Hope this doesn't step on any toes...
~~~
Seele Council Chambers, NERV Headquarters
Pavonis Arcology, Tharsis, Mars
23 December 3021 Inner Sphere Reckoning (alt. 2025)
“This final meeting before the 2025-“ Kazuo stopped himself. “My apologies. This final meeting before the 3021 Christmas Holiday, barring any special circumstance, will now convene.”
The council’s newest member started things off.
“I’ve finished going over the material we have available on the ‘BattleTech' universe,” stated Joseph Fenette. “As per my volunteering at our last meeting before the invasion, I studied both the source materials from this… um, our former universe as well as what has been uncovered thus far from the Catalog. As near as I can tell, we lucked out as far as locations where we could have ended up in this world.” He paused. “Before I continue – Alex, what is the status on that Star League medical data that was recovered from the Catalog?”
“It’s being dissected by all of our B-RAD personnel that aren’t already working on anything critical,” assured the Commander of NERV, Alex Xanatos. “Near as we can figure, the Girls must have appeared on some minor world prior to the Star League Civil War and basically downloaded whatever was on the local planetary version of the Internet before continuing on. You were saying, Joseph?”
“Yes, thank you. We lucked out in where we appeared. Our closest interstellar neighbor is the Outworlds Alliance, followed pretty much equally in distance by the Federated Suns and the Draconis Combine. The Alliance’s territory would actually be much closer to us than even Antallos was, but they lost more than three entire provinces in what is now called the Outworlds Wastes over the course of the three previous Succession Wars.
“Still, the presence of what is left of the Alliance acts as a sort of buffer between most major actions by the other two powers. House Avellar, the hereditary Presidents of the Parliament for the Outworlds Alliance, still claim those former provinces as their domain and oppose any actions they view as House Davion or House Kurita, the Great Houses ruling over the Federated Suns and the Draconis Combine, respectively, taking them over.”
“And yet they apparently have no grievances with any pirates who should choose to plunder them,” snarked Lana.
Jimmy snorted. “Of course not, darlin’. The blue bloods in the Alliance care more about the two wolf packs on their front lawn and posturing to them more than they care about the rabid dogs mauling the kids out back.”
Kazuo cleared his throat. “Yes, yes – Viva la Revolucion! boys and girls, but can we get back on topic, please?”
A chorus of “sorry” answered him.
“Ahem, anyway,” continued Joseph. “My point is that we are at just enough distance away from the Inner Sphere’s major powers to have some breathing room, but not enough that we will not receive any attention at all. Simply put, we need to be able to defend ourselves. And by ‘we,’ I mean both the Convention and everyone on Earth.”
“SMOFcon and the UN are talking about that already,” assured Biwa. “Right now, we need options and plans, both to present to the rest of the Convention and to carry out for ourselves.”
“Agreed,” said The O. “Which is what Mary and I have been working on.” He passed ou a small stack of manila folders to each councilperson. “These are some preliminary ideas we’ve been bouncing back and forth.”
Alex raised an eyebrow as he opened one folder labeled ‘Operation Le Fey’… and promptly shot the other one up as well. “You want to capture Camelot Command and bring it back here? Do you have any idea what kind of resources and… and… I can’t even begin to guess what doing something like this would take!”
“That’s why it’s more something to point out to the rest of the convention and see what prevailing opinion is,” Mary responded. “You have to admit, the facilities and the data it has would be invaluable to us all. The design for the holographic systems and Mark 38 drone fighters alone…”
Alex grunted noncommittally.
Kazuo was frowning over another folder. “’Operation Sweeper Group’?” he asked.
“That was a proposal from the Naval Division, actually,” said The O. “It’s another proposal to put before the convention as a whole. Commodore de la Vega wants both several of her own ships and those of other factions to begin a reconnaissance of the star systems immediately around the ISOT periphery.”
Alex piped in. “You want to use Barge? Are you serious?”
