Briefing texts (WiH)

The following information has not been confirmed by Volition and is therefore not canon for the FreeSpace universe.

BLUE PLANET 2: WAR IN HEAVEN MISSION INFORMATION

COMPILED BY: AdmiralRalwood

EMAIL: [email protected]

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WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the following storylines: Blue Planet: Age of Aquarius and Blue Planet: War in Heaven

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Intro

Artemis Station

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No briefings or debriefings, although there is a text file that looks like it may have been intended to be a fiction viewer entry read before this cutscene, at one point. Its contents are included below:

In a time such as this, it is perhaps best if we start from the beginning.

So I shall begin.

It was never made clear who fired the first shot. Nor was it clear who declared war on whom. It does not matter now, for neither side is blameless. On one side was a nation on the brink of collapse, fighting for a symbol to bring its people together. On the other side, a federation fighting for the right to exist. Are these two sides so different from each other?

The biggest tragedy of the war was how preventable it was. Admiral Morian's pride called for our ships to stand down and surrender. Captain Leceister's pride required that his battle frigate respond to these calls with violence. Ego dictated that the loss of the Renjian must not go unpunished, and that these Galactic Terran aggressors would be forcibly ejected from our space.

Everything we had worked for as a society over the past fifty years, ignored and discarded at a time when it was needed the most. We traded words for violence, and reason for emotion.

Though we know how considerably the war changed GTVA society, it is less known how much of our own society had changed. The military had been steadily decreasing in funding and prestige ever since the socialist and humanist Council of Elders became the ruling party. At the start of war, the military underwent a boost in funding not seen since the beginning of the Terran-Vasudan war.

Little of human nature changes in fifty years, and the military soon grew proud. By the time we realised that we had become little better than the GTA, it was too late.

Martin Mandho
Excerpt from manuscript 'The Death of Ubuntu'

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Act 1: Chrysalis

The Cost of War

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FICTION VIEWER

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

Entry Four

I feel a sudden and overwhelming need to write in this damn thing. I haven't touched it since the academy, but recent events are making it abundantly clear that I might not be around much longer. I want to leave something behind...something more tangible than the scraps Mom and Dad left when their time came.

We're hearing rumors that the 'raid' on Jupiter yesterday was something bigger. That the Tevs routed Calder's Third Fleet and landed on Ganymede, Callisto, and Io. It seems impossible. Calder is a rock, a titan. We thought he was unbreakable.

All the off-shift personnel are huddled around their feeds, waiting for updates, from the Elders, from Admiral Byrne, even from the Tevs. Someone in the Kingmakers' bunkroom is crying into his pillow. Half of me wants to go comfort him, and the other half just wants him to shut up.

The war felt so far away until now. I know it was real for the Jovians: eighteen months of bloody raids and frantic jumps as Third Fleet and the Tevs played subspace speed chess on the fringes of the system. But not two weeks ago Admiral Calder told us that the Tevs wanted a slow war of attrition, so they could capture our worlds with minimum loss of life. We all nodded and talked about how much sense it made, but I think we just wanted it to be true.

Admiral Byrne and the Elders want to keep First Fleet in Earth orbit as a 'strategic deterrent' but I think they'll have to deploy fighters to help the Jovian retreat. That means I'll see combat.

I guess I'm afraid. I keep flashing back to that damn coroner's report. The way Dad's lungs looked. Burnt tofu.

I was trained for this. Uncle Manuel and Kassim will keep me safe. And if I die, it'll be quick, and something will be waiting for me.

But what if I don't die? What if I go out there, and I kill a few Tevs, and then I go have a drink with Kassim and we laugh about it?

I was raised with Ubuntu. I'm no steely frontier Jovian like Calder, nor a hot-blooded Martian - I'm an Earther, as soft as fish-belly and taught to value the life of every damn roach in the ship's laundry. In the academy they taught us to treat the enemy as an object, a piece of machinery. But every time I do that, I'm giving up a piece of my soul.

I've thought about going to the combat psych about all this, but I'm not going to risk it. Getting cleared for flight was hard enough. Between my parents, my low aggression profile, and that one long-standing issue we don't talk about...I'm really kind of a basket case. This could put me over the edge.

And so I wonder...if I come back in one piece, am I really going to be in one piece?

COMMAND BRIEFING 1

UED Solaris
UEF First Fleet
9/27/86

This is Admiral Byrne. Give me your ears.

I will be plain with you. The rumors you have heard are correct.

After an eighteen-month stand, Jupiter has fallen to the GTVA. The Jovian Systems Republic issued an unconditional surrender at 2330. Admiral Calder's Third Fleet has been routed.

Alliance marines are now landing on Ganymede. The Jovian government, under threat of orbital bombardment, has agreed to cooperate.

COMMAND BRIEFING 2

The details of the Fall of Jupiter are available for your inspection on FleetNet.

For now, know this. The GTVA has committed to total war.

At 0330 yesterday the front-line destroyers Atreus and Imperieuse, under Admiral Chiwetel Steele, transited the Delta Serpentis node. These ships and their battle groups carried out the attack on Jupiter at 0700. Steele himself personally captured Artemis Station, before scorched-earth protocols could be enacted.

By capturing Jupiter's gate network and civilian infrastructure intact, Steele has accomplished what Admiral Cyrus Severanti could not: he has given the GTVA the logistical footing for full-scale war.

COMMAND BRIEFING 3

I ask all of you to trust in the strategy set out by the Council of Elders. We will maintain our defensive posture until a diplomatic solution to the war can be achieved.

We have a more immediate task, however. Third Fleet's survivors need our help. At 2335, Fleet Admiral Calder issued the order for a full-scale retreat to Mars. Warships and strike craft from the Imperieuse and Atreus battle groups are pursuing these survivors, as well as any civilian convoys that have refused the no-fly order.

As Second Fleet Mars fends off raids from the Hood, Carthage, and Meridian, I will deploy our squadrons to cover the retreat of civilians and Third Fleet from Jupiter space.

Flight operations commence immediately.

COMMAND BREIFING 4

Remember this. The GTVA wants our worlds and our infrastructure intact. They hope to break our fighting spirit, or to draw us into a foolish offensive.

We will remain implacable and unmoved, and so stymie them. Ubuntu gives us that strength.

Fleet Admiral Robert Byrne
Military Representative to the Council of Elders
UED Solaris

COMMAND BREIFING 5

FLEETNET COMMUNIQUE
SENDER: Flight Lieutenant Manuel Brie

Noemi, it's Brie.

You know what's happening out there. You've been trained, you've flown patrols. You're ready.

I want you to trust yourself. Yes, your psych profile makes you look like a lamb, and Kassim has his discipline issues, but the two of you have aptitude scores better than most of First Fleet. There's a reason I asked for you two in my wing.

You can fly like no one I've seen. Our Uhlans can match any fighter the Tevs have. The two of you will survive. And I've got a few tricks up my sleeve myself.

Captain Telfer is about to pass on our frag orders. Get to the ready room. If you need to throw up, do it before we launch.

BRIEFING 1

Eyes up, pilots. If you're a newcomer or a reservist, welcome aboard. I'm Captain Telfer, squadron leader of the 170th Fighting Navajas.

I've been authorized to confirm that the Jovian capital at Ganymede has fallen. The Tevs have Artemis Station, the scorched earth program failed, and the gate system and the Jovian comm net are under their control.

Admiral Byrne has ordered the Solaris to deploy its squadrons to cover the Jovian retreat. Deck crews are running final prep on our Uhlans right now. We'll be airborne in twenty minutes.

BRIEFING 2

Scattered tactical reports are still coming in from Jupiter. Admiral Calder's flagship Toutatis escaped Ganymede and is rallying all surviving Jovian fleet assets for a retreat to Mars. Hundreds of civilian ships are also fleeing the Tev advance.

