl is many things, but the bearded, pudgy, thirty-something Unionist with the energetic poise and the focused eyes on the screen, is distinctly not her. His eyes - they're tracking all over the camera. As if they are obsessively refusing to sit still.
He's obviously nervous. It barely shows anywhere else but his voice.
Oy'! Hey Kyle, whassup? Yeah, call it a matter of the palladium fact I do remember that conversation, mate. I've pulled Sister Gunda's logs up.... and presto.
I'm Adrian, by the by. Adrian Hahn.
And yeah, you're right. I'm not Gunda Riehl, Sir. However, she did leave me this text file message, which I believe is for you, right? Uhm, maybe this will make sense to you:
"I did owe you more than the shake you got out of me. Uh, look - Rheinland here is broilin' like a gallic escargot and it doesn't pay well to be sluggish. I might be screwing up my mollusc metaphors. Maybe that's appropriate. They've re-arranged my head."
So, uh.
Listen, on her next rotation out of here, Riehl is getting reassigned back to Hamburg. Heinrich's expeditionary forces and half of the Coalition's Varyag squadron - and just to ice it off in time for my outta' season birthday bash - She she would have been running flight instructor pips for a whole brace of new young idealistic meatheads from Rheinland's various gutters, drains, and sewers - so if you take the 'Daw to Vierlande we'll all be able to crack several asteroids with one mass driver and she well be able to work on your home-build during her recovery hours. Sounds kinda' fun, really. Like a holiday.
So, right, skipping past the awkward bits, she's been injured - and I'm not sure if I can tell you why. It's not as if Unioner keep secrets or anything, and I doubt we'd be punished if we did - but, erh. We don't have all the answers ourselves yet.
Sadly, that means she can't take your call.
Say, um. You're a worldly Edge-worlds type. You know any doctors who specialise in saving people from probable death who got caught in a mindlink with a dying alien super-organism, did ya'? Didn't think so. Right, I'm a crazy person.
Look, this comm is gonna' get flagged and I'm going to have to haul it up to my over-director and probably the Garenite Exingency. We'd better switch subjects. Still - if there's anyone you'd know who to call, for a common friend... I'd call that favour. One field-snagger to another.
Cruisers. Well, that's something I can talk to you about without diving into riddles. We pump out hels for export, all the time. Problem is - the price shoots up whenever Rheinland starts to get unstable as our recruitment figures double and we end up with more cells to protect. There's a big lead-time on modular cruiser construction, even with our boys working round the clock to -our- production quotas - you can only build so much ship for so many people, so to speak, right?
So here's deal that'll get your beard in a twist. We'll sell the Voltaics cruisers, for credits, about one hundred and sixty million a pop. That will cover the purchase for anybody who might be listening in, or watching us negotiate, right?
Good thing Junkers keep secrets as well as us Unioners like to talk out of our mouths, huh?
You say you've got Tarancon now? Well, that's good. We've heard legends about the trove of debris you've got out there. I bet producing your own arms in that quagmire up there is a short-road to getting you strapped into an Order, or Core, torture device for the rest of time. We'll do that for you. Tell us what your men need and we'll sell them over, and train you, too, at discounted rates.
See, what we need is a backchannel to all that good old data and equipment drifting around their in that grave of monsters. We can't get to it ourselves - it's outside of our jurisdiction, mandate, whatever. But sure as Rheinland is as corrupt as a treasure galleon full of shipworm, our homeland is full of fences for that vital Xenobyote and counter-Xenobyote intel. All those order and core records, parts, top-of-the-line systems... they'd go flooding into Unioner systems, next gen' designs, bespoke products for our clients - you name it, Kyle. Best part about it - it's all legit - putting that shady, shadowtech to an honest, out-there, useful purpose. Well, maybe not a totally nonviolent purpose. We're Unioners, sure, not all of it will go to space habitats and manufacturing plants one hundred percent of the time - but that's the beauty of it. The more you buy from us, the more of that booty you sell to us, the more what you buy from us improves.
Believe me, we're the best shipwrights in the sector. If those tight-suits put it to one use, we'll think of a hundred for the same hardware. Think of Kemwer Munitions - those energy field attenuators would make for killer secure transmission relays, long range sensors, nano-level metalworking, you name it. It's an open secret too that we've got an ex-Core hull snooping around with us - some replacement non-essential guideparts would be real useful for keeping that bucket voidproof.