Barge was a project that predated the Boskone War. Started by the Gundam AC subfaction before they’d ever joined with the NERV Foundation, it was almost exactly what one would think – a recreation of the eight kilometer long mobile space station from the series. Unlike that version, however, the now NFV Barge was unarmed, most of it simply empty space, and was intended to be a support craft for future extrasolar colonization missions. Construction virtually halted during the war, but started up again following the subfaction’s joining the foundation as the core of STARS Naval Division.
What was being proposed was to use the station as a mobile supply depot and base of operations for whatever ships participated in Operation Sweeper Group.
“No, that’s Harry’s godfather,” quipped Biwa, who, unlike most of the others, was grinning at what she reading. She looked over at Mary. “You want to build the Libra? Really? I’ll admit, I’m intrigued.”
“That’s a long-term defense project I hope to propose to daneside nations,” admitted Mary. “I was actually inspired when I read about the Space Defense System from the Terran Hegemony’s era, so we could use that system as a proof-of-concept. It would require a lot of daneside cooperation because it would take a network of more than just two or so to be an effective defensive option.” She paused.”It also wouldn’t really be effective to have a superweapon particle cannon like the original. A VLS for anti-ship missiles is more likely.”
“Well, this is certainly going to take some time to go over,” Kazuo said, looking over the sheets in the folders he’d been handed. “I say we take the holiday to go over them and decide whether and what to submit to SMOFcon just before the New Year when we return.” He grinned. “’New year,’ heh, talk about a loaded statement.”
He got a few laughs. “Are there any more issues to be discussed or can we dismiss for dinner?”
Alex spoke up. “Actually, earlier today the Space Patrol asked us to temporarily use Hakone to house the dropship Distant Home and to offer a place of at least temporary sanctuary for her crew… and I agreed.”
Everyone started talking at once.
“URUSAI!” shouted Kazuo. After everyone had quited down, he turned to Alex. “Explain, please.”
Alex coughed. “The post-battle… debriefing of the pirates that were captured all indicate the same thing. The crew of the Distant Home – a mercenary group called the Buron Cavalry – were just that: mercenaries – and mercenaries with a surprising reputation for moralistic conduct, at that. The only reason they were in the attacking force at all seems to be that the asshole who sent said force hired out their jumpship – which was under separate ownership – right from under them, leaving them essentially stranded on Antallos; which, as we’ve all read the sourcebooks, is not a place for those with morals to make any kind of a prolonged visit.
“With this in mind, the GJ people turned affairs regarding Distant Home over to the Space Patrol. Since then, the Patrol has also been able to determine that Distant Home also never transmitted any… colorful messages as the others all did following Haruhi’s demand for a statement of intent. Simply put, as they were coerced into helping the pirates, there is not anything that the Buron Cavalry can be charged with.”
Alex took a breath. “They are, however, essentially stranded in the Sol System. Great Justice and the United Nations have impounded all of the jumpships. Everyone in the Buron Cavalry is now SOL… unless someone helps them.”
“Just what are you proposing?” asked Mary.
“Until such a time as the members of the Buron Cavalry can find and accept another means out of the system, I propose that the foundation hire them to both train our STARS and…” he looked down at the stack of folders in front of him. “And, if a plan such as Sweeper Group is approved, assist in whatever ways they are capable.”
“Essentially,” said Jimmy, grinning as he figured out why Alex had accepted the Patrol’s request without asking all of them first. “You wanna hire out one of the few merc groups with morals out there on a semi-permanent basis, simultaneously increasing our own defensive abilities while decreasing any potentially enemies possibilities of increasing their own.”
Alex looked away. “I never said any of that.”
The O snickered. “You never denied it, either.”
“I wonder if there’s still time to get you some Gendo glasses for Christmas?” Lana continued.
“Or maybe that Treize outfit de la Vega is always harping on about?” mock-mused Jimmy.
“Ha. Ha. Ha.” He deadpanned.
Kazuo chuckled. “This meeting is adjurned.”