Admiral Byrne has agreed to deploy Solaris fighter wings to cover this exodus, but major First and Second Fleet assets will remain at Earth and Mars.

These are our fragment orders. Gamma wing will escort the battered UEFg Rhineland. Cosoleto, your Beta wing is on standby. Brie, your Alpha wing will deploy to the asteroid belt to cover a civilian convoy that didn't make Calder's rendezvous.

BRIEFING 3

This convoy of civilian sublight transports escaped the fall of Artemis Station. the UEC Ironhide and UEC Suffron are providing escort. Alpha, you will provide area defense against Tev strike wings. Hostile skirmishers have already engaged the convoy, and more firepower is likely on the way.

The civilian ships have no jump drives, so they're fleeing Jupiter space via the intrasystem gate network. Last transmission puts them between Belt Gate 42 and Mars-Belt Gate 3, on the inner curve of the asteroid belt.

BRIEFING 4

Many of you have never seen combat. This is not drone practice and you are not shooting at objects. You will be tangling with ruthless, intelligent enemy pilots. The civilians in your care are husbands, wives, and children. Every ship you lose to the Tevs means more people who will never see their loved ones again.

This is a terrifying responsibility, but an honour afforded to few. Are you clear on this? Good. Bring those people home.

BRIEFING 5

One minute, Ensign Laporte. It's Brie.

Before he died, your father asked me to give you his namkha to carry on your first proper sortie. He was never a spiritual person, unlike your mother, and my sister and your father came to odds enough times over it. But he believed in this article, and that was enough for him.

No more standing on the sidelines, Noemi. You're about to be thrown into the thick of this war. I hope you're ready for it.

DEBRIEFING 1

Welcome back, Alpha wing. You brought both your rooks home, Brie. Good work.

Latest reports from Mars indicate that the Ironhide, Suffron and the rest of the convoy arrived safe and intact. Reports show significant losses of Jovian forces during the retreat and word's going round that Admiral Calder is furious with Admiral Byrne for not providing reinforcements during the GTVA attack.

All outbound communications from Jupiter have ceased following the GalTev occupation of Ganymede, and we've lost control of the regional intrasystem gate network. All scheduled civilian traffic to the area has been cancelled. All in all, it looks like we've lost the entire Jovian system to the GTVA.

Besides that, you all did well out there, pilots. Though things are looking grim for us, we all need to do our own little bit to help.

Take five to get some water and stims if you need them. There's a combat psych waiting to triage you. When you're done, get back to your birds. The remnants of the Jovian Rim Fleet are still trickling in, and we need to give them cover.

Expect another sortie inside the hour. We'll remember Gamma's pilots when we get the chance.

RECOMMENDATION 1

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

It felt...good. Like I'd been doing it my whole life. Like I'd found the place I'm meant to be. The fact that that realization came at the moment when I first took a life is slightly horrifying.

Kassim talks tough, but he came out of his cockpit and threw up all over the deck. I don't think he knows I saw.

I don't understand why it felt so good.

DEBRIEFING 2

Welcome back, Alpha wing. You brought both your rooks home, Brie. Good work.

Latest reports from Mars indicate that the surviving ships of the convoy arrived intact. Reports show significant losses of Jovian forces during the retreat and word's going round that Admiral Calder is furious with Admiral Byrne for not providing reinforcements during the GTVA attack.

All outbound communications from Jupiter have ceased following the GalTev occupation of Ganymede, and we've lost control of the regional intrasystem gate network. All scheduled civilian traffic to the area has been cancelled. All in all, it looks like we've lost the entire Jovian system to the GTVA.

Things are looking bad for us. We thought things were tough before, but everything's about to get a whole lot worse. This war has finally come home, and we need to prepare for it however we can.

Take five to get some water and stims if you need them. There's a combat psych waiting to triage you. When you're done, get back to your birds. The remnants of the Jovian Rim Fleet are still trickling in, and we need to give them cover.

Expect another sortie inside the hour. We'll remember Gamma's pilots when we get the chance.

RECOMMENDATION 2

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

We lost ships out there. People died. I killed people, too.

It felt...good. Like I'd been doing it my whole life. Like I'd found the place I'm meant to be. The fact that that realization came at the moment when I first took a life is slightly horrifying.

Kassim talks tough, but he came out of his cockpit and threw up all over the deck. I don't think he knows I saw.

I don't understand why I feel so good when so many people died.

DEBRIEFING 3

What happened out there today was a tragedy of immeasurable scope. The Tevs butchered the convoy like lambs in a slaughterhouse. Hundreds of civilians are dead, and Admiral Calder has lodged an official complaint to Admiral Byrne regarding your wing's performance out there. Manuel Brie, as wing leader you must take responsibility for today's poor performance. The nature of your disciplinary action will be revealed later on. Consider this a warning that from now on, such a poor show will not be tolerated in this squadron.

Reports show significant losses of Jovian forces during the retreat and word's going round that Admiral Calder is furious with Admiral Byrne for not providing reinforcements during the GTVA attack.

All outbound communications from Jupiter have ceased following the GalTev occupation of Ganymede, and we've lost control of the regional intrasystem gate network. All scheduled civilian traffic to the area has been cancelled. All in all, it looks like we've lost the entire Jovian system to the GTVA.

Things are looking bad for us. We thought things were tough before, but everything's about to get a whole lot worse. This war has finally come home, and we need to prepare for it however we can.

Take five to get some water and stims if you need them. There's a combat psych waiting to triage you. When you're done, get back to your birds. The remnants of the Jovian Rim Fleet are still trickling in, and we need to give them cover.

Expect another sortie inside the hour. We'll remember Gamma's pilots when we get the chance.

RECOMMENDATION 3

Prioritize hostile bombers. Remember, you can use the last wave's predicted jump-in location to position yourself.

If your hull is low, call in a support ship for hull repairs and recharge.

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Collateral Damage

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BRIEFING 1

All right, Alpha, you've had your twenty minutes and you're up again.

Flight ops to cover Third Fleet's retreat from Jupiter are ongoing. The Saracens just brought in the cruisers Segura and Tripoli, but the Kingmakers lost six haulers to GTVA skirmishers. As for the Navajas, Cosoleto and Beta wing are launching as we speak to cover evac operations at the Jovian storm platforms.

Alpha, you'll be deployed to investigate a possible misjump site for two MIA warships, the frigate Akula and heavy frigate Ranvir. These are strategically critical assets. We need our artillery intact to deter a massive GTVA attack on Earth.

BREIFING 2

Seven minutes ago, the survivors of Third Fleet's FrigRon Charlie and TacArt Bravo made a crash jump away from Europa orbit under massive bomber attack. Recon vectored their transit along the ecliptic north, but failed to make an exact fix. We've received no signal from them since. It's possible they're running under EMCON while they compute new jump coordinates, or that they were disabled by the crash jump.

Deploy to their best-guess exit point and commence a sweep by short-range subspace hops. Find those warships before the Tevs do, and call for repair teams if need be. Bring them in intact.

BRIEFING 3

Remote sensor platforms have vectored a corvette pack from the GTD Hood's battle group sweeping the area. It's possible, though unlikely, that they've found the two frigates.

Given the pressing need to cover dozens of Jovian convoys that the GTVA sees as military targets, we have limited forces available to engage these corvettes. The 12th Shuduhune will be standing by to strike GTVA warship targets, but it cannot be deployed unless absolutely critical.

Admiral Calder of Third Fleet wants us to cut convoy escort and focus on saving warship assets, but Admiral Byrne is committed to civilian safety. Do the best you can with what you have.

