“I see her in the ESC corporate staff’s housing.” Kaya grumbled. “Try to learn what the 'someone' they are looking for did if you can. And who it is, I’d like to have a word. I’m on my way to the high port too, maybe I’ll manage to communicate with her if she has her comm’s still.”

In fact, she didn’t lose anymore time doing just that. “Rei, can you hear me? Cough once if you can’t speak right now.” Kaya was really hoping she’d be able to talk to her because as it was… she couldn’t leave the ship until Peri was on board…

In reply to Kaya Wilden (msg # 629):

On it

---

There is a pause.  Rei coughs once.

“Alright. I may tell you things you already know, but... Well, bear with me.” Kaya said to Rei, “Rokzi and Peri are on their way to the High Port, they're not too far behind you and apparently things went fine on their side. The something that happened on the outpost was completely unrelated to you all from what I'm told. That's the good news.”

“The bad news is that they're going to search you all once again. Which wouldn't be much of a problem except that they're going to find your comm' and we'd rather avoid that. Oh and you have a tracker too that you'll have to ditch too.” Kaya relayed the location of said tracker, “Do you think you can ditch them without being seen, or should we find another option?”

“One cough for you can, two for the 'other option'.”

In reply to Kaya Wilden (msg # 631):

Two coughs.

Wow.  That's maybe my most insightful post yet!

I am in awe. So much eloquence!

“Alright. Just to be clear, that plan involve us coming to help, right?” Kaya asked: she didn't think it likely, but for one reason or another Rei might have another idea.

While she kept an ear on Rei, Kaya opened her com' to Rokzi. “I've contacted Rei, she apparently can't talk right now and can't discreetly remove her com' and tracker. What's your ETA to the High Port?”

In reply to Kaya Wilden (msg # 633):

One cough.  Which you guess means "yes".

Rokzi buzzes back.  We're about to dock.  I'm gonna have Peri try to hack their security and see if she can set off the fire alarm.  I'm gonna try to get duck in during the confusion.

Anything you can do to add to the confusion would be appreciated.

ssrrss“I would have preferred not to, but…” Kaya sighed, “I know something I can do. Tell me when you want it. It won’t do much of anything for random guards, but at least their HQ should have their own worries. Just let me know when you want me to step on the anthill, I can do it anytime.”

While she flew closer to the planet, as if she was aiming there at a leisure pace but in such a way that she was going to find herself within the volume of space currently jammed, Kaya reopened her communication to Rei. “Alright Rei, Rokzi will be with you shortly. It’ll become lively soon enough, but don’t worry, that’s just us.”
This message was last edited by the player at 00:49, Fri 21 Apr 2023.

In reply to Kaya Wilden (msg # 635):

It takes an hour.

Rokzi buzzes you.  Go Chief

Yes.  Do go.  Whatcha gonna do?  Huh?  Whatcha gonna don?

“Alright, here goes nothing.” Was what Kaya transmitted, before she acted.

As if she had just noticed the jamming, she widely changed direction going to full military power. Which included all her weapons systems, sensors - which she used to swipe the entire area around her very…noisily - but more than that…it also included the targeting arrays. And as pretty much the only thing that could jam the area was the station, it was what she targeted and locked, seemingly ready to start poking holes at it.

“If whatever alarms they have to tell them they’re being locked doesn’t draw their attention…” Well, she had another thing to do, but she would need to get out of the jamming first.

In reply to Kaya Wilden (msg # 637):

Oooohhhh!  Saucy...

You get a response.

Gryffin...scans are showing you have locked your weapons on Station Y29-7.  This is a violation of the Barony's neutral status and an act of war.  You are being targeted by System Defense Arrays as we speak.  Power down and prepare to be boarded.

Rokzi whistles low on the secure line.  Wow...You don't do things half way, do ya?

Goin' in after our girl.  I'll ping you as soon as I can

Your scanners show four separate defense satellites have you targeted.  And it looks like two of the Baron's personal armada have changed course to come intercept you.

“You are at least right on one thing: this is either an act of war. Or of piracy I suppose. But you're being widely mistaken here about who's committing it.” Kaya answered the communication while adjusting her course to open up the range with the satellites, and updated her targets. At least as importantly, she made sure her telemetry was securely transmitted to both local and remote HQs now that she had left the jamming area.

“I will neither power down nor let you board anything. Locking weapons is at best a really unfriendly act, but nothing more. You however have jammed an Imperial Fleet vessel. It is an act of war. You will cease, and you will power down your weapons systems and prepare a full accounting as to what kind of brain-dead scheme that was. Know that my telemetry has been - and is being - transmitted and will support my claims.”

“If you get within range, I will use any means necessary, up to and including blowing your ships up. Do not test me on this, you do not have what it takes.”

In reply to Kaya Wilden (msg # 639):

There's a pause.  A new voice comes on.

Gryffin.  The jamming was not on our end.  You should already know that.

You WILL power down.  And you WILL accept boarding.

Otherwise, I'm fine with going to war.

You have 15 seconds to decide

On your secure channel.