~~~
Seele Council Chambers, NERV Headquarters
Pavonis Arcology, Tharsis, Mars
23 December 3021 Inner Sphere Reckoning (alt. 2025)
“This final meeting before the 2025-“ Kazuo stopped himself. “My apologies. This final meeting before the 3021 Christmas Holiday, barring any special circumstance, will now convene.”
The council’s newest member started things off.
“I’ve finished going over the material we have available on the ‘BattleTech' universe,” stated Joseph Fenette. “As per my volunteering at our last meeting before the invasion, I studied both the source materials from this… um, our former universe as well as what has been uncovered thus far from the Catalog. As near as I can tell, we lucked out as far as locations where we could have ended up in this world.” He paused. “Before I continue – Alex, what is the status on that Star League medical data that was recovered from the Catalog?”
“It’s being dissected by all of our B-RAD personnel that aren’t already working on anything critical,” assured the Commander of NERV, Alex Xanatos. “Near as we can figure, the Girls must have appeared on some minor world prior to the Star League Civil War and basically downloaded whatever was on the local planetary version of the Internet before continuing on. You were saying, Joseph?”
“Yes, thank you. We lucked out in where we appeared. Our closest interstellar neighbor is the Outworlds Alliance, followed pretty much equally in distance by the Federated Suns and the Draconis Combine. The Alliance’s territory would actually be much closer to us than even Antallos was, but they lost more than three entire provinces in what is now called the Outworlds Wastes over the course of the three previous Succession Wars.
“Still, the presence of what is left of the Alliance acts as a sort of buffer between most major actions by the other two powers. House Avellar, the hereditary Presidents of the Parliament for the Outworlds Alliance, still claim those former provinces as their domain and oppose any actions they view as House Davion or House Kurita, the Great Houses ruling over the Federated Suns and the Draconis Combine, respectively, taking them over.”
“And yet they apparently have no grievances with any pirates who should choose to plunder them,” snarked Lana.
Jimmy snorted. “Of course not, darlin’. The blue bloods in the Alliance care more about the two wolf packs on their front lawn and posturing to them more than they care about the rabid dogs mauling the kids out back.”
Kazuo cleared his throat. “Yes, yes – Viva la Revolucion! boys and girls, but can we get back on topic, please?”
A chorus of “sorry” answered him.
“Ahem, anyway,” continued Joseph. “My point is that we are at just enough distance away from the Inner Sphere’s major powers to have some breathing room, but not enough that we will not receive any attention at all. Simply put, we need to be able to defend ourselves. And by ‘we,’ I mean both the Convention and everyone on Earth.”
“SMOFcon and the UN are talking about that already,” assured Biwa. “Right now, we need options and plans, both to present to the rest of the Convention and to carry out for ourselves.”
“Agreed,” said The O. “Which is what Mary and I have been working on.” He passed ou a small stack of manila folders to each councilperson. “These are some preliminary ideas we’ve been bouncing back and forth.”
Alex raised an eyebrow as he opened one folder labeled ‘Operation Le Fey’… and promptly shot the other one up as well. “You want to capture Camelot Command and bring it back here? Do you have any idea what kind of resources and… and… I can’t even begin to guess what doing something like this would take!”
“That’s why it’s more something to point out to the rest of the convention and see what prevailing opinion is,” Mary responded. “You have to admit, the facilities and the data it has would be invaluable to us all. The design for the holographic systems and Mark 38 drone fighters alone…”
Alex grunted noncommittally.
Kazuo was frowning over another folder. “’Operation Sweeper Group’?” he asked.
“That was a proposal from the Naval Division, actually,” said The O. “It’s another proposal to put before the convention as a whole. Commodore de la Vega wants both several of her own ships and those of other factions to begin a reconnaissance of the star systems immediately around the ISOT periphery.”
Alex piped in. “You want to use Barge? Are you serious?”