DEBRIEFING 1

Welcome back from your second sortie, Alpha. You're home early. Flight Lieutenant Cosoleto and Beta wing are still aloft.

I understand your mission was unsuccessful. I've reviewed your wing leader's flight records - thank you for the precis, Brie - and it is my conclusion that there was nothing you could have done to save the Ranvir and Akula.

You faced a highly coordinated Tev attack that played to all their strengths. It would have taken a major force commitment to save those frigates, and, regrettably, those forces were unavailable.

We will remember the eight thousand crew of the Ranvir and the Akula at tonight's Ceremony of the Fallen.

The Jovian retreat is winding down, and the last stragglers of Third Fleet are either safe in Martian space or already dead. Given that flight operations are slowing down, I want each of you to see a combat psych before your next sortie.

I need my Alpha wing in good shape. Don't start second-guessing yourselves - you did everything right today. I'll certainly be relying on all of you to continue your good flying over the next few days. This war has finally come home, and we need to prepare for it however we can.

RECOMMENDATION 1

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

That combat rush hasn't gone away. But I see the Ranvir coming apart every time I close my eyes.

Elation and horror, all at once. Feels like whiplash.

What am I going to tell the psych? 'Help me, I thought I was a good person, but I like to kill?'

DEBRIEFING 2

I've also reviewed your report on the 12th Shuduhune's attack on Serkr Team. That squadron was held in reserve specifically for the chance to take out those corvettes, but it seems they weren't enough.

Serkr is a specially fitted combat team using sprint jump drives, sophisticated active armor, and modified weapons. They report directly to Admiral Steele, the man who took Jupiter. I'm sure the Admiralty will explore options on how to pin them down and nullify that threat, but at the moment, it's not our concern.

DEBRIEFING 3

I'm off to a squadron leaders' briefing. The Tevs have been deploying a hunter-killer corvette team called Serkr - advanced warships with sprint drives, heavy beams, modified weapons and active armor. Be glad you didn't see them today. They wiped out most of the 12th Shuduhune in a failed gunship strike.

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Post Meridian

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FICTION VIEWER

On sun-baked red clay, beside the serpentine trickle from the garden hose, the ants are making war. Little Noemi crouches, dirty-handed, scuffed and stained, and watches the red and black colonies do battle.

"I want them to stop fighting," she tells her friend.

*You could make that happen.*

Noemi scrunches up her brow in perturbed concentration. "They should all just go back to their hills and make things. There's plenty of room for all of them."

*If only. That's rarely the way of things, I've found.*

"Why do they hate each other?"

*Oh, child, if you knew how many times I've asked...*

Noemi fingers the halved husk of a dead ant. "It's a waste that he died. He could have gone back to his hill and made...made...a bowling alley out of caterpillar teeth."

*It's a she. And I don't know if caterpillars have teeth...*

After a moment's more thought, the girl stands, her face resolute. "They have to stop fighting. It's pointless. What do I do to stop it, Ken?"

*Who do you want to win?*

She frowns. "I want them both to win."

*That can't happen.*

Her lip trembles, perhaps with anger, perhaps with imminent tears. "Why?"

*It is the way of things. You must choose.*

"Well. that's not fair!" she snaps. "I like them both! The red ones and the black ones!"

*Noemi, this is something you must learn if you are to be like me: sometimes we must destroy in order to preserve.*

She stands there for a long while in silence. She does not cry. The sun crawls lower and draws her shadow across the line of the garden hose and the skirmishes of the ants, like a veil of powdered onyx.

"Noemi!" her mother calls from the house. "It's dinner! Your father made sashila!"

*The time to choose, then. I made this choice once. Yours will be harder than mine.*

"Noemi!"

"The red ants are my favorite," little Noemi says, and she lifts one foot. When she is done at the battlefield she follows the stream of black ants back to their hill, the garden hose trailing behind her and making little nooses in the grass.

The sashila is good, but over dinner, her parents cannot make her say one word.

COMMAND BRIEFING 1

*** Intercepted Transmission ***
Decryption Code: 4433-ssd212-64lo960
Broadcast Timestamp: 2386-9-27 1947 GST

GTVA forces today drove Federation forces from Jupiter, gaining control of the system capital at Ganymede. Admiral Severanti, the military commander of the battlegroup currently stationed in Sol, described this outcome as 'an important victory for our forces, and a step towards the final liberation of Earth.' Earlier, Secretary-General Toqueville gave a speech to the General Assembly, citing this recent action as the beginning of the closing stages of the civil war:

'The illegitimate ruling power in Sol has entered its twilight. Our forces have worked hard, and at great cost, to win back Earth, but we will never falter in our struggle now that our goal is finally in sight.'

COMMAND BRIEFING 2

*** FORWARDED COMMUNIQUE ***

To the officers and crew of the Home Fleet,

I thank you for your hard work and dedication over the past few days. I know that it has not been easy dealing with the current influx of refugees, wounded and traffic in the aftermath of the GTVA invasion of the Jovian System Republic. Your continued dedication to the service of humanity will be both counted upon and gratefully appreciated in the next few days. All I ask is for each of you to continue the fight on the Jovians' behalf, so that we may prevail against the enemy.

The remnants of the Jovian Rim Fleet have taken up shelter in Mars orbit, where they will be repaired and their crews rested. The Jovian System Republic has fought bravely ever since this war started, and now they continue to fight alongside us against those who wish to undo all the good we have achieved over the past fifty years.

Our hearts and minds are with the people of the Jovian Republic.

Admiral Byrne
Commanding Officer, UED Solaris, Home Fleet

COMMAND BRIEFING 3

*** Video comms received. Sender: Enabran Kassim. Receive? Y/N

Hey Laporte, are you there? Those Tev bastards bombed Luna! Switch on your feed as soon as you get this. They say that a bunch of domes have been hit hard. Casualties are running into the tens of thousands and civil emergency systems have been overwhelmed. Damn them all to hell! There was no reason for them to bomb the domes, none at all! They say the attack was aimed at industrial plants, broadcast centers, Ubuntu headquarters...they must have known how many people they'd kill.

Look, I don't know if you knew anyone at Luna or not. It doesn't matter. They've gone too far: it was different when it was the Jovians getting their noses bled. Luna is one of the biggest colonies we've got outside Earth. This is just...wrong.

Beeper from Brie. Captain Telfer wants to give us our orders. I'll see you in the briefing room.

BRIEFING 1

Early this morning the GTVA launched simultaneous bomber attacks against targets on Luna and Mars. Nuclear detonations have been reported at several Lunar domes as well as Bradbury and Pavonis Mons Spaceport on Mars. Sixteen Belt mining operations have dropped out of contact. Attacks are still ongoing, and casualties number in the tens of thousands.

These attacks on civilians violate normal Tev rules of engagement. Intel believes that the General Terran Assembly has activated the Total War contingency of the Beta Aquilae Convention. Any civilian target involved in the war effort is now fair game.

So far there have been no attacks on Earth itself. That could change.

BRIEFING 2

Subspace tracking has vectored the attacking squadrons to the GTD Meridian, flagship of Admiral Cyrus Severanti. Admiral Byrne has made her our next prime target. The 170th Navajas will take a key role in operations against this destroyer. We will strike while she is still recovering her squadrons.

BRIEFING 3

Ideally we'd deploy a destroyer for a direct engagement, but sending in the Solaris or the Eris would leave Earth or Mars wide open. The Toutatis is still undergoing repairs at Mars.

Admiral Byrne has therefore committed a frigate strike group to take out the destroyer. The Navajas will provide primary fighter cover for the attack.