Oh, and if you're talking about the Sirene?
Guess the people who told you are the Lane Hackers. They've been using the ship as a chance to stir up trouble and lie their way into claiming a bigger slice of the Rheinland-Liberty blackmarket. Boring. Between you and me? They can kiss my fat arsch'.
THE SYNDIC LEAGUES
(A co-operative of Rheinland's Shipping Unions, retired from a life of piracy.)
Good to see new faces popping on the comms when Gunda is apparently gone. It does show that afterall the Union didn't turn back on the Junkers afterall. Lets get to business, shall we?
The fact that the Union owns a Core Battlecruiser is no secret and I understand your need of resources to keep it alive. I can snitch from the Toledo Graveyard a few Core hulls platings, some wirings - stuff like that. Nobody will notice a thing as long as you keep things silent, yes? Afterall, it wouldn't be just the Junkers who would face the Core's fleets if such shady business pops on their scanners.
Regarding the monetary compensation...I can agree to some extent. 160,000,000...not much. You've got yourself a deal with that. I would like the "Hel"-Class Cruisers to be outfitted with standard weaponry - maybe something special of your own if you feel generous. Fighting Nomads is a challenge nowadays, let alone keeping a whole station safe while repairs take place as we speak.
Oh, and by the way. When were you folks going to tell me that Corin Frei was manipulating the Rogues? You are honestly so many secrets nowadays that I even wonder if you're not some of the Underworld's secret intelligence group.
Branchgroup: Unioners Hahn laughs the idea off, treating the question as an offtack aside. He doesn't directly deny the claim - you just get the impression he's the wrong person to query.
Yeah, the main trait about us, Kyle, is that we don't really do the 'keeping secrets' shennaningan. It's just not us. We're honest brokers in the underworld, by scars and experience. You ever try getting caught out in a lie by the Red Hessians, Coalition, Outcasts, or Corsairs? You'll get your body barbecued.
It makes us hard to lie about, too. There's lack of compromises to being honest - sure, you're not as machiavellian, but you end up being a known quantity. Rude? Yep. Rough-and-ready? Absolutely.
Yeah, we can throw in a 'special' package. We've jury-rigged a coupla' unique turret concepts using older tech. They'll work better than most weapons - even our own standard-issue cruiser guns, which - whilst everybody likes to tell'ya this - are absolutely top-notch gluon plasma smashers. I can unlock the keys to the tech vault - maybe even jank out some project Mauler specs', if you do something unique for us. Off-the-books.
You've got experience fighting the aliens. Here's the rub. About half of the crew of one of our ships has gone through major synaptic shock. We baited out a harsh beastie out there in the core worlds - yeah, we have nomads in the houses too - and they'll need treatment. Real treatment. From a group experienced with the aliens. If they don't get that help, they'll die - put blank.
We'll release you the mauler turret specs on top of the rest of the contract in return for you finding a hush-hush source of medical attention for our men. Feel me?
"Though the past is scarred and the future untold"
" Be the boot heavy, the vacuum cold."
"I of the Liga, do not fold" "For suits or saints or beggar's gold. Information-Recruitment-Message Dump-Feedback
It has been a while since I last heard from you; good to see you are alright and such. However, I can't say the same about your crew suffering from an encounter with the Nomads. I can arrange a meeting with The Order on this matter as long as you keep all this silent, got it? I don't want another incident like yesterday's convoy.
Lastly, prepare a shuttle - preferably a "Pelican" class transport to depart with those affected unionists. Your target is Tarancon and while it isn't the best station you will ever see, it has a dedicated scanner that detects any Infectee and such - don't ask me how it works, The Order mounted it for us, so it's our best bet to keep Tarancon clean. While you are on your way I'll talk with a friend or two - you know, arrange said medical examination and such. Just keep in mind that I'll sign you up as normal civilians to keep it "hush". Don't say I didn't warn you.
Oh and: you should be able to start building the first Hel cruiser. Saving up time is key around these parts. You do that and I'll do what I can on my side.
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