Barge was a project that predated the Boskone War. Started by the Gundam AC subfaction before they’d ever joined with the NERV Foundation, it was almost exactly what one would think – a recreation of the eight kilometer long mobile space station from the series. Unlike that version, however, the now NFV Barge was unarmed, most of it simply empty space, and was intended to be a support craft for future extrasolar colonization missions. Construction virtually halted during the war, but started up again following the subfaction’s joining the foundation as the core of STARS Naval Division.
What was being proposed was to use the station as a mobile supply depot and base of operations for whatever ships participated in Operation Sweeper Group.
“No, that’s Harry’s godfather,” quipped Biwa, who, unlike most of the others, was grinning at what she reading. She looked over at Mary. “You want to build the Libra? Really? I’ll admit, I’m intrigued.”
“That’s a long-term defense project I hope to propose to daneside nations,” admitted Mary. “I was actually inspired when I read about the Space Defense System from the Terran Hegemony’s era, so we could use that system as a proof-of-concept. It would require a lot of daneside cooperation because it would take a network of more than just two or so to be an effective defensive option.” She paused.”It also wouldn’t really be effective to have a superweapon particle cannon like the original. A VLS for anti-ship missiles is more likely.”
“Well, this is certainly going to take some time to go over,” Kazuo said, looking over the sheets in the folders he’d been handed. “I say we take the holiday to go over them and decide whether and what to submit to SMOFcon just before the New Year when we return.” He grinned. “’New year,’ heh, talk about a loaded statement.”
He got a few laughs. “Are there any more issues to be discussed or can we dismiss for dinner?”
Alex spoke up. “Actually, earlier today the Space Patrol asked us to temporarily use Hakone to house the dropship Distant Home and to offer a place of at least temporary sanctuary for her crew… and I agreed.”
Everyone started talking at once.
“URUSAI!” shouted Kazuo. After everyone had quited down, he turned to Alex. “Explain, please.”
Alex coughed. “The post-battle… debriefing of the pirates that were captured all indicate the same thing. The crew of the Distant Home – a mercenary group called the Buron Cavalry – were just that: mercenaries – and mercenaries with a surprising reputation for moralistic conduct, at that. The only reason they were in the attacking force at all seems to be that the asshole who sent said force hired out their jumpship – which was under separate ownership – right from under them, leaving them essentially stranded on Antallos; which, as we’ve all read the sourcebooks, is not a place for those with morals to make any kind of a prolonged visit.
“With this in mind, the GJ people turned affairs regarding Distant Home over to the Space Patrol. Since then, the Patrol has also been able to determine that Distant Home also never transmitted any… colorful messages as the others all did following Haruhi’s demand for a statement of intent. Simply put, as they were coerced into helping the pirates, there is not anything that the Buron Cavalry can be charged with.”
Alex took a breath. “They are, however, essentially stranded in the Sol System. Great Justice and the United Nations have impounded all of the jumpships. Everyone in the Buron Cavalry is now SOL… unless someone helps them.”
“Just what are you proposing?” asked Mary.
“Until such a time as the members of the Buron Cavalry can find and accept another means out of the system, I propose that the foundation hire them to both train our STARS and…” he looked down at the stack of folders in front of him. “And, if a plan such as Sweeper Group is approved, assist in whatever ways they are capable.”
“Essentially,” said Jimmy, grinning as he figured out why Alex had accepted the Patrol’s request without asking all of them first. “You wanna hire out one of the few merc groups with morals out there on a semi-permanent basis, simultaneously increasing our own defensive abilities while decreasing any potentially enemies possibilities of increasing their own.”
Alex looked away. “I never said any of that.”
The O snickered. “You never denied it, either.”
“I wonder if there’s still time to get you some Gendo glasses for Christmas?” Lana continued.
“Or maybe that Treize outfit de la Vega is always harping on about?” mock-mused Jimmy.
“Ha. Ha. Ha.” He deadpanned.
Kazuo chuckled. “This meeting is adjurned.”
“In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
“They opened up a can’a dumbass!” – Jon Stewart regarding Fox News, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.” – Harvey Fierstein
“They opened up a can’a dumbass!” – Jon Stewart regarding Fox News, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.” – Harvey Fierstein