Because First Fleet's strength must be conserved, Byrne has expressed reluctance to deploy more than one frigate on this op. Admiral Netreba of Second Fleet has loaned us his prize frigate, the Indus, in exchange for tactical command. This is therefore a joint op with the Martians.

BRIEFING 4

Alpha and Beta will provide space superiority so that Delta wing from the 271st Gunship Squadron can disable the Meridian's beam cannons. The Meridian is launching and recovering fighters at a rapid pace, so its screen should be stretched thin.

Captain Sorensen will be calling the shots on the UEFg Indus, accompanied by Captain Harwood's UEFg Churchill from First Fleet.

Admiral Byrne has tagged a number of assets to support this operation, including the cruiser Vilnius and a pair of Durga bombers. They'll be called in if the situation warrants.

BRIEFING 5

The Meridian's battle group is not a front-line GTVA formation. The Hecate is an aging carrier design, ill-suited to direct combat against warships, and her escorts also lack the killing power of newer Tev warships. Nonetheless, their beam weapons are more than adequate to neutralize two frigates. We will have to rely on good fighter tactics to cripple their weapons.

Keep those gunships safe until they deliver their payload.

BRIEFING 6

Intel is curious as to why the normally cautious Severanti has extended himself so far. Perhaps he's trying to match Steele's recent gains and regain some favor in the eyes of his political masters.

But Severanti is not a fool, and he will have anticipated retaliation against his ship. Hit those fighters with the force of a three-ton hammerblow and his squadrons shouldn't be able to recover from the shock, let alone return to their home ship in time to defend it. Morale here is low: we need this victory. You do this right, and you'll be the envy of all other fighter squadrons in the Home Fleet.

DEBRIEFING 1

Our attempted strike against the Meridian was a failure. Admiral Byrne has expressed personal regret that he did not commit more forces to this attack. We had a chance to drive a Tev destroyer out of the theater for at least several weeks, and possibly even destroy it. However, the opposition was too stiff.

The loss of the Indus is a tragedy. That frigate was both an icon and a valuable asset. Captain Sorenson was one of Two Fleet's best, a seasoned veteran always ready for risky assignment. He will be missed.

You cannot be held responsible for the failure of the strike. The Tev forces you faced were well-coordinated, well-supplied, and skilled. However, Captain Lorna Simms, formerly of the Indus, has been agitating for disciplinary action against your wing, and I'm afraid she is being listened to. You will be transferred to rear-area duty, flying depot patrols from the Solaris.

Your wingmate Kassim has been placed on psychological leave. He wished to pass on a personal message, which I have forwarded to you.

Good luck on your next assignment, pilot. Be glad you won't be on the front lines again. The war is going poorly, and with the Meridian still out there launching strikes on Luna, the Elders are considering surrender in order to save civilian lives.

RECOMMENDATION 1

If you're having trouble surviving the initial dogfight, simply attack the Meridian's forward beams. You should be able to destroy them on your own.

Destroy Aquarius wing before it Trebuchets your gunships.

DEBRIEFING 2

Our attempted strike against the Meridian was a failure. Admiral Byrne has expressed personal regret that he did not commit more forces to this attack. We had a chance to drive a Tev destroyer out of the theater for at least several weeks, and possibly even destroy it. However, the opposition was too stiff.

The loss of the Churchill is a tragedy. The Churchill made up a significant part of the First Fleet's best and brightest. Captain Harwood died at the helm of his ship, fighting to save his crew. He will be remembered as a hero.

You cannot be held responsible for the failure of the strike. The Tev forces you faced were well-coordinated, well-supplied, and skilled. However, Captain Lorna Simms of the Indus has been agitating for disciplinary action against your wing, and I'm afraid she is being listened to. You will be transferred to rear-area duty, flying depot patrols from the Solaris.

Your wingmate Kassim has been placed on psychological leave. He wished to pass on a personal message, which I have forwarded to you.

Good luck on your next assignment, pilot. Be glad you won't be on the front lines again. The war is going poorly, and with the Meridian still out there launching strikes on Luna, the Elders are considering surrender in order to save civilian lives.

RECOMMENDATION 2 (Note: This is identical to Recommendation 1 above.)

If you're having trouble surviving the initial dogfight, simply attack the Meridian's forward beams. You should be able to destroy them on your own.

Destroy Aquarius wing before it Trebuchets your gunships.

DEBRIEFING 3

Our attempted strike against the Meridian turned into a massacre. The Fleet Admirals are currently in emergency session in an attempt to respond to this loss. The destruction of a significant portion of the First Fleet's frigate assets reduces not only our firepower but our ability to deploy and recover fighters from multiple locations.

The loss of the Churchill and Indus is a human tragedy. Captain Harwood and Captain Sorenson died at the helms of their ships, fighting to save their crews. They will be remembered as heroes.

You cannot be held responsible for the failure of the strike. The Tev forces you faced were well-coordinated, well-supplied, and skilled. However, Captain Lorna Simms, formerly of the Indus, has been agitating for disciplinary action against your wing, and I'm afraid she is being listened to. You will be transferred to rear-area duty, flying depot patrols from the Solaris.

Your wingmate Kassim has been placed on psychological leave. He wished to pass on a personal message, which I have forwarded to you.

Good luck on your next assignment, pilot. Be glad you won't be on the front lines again. The war is going poorly, and with the Meridian still out there launching strikes on Luna, the Elders are considering surrender in order to save civilian lives.

RECOMMENDATION 3 (Note: This is identical to Recommendations 1 and 2, above.)

If you're having trouble surviving the initial dogfight, simply attack the Meridian's forward beams. You should be able to destroy them on your own.

Destroy Aquarius wing before it Trebuchets your gunships.

DEBRIEFING 4

Welcome back to the Solaris, pilots. I apologize for the enthusiasm of the deck crews. I'll make this briefing quick so you can wash the champagne off your flightsuits.

You should all be very proud. While we were unable to destroy the Meridian, our strike succeeded in forcing the destroyer to withdraw. Intelligence tells us that the Meridian has pulled back to Delta Serpentis. Better yet, the General Assembly is so displeased with Admiral Severanti's blunder here that they've relieved him of command and placed Steele in control of the Sol theatre.

This victory has important strategic ramifications. The GTVA is unlikely to take such bold action in the future without ensuring that additional destroyers are available for reinforcement. The more forces the GTVA holds back to reinforce endangered destroyers, the fewer ships they'll have attacking on the front line.

Incidentally, Admiral Calder of the Jovian Rim Fleet happens to disagree with this assessment. Now that Admiral Severanti is no longer in the Terran theater, Calder contends that Admiral Steele of the GTD Atreus will have free reign to use more aggressive tactics. If the Jovian's right, we should all brace for worse to come.

Of course, Murphy had his way with our battle plan. As most of you know, the UEC Vilnius mis-jumped during its attack on the GTCv Juarez and was lost with all hands. This is a war. People die. What's important is that we made those deaths worth it. But that doesn't always make it easy to cope. We will remember our lost at tonight's Ceremony of the Fallen.

Those of you on the Meridian attack should take the next few days to rest. Make sure your sleep cycles are good, and see a combat psych or an Ubuntu spiritualist if you need counseling. I expect to see all of you at the Ceremony of the Fallen tonight, where we will honor our dead and, in the spirit of Ubuntu, those GTVA pilots and crewpeople who died fighting against us.

RECOMMENDATION 4

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte:

It horrifies me to admit it, but that was the most fun I've had since the last sparring tournament on the Solaris. Vilnius and all.

Everything I knew about myself was wrong. I'm a stone-cold killer. I seem to like it.

I'm trying not to dwell on this. But, on a more cheerful note, I looked up the file of one Captain Lorna Simms. She's a Martian ace, a good officer, and, uh...let's say she lives up to the quality of her voice.