Got her.  But still need to get out of the offices.  Heading that way now

Next time, I’ll post, then say 'sorry, I’m still here'…
I’ll answer for Ailith tomorrow, just wanted to have at least one post up.
And…sorry…

“Sec.” Kaya answered. Then transmitted to Rokzi. “Alright. At least that’s one thing that went right.” Now she just had to find a way to get away from that mess…

Coming back on the coms with the locals, she said, “Confirmed, I’m standing down.” She switched her targeting systems off. “I cannot have you board my ship though, I’m sure you can understand that. Best I can offer is give control to my second and surrender myself at the station while you sort out that mess.”

“Let’s not forget that my ship was jammed. I was merely acting to defend myself in the face of a possible pirate action.”

In reply to Kaya Wilden (msg # 641):

No worries.  RL happens.  And welcome back.

I do have to pull my notes on your games though to remember where we were.  I'll answer Kaya's post tomorrow

Thanks

In reply to Kaya Wilden (msg # 641):

There's a squawk on your comm and then...

"Stand down and turn over authority to your second.  Follow our coordinates exactly.  Come in with all shields and weapons powered down.

"You step off your ship, hands in the air. Then we'll talk."

The coordinates are bringing you into a berth on the high port.

I am assuming you are flying in and docking. But let me know if you are taking any steps before you land.

Thanks

You assume right, just that she’s going to wait a bit for Peri to take control.

“On my way.” Kaya answered, “Make sure my second gets access to wherever you want me to dock as I can’t leave the ship until she has taken control.” The young lieutenant cut the connection, followed the instruction she had been given and set the autopilot for the high port, then leaned back into her chair with a sigh, rubbing the edge of her nose.

“_{Well, that’s one fine mess for sure…}” But… Try as she might, she couldn’t think of any other way to protect Rei, and that was the most important. At least while her defence was obviously pure bullshit, it stayed within the realm of 'it might be true', so hopefully that would be enough.

Assuming she could sell it… For now though, she left the command chair and went around to make sure that there wasn’t anything obvious that would give the game away if a local officer came onboard to 'talk'. After all, she could refuse being boarded and searched, but if she also refused a simple 'visit', that would be way too suspicious and she didn’t need that at the moment.

Welcome back! I saw your note in the other game.

Hope things are going well.

I need to remind myself where we were in both your games.  So I will update this weekend.

Glad to have you back.  Thanks

Sorry for the delay.  I had to travel this weekend and was away from my notes.  I will look over them tomorrow and update.

Thanks for your patience

Hey,

No worries, there's no rush! Take however long you need!

Okay.  I think I'm back up to speed.  Just need to ask one clarifying question.

They wanted Kaya to step out of the ship.  Were you (Kaya) going to leave Perri in charge of the Gryffin and head out to the dock?

Or are you going to wait and see if they come aboard?

Thanks

Kaya will exit the ship as soon as Perri is on board: she wants to show good faith as it’s the only chance she has to put everything under the rug.

Oh and she’ll ask Perri and Rokzi to go over everything Rei found. They might as well keep busy in the meantime after all…

Got it.  Thanks

You watch your crew board and then quickly move to the airlock after giving Peri and Rokzi their orders.

Outside are a few soldiers of the Baron's military.  An officer is waiting for you with arms crossed.  She nods when you step onto the dock and gestures at a door at the far end.

"You're presence is being requested.  The Baron happens to be aboard.  He wants to talk to you directly."

I'll let you decide if you want to go or try to make a stink.  Looks like I need to update your game's cast list.  Will get on that.

Nope, no stink! Hopefully not even not yet at that!

Well, at least they weren’t putting her in handcuffs, that was something. Not that Kaya was terribly happy about the whole thing, but hopefully she’d be able to normalize things soon enough.

“Sure.” The young lieutenant agreed with a nod. Not like she could do anything else even if she had wanted to after all. “Do you know what happened with that whole jamming?” she asked as they began to walk to wherever the Baron was.

The officer just says, "We're looking into it."

She says it in such a way as to make it sound like they know what the jamming is about, but have been ordered not to say anything about it.

You're lead to an elevator and taken to the top most floor of the station.  This must be the bureaucratic core.  The people you pass all look like the Baron's soldiers or his paper pushers.  They all seem to be too preoccupied to pay much attention to you.

You're lead down a long hall to a conference room.  It's one of the bigger conference rooms.  A large window overlooking the system.  A nice, big shiny table made of what might be actual polished wood.

Your escorts motion you in, but don't follow.  The door swooshes shut behind you.

The Baron is seated at the table.  He's the only other one here.  At least that you can tell.

He doesn't look up.  Instead, he's studying a data cube's read out.  He stops and turns it off, then sits back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head, and offering you a big grin.

"So.  We meet again.  Care to tell me what's going on?"

“Baron.” Kaya nodded politely. “I must say I would like to know myself.” She shrugged. “I was in my office going over my paperwork,” she grimaced at that: of course she hadn’t been doing that, but… She did so far too often for her liking, “when alarms went off. I jumped to my chair to find out that I was being jammed. I locked and target painted the culprit, before finding out that it was this very station.”

“The rest, you know.” she shrugged…then frowned. “I obviously unlocked the station and stood down, as this had to be a mistake: I doubt you’re trying to start a war with the Empire after all. Still, I would like to know what I’m supposed to be putting in my report to explain the whole incident.”