I think Kassim's rubbing off on me.

DEBRIEFING 5 (Note: This debriefing stage can never actually be seen.)

Welcome back to the Solaris, pilots. I apologize for the enthusiasm of the deck crews. I'll make this briefing quick so you can wash the champagne off your flightsuits.

You should all be very proud. This is a significant victory for the Federation. The loss of the Meridian is a terrible blow to the Tevs, and we've earned at least a few weeks of peace from her raids. Millions of civilian lives have been saved.

This victory also has important strategic ramifications. The GTVA is unlikely to take such bold action in the future without ensuring that additional destroyers are available for reinforcement. The more forces the GTVA holds back to reinforce endangered destroyers, the fewer ships they'll have attacking on the front line.

Incidentally, Admiral Calder of the Jovian Rim Fleet happens to disagree with this assessment. Now that Admiral Severanti is dead, Calder contends that Admiral Steele of the GTD Atreus will have free reign to use more aggressive tactics. If the Jovian is right, we should all brace for worse to come.

Of course, Murphy had his way with our battle plan. As most of you know, the UEC Vilnius mis-jumped during its attack on the GTCv Juarez and was lost with all hands. This is a war. People die. What's important is that we made those deaths worth it. But that doesn't always make it easy to cope. We will remember our lost at tonight's Ceremony of the Fallen.

Those of you on the Meridian attack should take the next few days to rest. Make sure your sleep cycles are good, and see a combat psych or an Ubuntu spiritualist if you need counseling. I expect to see all of you at the Ceremony of the Fallen tonight, where we will honor our dead and, in the spirit of Ubuntu, those GTVA pilots and crewpeople who died fighting against us.

RECOMMENDATION 5 (Note: This is identical to Recommendation 4, above.)

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte:

It horrifies me to admit it, but that was the most fun I've had since the last sparring tournament on the Solaris. Vilnius and all.

Everything I knew about myself was wrong. I'm a stone-cold killer. I seem to like it.

I'm trying not to dwell on this. But, on a more cheerful note, I looked up the file of one Captain Lorna Simms. She's a Martian ace, a good officer, and, uh...let's say she lives up to the quality of her voice.

I think Kassim's rubbing off on me.

DEBRIEFING 6

Additionally, it is my sad duty to report the deaths of Flight Lieutenant Javier Cosoleto, Sublieutenant Ambiro Gapar, and Ensign Tyra 'Crash' Ymir. These pilots served the Solaris well and died protecting Earth. Their deaths are doubly bitter because, like so many of the First Fleet's pilots, they were reservists. If any of you would like to add to their remembrances during the Ceremony of the Fallen, please inform me.

RECOMMENDATION 6

There was nothing you could have done to save Beta wing.

DEBRIEFING 7

Noemi Laporte perished during the attack on the GTD Meridian.

This is not a friendly environment for an unsupported Uhlan. To safeguard your life, stay near the Delta Wing gunships. Shoot down Aquarius Wing, allow the gunships to destroy the Meridian's beams, and then rapidly pull back to the frigates. Use the frigates as cover against Libra wing, and don't forget that Gamma wing is under your command.

Once the Maxim strike arrives, use Epsilon Wing gunships to destroy it.

If you allow yourself to be drawn into a dogfight near a cruiser or the Meridian itself, you will probably die. Focus on your mission, and don't go anywhere near GTVA capital ships.

This is the first major engagement you have participated in, so don't expect to be a hero. Survival is half the battle.

---

Ken

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FICTION VIEWER

FleetNet Document Service
USER: Laporte, Noemi, O-1, 170Navajas/DD01Solaris
Your document request:
Filed: 3 (three) days ago
Distribution: U/NFORN
Stated Reason: Personal inquiry re: health of unit member
has been GRANTED

Document follows.

Fleet Medical Advisories
MD0549-Psychosocial Issues

2-3. TYPES OF STRESS IN COMBAT
a. Physical/psychological strain.

b. Fear/anxiety of pain, mutilation, death.

c. Fear of failure/disgrace.

d. Grief, rage (loss of friends, hatred of enemy, incompetent leadership, and so forth).

e. Ethical limits (killing, firing at noncombatants, leaving patients to die, and so forth). The soldier may feel guilty of his own rage or acts.

f. Internal conflict (survival vs. mission, loyalty, and ideals [leaving wounded friend behind, short timer, and so forth])

USER COMMAND: move to section 2.4C, SYMPTOMS OF BATTLE FATIGUE
(1) "Thousand-yard-stare" (normal and common after heavy combat, improves with 1 to 2 days rest).

(2) Hyperalertness.

3) Tension, startle response, fine tremors (becomes selective in veterans, but increases again with sleep loss and cumulative combat).

(4) Psychological symptoms (normal and very common).
(a) Headaches.
(b) Back pain.
(c) Nausea, vomiting.
(d) Bowel and urinary symptoms.

(5) Irritability (warning signs--silent, withdrawn, or "vicious" in own group).

(6) Inability to concentrate.

(7) Insomnia, terror dreams (afraid to sleep; therefore, symptoms worsen).

(8) Inertia, indecision, fatigue (can lead to mistakes and increased stress).

(9) Depression (motor retardation, crying, survivor guilt).

(10) Anxiety reactions (gross tremors, extreme startle).

(11) Memory loss (amnesia, complete or partial; "fugue" flight)

NOTE:"Fugue" flight individuals perform acts of which they appear to be conscious but, upon recovery, have no recollections of the acts

BRIEFING 1

Sorry to call you in unexpectedly, Ensign Laporte. I'm Lieutenant Vicmouth, First Fleet PsyOps.

Random screening of combat pilots has selected you for a psychological evaluation. In order to maximize the diagnostic efficiency of the evaluation, it will occur during a live sortie. You will patrol a navigation point near Earth for enemy scout wings.

I will fly your wing, interview you during your downtime, and monitor transmissions from your flightsuit's Diagnostic Neural Interface. To avoid distractions, your weapons systems will be locked unless enemy contact occurs.

Suit up. We launch in ten.

DEBRIEFING 1

Personal log, Noemi Laporte

They cleared me. I have no idea why, or how, but they cleared me. The report makes it sounds like I'm the sanest woman on this side of the Council of Elders.

What the hell is going on here?

I listened to the flight transcript. I listened to my own cockpit voice records.

The things I said were utterly normal. They are not the things I remember saying. Lieutenant Vicmouth interviewed me, we completed our patrol, and then we jumped home to the Solaris. No one ever mentioned my purpose, or my childhood...not me, and not him.

I must have been blacked out the whole time. I woke up in my cockpit on the hangar deck soaked in sweat and convinced that I had finally cracked.

Who was speaking to me? More importantly...who was speaking to Lieutenant Vicmouth while I was inside my own head, having a conversation with an imaginary friend from my childhood?

What happened out there today makes me fear for my sanity. I'm going to write to Elder Mandho.

He'll know what to do.

In the meantime, I'm just going to do my best to put it out of my mind, write it off as combat stress, and hope it doesn't happen again.

RECOMMENDATION 1

remember the ants

---

For the Wrong Reasons

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FICTION VIEWER

Personal Log
Noemi Laporte
UED Solaris

I can barely remember the dream. I remember it was terrifying, and somehow exhilarating too. I remember...him.

They cleared me for flight. They cleared me. I can't be schizophrenic. They wouldn't have missed it.

And yet there's no question that this war has awakened parts of me I never knew were there.

I'm a combat junkie. Who would have believed it? Meek and mild-mannered Noemi, a killer of men. The aura of danger might stick better if I didn't turn into a gibbering, undisciplined wreck after every sortie. When I was on the com with that Martian captain after the Meridian attack, I felt...drunk with power. Almost maniacally so. So many dead at my hands, and I loved it. I loved it.

The assault on the Meridian wasn't the biggest fight of the war. But with the flak cooking off and the big bruisers tangling, it felt like Hell itself. We expended more megatonnage of ordinance out there than every war on Earth up to the twentieth century combined. The GTVA warships are grim and gritty, ships built to kill and fully expecting to die. What the Shivans did to these peoples' psyche astounds me. Every time we lose a frigate, we get cut to the bone, but the Tevs can bleed corvettes left and right and still stand strong. They expect it. They know how to die.

We hurt them out there. And yet, as good as it felt when we heard the Meridian was pulling out, it means nothing. In a week or a month a new destroyer will come in, just like when Third Fleet ambushed the Requiem last year. The Tev war machine has contingencies for everything.

Looking around me, at the other pilots and crew aboard the Solaris, even at the rest of First Fleet, I feel as if that sense of futility has started to pervade everything here. Admiral Byrne tells us again and again that this war will not be won by force of arms. That we must stand by the values of Ubuntu.

Apparently that means we simply sit in Earth orbit and play Gandhi, parrying their strikes but never hitting back.

I don't know what I'm fighting for. In spite of Uncle Manuel's war cries, you can't 'fight for Ubuntu'. That's like euthanising for longevity! I think the ennui on the Solaris comes from the belief that our beautiful, ascendant culture has given us nothing to fight this war...that every time we pull the trigger, we are destroying ourselves just as surely as the GTVA might.

There has to be something we can fight for. Some reason to continue. Some way we can hit back without giving up what we are. I just have to find it.

COMMAND BRIEFING 1

Message Received. Sender: Elder Martin Mandho (authenticated pyr3p8tt656)
View? y/n

Dear Noemi,

I was overjoyed to receive your letter and to hear that you are well. By an old man's count of years, it was only yesterday that you were a little girl playing in the sand as I talked politics with your parents. Those memories are dear to me, especially in days as dark as these. You are everything your mother and father would have wished you to be.

Unfortunately, I am unsure if I can be of any help with your current problem. Perhaps you truly are schizophrenic. If it is so, you should make peace with your fear and seek a doctor's advice. Ubuntu is a philosophy of reality, not of mysticism, and if science can give you your answer, then by all means, press the question.

COMMAND BRIEFING 2

But Ubuntu also recognizes that which we perceive but which science has yet to explain. It is true that some amongst the Elders receive visions. We are not all in agreement as to what weight to give them, or as to what they mean. But we strive to see this gift in the way that our distant ancestors saw the stars: though we cannot explain the wonder, nor touch it, nor even ascribe to it the most basic traits, we nonetheless agree that it is beautiful.

I have certainly never heard of this gift assuming the form of an 'invisible friend' with a personality. However, things we have learned recently - since this war began, in fact - tell me that your gift may not be unique. If you have, in truth, heard these voices since childhood, and if your heart tells you they can be trusted, then perhaps you should heed them? At least one other with the same gift reached peace by following his own dreams.

I have known you since childhood, and knew your mother far longer. If you are as good as she, then the things you hear must be good as well. I trust you to do what is right.

Blessings and fortune to you, Noemi.

Martin Mandho

BRIEFING 1

A moment before we start this briefing. Look at the empty chairs next to you. They are a harsh lesson, maybe the harshest, that we must not forget this is a war. In war, people from the winning side still die. In war, you do not have to carry a weapon to be a target. Finally, in a war, it is never clear who is our enemy and who is not. Like it or not, war has arrived on our doorstep, and we either roll with it or we give up and die.

We're not going to receive any replacements to our squadron for a few days, so until then these seats will serve as a reminder of our lost comrades and the sacrifice they made in the line of duty. Remember this lesson, so that their deaths will not be in vain. Now, listen up, for our work doesn't stop here.

BRIEFING 2

We did well yesterday in ending the civilian bombings, but the situation remains grim. Our infrastructure has been hit hard by the Tevs. We're still holding on - barely. We've had some success at decentralising our supply chain, so we're going to continue our coordinated freighter traffic with Mars.

A short time ago, the heavy freighter Nauticus departed from the Mars gate farm with supplies for Rheza Station as well as some classified cargo. I don't know what the hell those lumberheads were thinking - it's possible they were deceived, or paid off - but the Nauticus left Mars without her fighter escort.

BRIEFING 3

As soon as she left the main traffic lanes she came under attack by a Gaian Effort wing looking to plunder her cargo. We lost communications with the freighter about five minutes ago. However, her automated distress beacon continues to transmit, so it's likely that the ship remains intact.

Gaian Effort activity has been on the rise for the past few months. Without Third Fleet raids to suppress their Kuiper habitats, they've built up their strength, and in spite of the war they're still committed to their radical ecoterrorist agenda. This raid is typical nuisance behavior.

BRIEFING 4

Command has shut down the local gates to prevent the Gefs from escaping with the Nauticus: they'll have to drag the ship into subspace manually, which will take time. We're sending you three to the freighter's last known position: with luck the Gefs will still be preoccupied with securing the Nauticus' cargo.

The Gefs are little more than a paramilitary force. Still, be careful out there. More than one pilot has learned the hard way not to underestimate these terrorists. Your Uhlans should be more than a match for whatever the Gefs throw at you, so I expect that freighter to make it to the station intact. The Second Fleet frigate Yangtze is on patrol nearby, and its gunships will track and respond to any signs of Gef jump signatures.

BRIEFING 5

Send those Gefs packing back to the Kuiper Belt, and bring that freighter home.

DEBRIEFING 1

This is a private debriefing, Ensign Laporte, because I believe you are a gifted pilot, and I think you deserve the courtesy of a personal hearing regarding your actions.

You murdered a prisoner of war. While the Gef terrorists certainly have a history of prisoner abuse and degradation, we are not Gefs. If we are to maintain the moral high ground in this war then we must not stoop to the same level as our enemies.

Your wingman, Enabran Kassim, has testified that the prisoner verbally harassed you. While he appears to view this as justification for your action, I do not. You are expected to remain calm and clear-headed even in the face of hate and rage.

Certainly the term 'warrior of Ubuntu' is something of an oxymoron. But, nonetheless, there are standards of enlightenment and conduct that we must uphold. And you have violated these standards.

In spite of the testimony of your wingmen, I must relieve of your flight status and recommend your transfer to a rear-area posting. While I am sure you'll be called up again as the war grows more desperate, this is the end of our professional acquaintance.

I'm sorry it had to be this way, Laporte.

DEBRIEFING 2

Congratulations on your successful recovery of the Nauticus transport, Alpha Wing. Major Prathanya's EOD team found the majority of the crew locked in a hull compartment, where they'd been gassed with an anesthetic.

The success of this mission was a team effort, but I think a few elements deserve particular notice. Major Prathanya's team will receive a commendation and possibly even a medal for their heroic defusal of the comet-cracker warhead. Without their efforts, the Gefs would have destroyed the transport and most likely all of you with it.

In addition, I'd like to single out Noemi Laporte's conduct as worthy of admiration and emulation. With her commanding officer busy and an overwhelming enemy force threatening mission-critical assets, Laporte took control of the situation and maintained fire discipline. Thanks to her courage, the Gefs were unable to chase Alpha wing away from the transport, and the situation was successfully resolved. Excellent work, Laporte.

The Nauticus' classified cargo has been transferred to the Solaris and is now being escorted under heavy guard to its final destination. The Nauticus' captain is still in recovery, but once he's fully conscious, Admiral Byrne is going to grill him about his decision to leave Mars without a proper escort. I expect that by the time Byrne is done that captain will wish he had died at the hands of the Gefs.

Lastly, the Gef prisoner you recovered has been transferred to Fleet Intelligence for debriefing. Under normal circumstances we'd allow the Hostile Combatants Advocacy Branch access to the prisoner, but the Fleet Admirals have issued an executive order mandating closed interrogation. Extraordinary times, ladies and gentlemen.

A moment, Laporte? Your wing leader, Manuel Brie, passed me some of the mission logs. I'd just like to commend your conduct, both in the tangle with the Gefs and with respect to your cooperation with the EOD team. We need leadership like that. I may give you more responsibility in the months to come.

RECOMMENDATION 1

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

That was tense. I came close to firing on the Gefs more than once...I can only imagine how Kassim must've struggled. But, in the end, I guess they didn't want to risk starting a firefight around the transport.

Uncle Manuel has been beaming at me all day. I think I impressed him.

DEBRIEFING 3

Congratulations on your successful recovery of the Nauticus transport, Alpha Wing. Major Prathanya's EOD team found the majority of the crew locked in a hull compartment, where they'd been gassed with an anesthetic.

The success of this mission was a team effort, but I think a few elements deserve particular notice. Major Prathanya's team will receive a commendation and possibly even a medal for their heroic defusal of the comet-cracker warhead. Without their efforts, the Gefs would have destroyed the transport and most likely all of you with it.

Your tangle with the Gef squadron was a tense, charged situation, and I'm not surprised you elected to open fire. In fact, I'm going to guess you lured the Gefs in range of their own bomb before engaging so they couldn't detonate it. Well done, Laporte

The Nauticus' classified cargo has been transferred to the Solaris and is now being escorted under heavy guard to its final destination. The Nauticus' captain is still in recovery, but once he's fully conscious, Admiral Byrne is going to grill him about his decision to leave Mars without a proper escort. I expect that by the time Byrne is done that captain will wish he had died at the hands of the Gefs.

Lastly, the Gef prisoner you recovered has been transferred to Fleet Intelligence for debriefing. Under normal circumstances we'd allow the Hostile Combatants Advocacy Branch access to the prisoner, but the Fleet Admirals have issued an executive order mandating closed interrogation. Extraordinary times, ladies and gentlemen.

A moment, Laporte? Your wing leader, Manuel Brie, passed me some of the mission logs. I'd just like to commend your conduct, both in the tangle with the Gefs and with respect to your cooperation with the EOD team. We need leadership like that. I may give you more responsibility in the months to come.

RECOMMENDATION 2

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

That was tense. I'm not sure firing was the right decision...we were pretty seriously outnumbered. But if I hadn't shot, the Gefs would've. And in the end we survived. I guess that's what counts.

Kassim's nerves are looking more and more frayed. He's been acting strangely. I think I'd better try to find him and calm him down.

DEBRIEFING 4

Congratulations on your successful recovery of the Nauticus transport, Alpha Wing. Major Prathanya's EOD team found the majority of the crew locked in a hull compartment, where they'd been gassed with an anesthetic.

The success of this mission was a team effort, but I think a few elements deserve particular notice. Major Prathanya's team will receive a commendation and possibly even a medal for their heroic defusal of the comet-cracker warhead. Without their efforts, the Gefs would have destroyed the transport and most likely all of you with it.

Noemi Laporte did a difficult thing out there today. We've all been trained to treat prisoners with the utmost respect. But Laporte recognized a critical situation and acted to resolve it. By threatening that hostage, you may have crossed some ethical boundaries, but you also ensured the success of your mission. Some might question, Laporte, but I think that was a fine piece of leadership.

The Nauticus' classified cargo has been transferred to the Solaris and is now being escorted under heavy guard to its final destination. The Nauticus' captain is still in recovery, but once he's fully conscious, Admiral Byrne is going to grill him about his decision to leave Mars without a proper escort. I expect that by the time Byrne is done that captain will wish he had died at the hands of the Gefs.

Lastly, the Gef prisoner you recovered has been transferred to Fleet Intelligence for debriefing. Under normal circumstances we'd allow the Hostile Combatants Advocacy Branch access to the prisoner, but the Fleet Admirals have issued an executive order mandating closed interrogation. Extraordinary times, ladies and gentlemen.

A moment, Laporte? Your wing leader, Manuel Brie, passed me some of the mission logs. I'd just like to commend your conduct with respect to your cooperation with the EOD team. We need leadership like that. I may give you more responsibility in the months to come.

RECOMMENDATION 3

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

I wonder if I would have been able to kill her. I'm glad I didn't have to find out.

Kassim is looking really frayed. I'm going to try to find him and calm him down.

DEBRIEFING 5

Congratulations on your successful recovery of the Nauticus transport, Alpha Wing. Major Prathanya's EOD team found the majority of the crew locked in a hull compartment, where they'd been gassed with an anesthetic.

The success of this mission was a team effort, but I think a few elements deserve particular notice. Major Prathanya's team will receive a commendation and possibly even a medal for their heroic defusal of the comet-cracker warhead. Without their efforts, the Gefs would have destroyed the transport and most likely all of you with it.

Noemi Laporte did a difficult thing out there today. We've all been trained to treat prisoners with the utmost respect. But Laporte recognized a critical situation and acted to resolve it. I don't know if I can officially endorse Laporte's actions, but...in times like this, sometimes we have to do hard things in order to win.

The Nauticus' classified cargo has been transferred to the Solaris and is now being escorted under heavy guard to its final destination. The Nauticus' captain is still in recovery, but once he's fully conscious, Admiral Byrne is going to grill him about his decision to leave Mars without a proper escort. I expect that by the time Byrne is done that captain will wish he had died at the hands of the Gefs.

The death of the Gef prisoner has drawn some attention from the Hostile Combatants Advocacy Branch of Fleet Intelligence. However, the Fleet Admirals have issued an order suspending HCAB operations for the durations of hostilities. Extraordinary times, ladies and gentlemen.

A moment, Laporte? Your wing leader, Manuel Brie, passed me some of the mission logs. I'd just like to commend your conduct with respect to your cooperation with the EOD team. We need leadership like that. I may give you more responsibility in the months to come.

RECOMMENDATION 4

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

I killed her. She begged when she died. I can't stop hearing her voice. I keep meaning to go see one of the combat shrinks but I never do. Ken's going to have a field day with this next time I manage to fall asleep. I need to see a shrink, just in case this psychosis is going to get more serious.

Kassim won't look at me.

DEBRIEFING 6

Congratulations on your successful recovery of the Nauticus transport, Alpha Wing. Major Prathanya's EOD team found the majority of the crew locked in a hull compartment, where they'd been gassed with an anesthetic.

The success of this mission was a team effort, but I think a few elements deserve particular notice. Major Prathanya's team will receive a commendation and possibly even a medal for their heroic defusal of the comet-cracker warhead. Without their efforts, the Gefs would have destroyed the transport and most likely all of you with it.

There are pilots, and then there are warriors. Noemi Laporte proved herself a warrior today. Laporte, your decision to assault the Gef force while outnumbered and threatened by a live bomb was, arguably, insane. But it paid off, and that is a testament to your piloting skills and your judgment. I wouldn't have made the same call, but in times like this, gambles are sometimes what we need.

The Nauticus' classified cargo has been transferred to the Solaris and is now being escorted under heavy guard to its final destination. The Nauticus' captain is still in recovery, but once he's fully conscious, Admiral Byrne is going to grill him about his decision to leave Mars without a proper escort. I expect that by the time Byrne is done that captain will wish he had died at the hands of the Gefs.

A moment, Laporte? Your wing leader, Manuel Brie, passed me some of the mission logs. I'd just like to commend your conduct with respect to your cooperation with the EOD team. We need leadership like that. I may give you more responsibility in the months to come.

RECOMMENDATION 5

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

I can't believe we survived that firefight. Fifteen to three...it was madness. I don't know what I did. Ken's going to have a field day with this next time I manage to fall asleep. I need to see a shrink, just in case this psychosis is going to get more serious.

Kassim had something of a breakdown after we landed. I think he's...very afraid, under there. I should talk to him.

DEBRIEFING 7

Somehow you managed to bungle this operation completely. You lost the Nauticus, its crew, and the vital cargo. I can't say too much, but from what I know, the loss of that cargo just set back a critical project by months and may have lost us our one chance at delaying Earth's fall.

I know you're good pilots, which makes it doubly difficult to understand how this mission could've gone so poorly. The Gefs are untrained rabble!

I'd like to keep you, but I'm afraid Admiral Byrne is furious. You three are being shipped Earth-side for transfer to a support ship squadron. Check over your rearm training modules and get your affairs in order - the life expectancy for front-line support ship pilots is less than three missions.

RECOMMENDATION 6

Do not fire on the Nauticus. Even if the warhead is disarmed, shock will set it off.

---

Darkest Hour

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FICTION VIEWER

Personal Log
Ensign Noemi Laporte
UED Solaris

Kassim's bravado peaked in a singularly pitiful combustion of alcohol and ego last night. When the shouting and the vomiting was done, he cried into my flight suit while I dragged him back to his bunk.

We had been debriefed and given a few hours of downtime after the Nauticus incident. He drank to Major Prathanya and the bomb crew, he drank to the Nauticus' blundering captain, he drank to the Gefs and 'killing for what we believe in', and then he went off like a magazine breach. There was a lot of yelling. It never got very close to making sense.

He swaggers and brags but inside he is helpless. He has seen death on a scale he never expected - thousands of lives snuffed out in an instant aboard the Akula, the Ranvir. I think, in the end, that all his bravado over the past few days was only a shield against something inside him, some terrible unanswered question that has been tearing him apart. 'What's the point?', maybe, or 'why does this hurt so much?'

He tried to tell himself that he didn't need a reason to fight, but when all his sound and fury was burnt away, he had nothing left to keep him going, and no way to justify the daily necessity of murder. You could see it in him - he talked big before every fight, but afterwards, he was the one fraying at the seams.

They detoxed him in sickbay and he's still on the roster as a backup pilot if we need to go all out. But somehow I don't think he'll ever sit in a cockpit again.

I wish I could say that I understand his collapse, but somehow I feel nothing but...scorn.

COMMAND BRIEFING 1

Red Alert! All officers and crew of the UED Solaris, this is Admiral Byrne declaring an emergency.

A Galactic Terran attack is in progress on our Earth and Lunar space-based assets. Repeat, a massive enemy assault on major installations in Earth and Lunar orbit is in progress. Galactic Terran forces of the GTD Imperieuse battlegroup have overwhelmed our defences at several key positions. Our garrison at Luna has fallen, and we've lost contact with our battle line at Kansas Station. Our forces have rallied around Home Fleet HQ, and reinforcements from the Second Fleet are incoming.

All squadrons are to prepare for launch, effective immediately. All pilots, report to your squadron leaders for briefing and await further orders. Solaris crew, report to battle stations. Deck personnel, refer to launch rotation schedules which will be posted at all info terminals.

I want reports of battle-readiness from all stations in five minutes. It's time for everyone to give their all for our homes, and our planet. Earth's darkest hour has finally arrived.

BRIEFING 1

Ok pilots, listen up! Admiral Byrne wants us all out in space, and that means everyone.

You're being deployed to Rheza Station, a critical regional hub and dockyard for the Home Fleet. She's come under attack by Tev forces and her garrison just made the call for reinforcements. Latest reports from the station indicate the Deimos corvette Redoubtable bombarding the station with beam fire under cover from a squadron of fighters. However, be advised that the situation is highly fluid. If the Tevs start taking losses, expect the Imperieuse to deploy additional fighters and bombers. They'll put as many craft into the attack as they can without depleting their own reserves and leaving their destroyers vulnerable.

BRIEFING 2

Because there is no Tev AWACS in the area to relay coordinates, expect bombers to jump in at a safe distance of at least 4000 meters.

What we know of the Tev OrBat suggests that you will be facing the 908th Trailblazers in an assault role, the 909th in space superiority, and the 11th Strategic Assault squadron as the heavy hitters.

Athens and Malta Stations share an orbital slot with Rheza. These installations handle active armor and munitions logistics for nearby dockyards. These are important assets, but compared to Rheza, they're expendable. Ignore them, pilots. There's nothing you can do for them.

BRIEFING 3

Admiral Byrne plans to launch everything we've got that can fly, and we're shoving trainees into fighters as fast as we can find flightsuits. This is it, people. This is the fight for our Federation. We lose this one, then it's game over.

Our replacement pilots arrived only yesterday and I imagine you haven't had a chance to meet them. Too late now. They'll be filling out your wings. Brie, you'll be leading Alpha wing and handling coordination with the Solaris. Laporte, you have command of Beta wing and any other wings that arrive. Sorry to put you in tactical command, Ensign, but there's no one else to do the job. Try to keep our new pilots alive.

Your launch window is in seven minutes. Get to your ships and get to them now!

BRIEFING 4

Laporte. Listen up.

Those rooks you're taking out have just barely finished their ACM training. I need you to keep them together and keep them safe. Instead of letting them engage on their own, or giving them a target to defend, tell them to attack one enemy at a time, engaging as a group.

Think of them as another weapon, one you aim with your orders.

If Rheza launches any of its own rookie wings later in the battle, feel free to give them orders as well. Your command software should autoconfigure.

DEBRIEFING 1

Welcome back to the Solaris, Navajas...those of you who survived.

Today was a massacre. The GTD Imperieuse's squadrons blitzed the entire Sol Sector in a single, massive coordinated strike. We lost five warships, including a frigate, and nearly sixty orbital installations. Our shipyards, munitions depots, orbital foundries, rally points, workup stations, fuel and reactor booms, and navigational infrastructure have been decimated. Analysts suggest it'll take five years to fully repair the damage.

Twenty minutes into the assault, the Martian Second Fleet responded en masse, striking against the Imperieuse's deployed forces as well as Tev rear areas around Jupiter. Thanks to Admiral Netreba's swift intervention, we were able to preserve our truly critical installations and retain our basic warfighting abilities. We will fight on.

Your defense of Rheza was a key element of that resilience. The Tevs never sent a truly crushing force, but thanks to your skill and careful deployment of the Third Fleet's two surviving artillery ships, you held Rheza. It will keep our ships armed, fueled, and repaired for months to come.

The loss of the Vatican is a tragedy, but we can rest easy knowing that her crew gave their lives to preserve our Federation and way of life.

The Imperieuse has withdrawn to Delta Serpentis to restock its squadrons. We have earned ourselves some breathing room...but at a price.

As you can see from the empty seats, the Navajas took 70% casualties today. The squadron is being disbanded, and our surviving pilots transferred. It has truly been an honor to serve as your commander.

We will fly our final sortie tomorrow.

RECOMMENDATION 1

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

We died by the tens of thousands today. At least we killed some of them back.

There's a layer of soot on my ship, vaporized effluvia from the death of the Valerie. Some significant fraction of it is made of dead GTVA crewmen. When I climbed out of the cockpit I got it on my hands and my face and all over my flightsuit.

I haven't washed.

DEBRIEFING 2

Welcome back to the Solaris, Navajas.

Today was a massacre. The GTD Imperieuse's squadrons blitzed the entire Sol Sector in a single, massive coordinated strike. We lost nine warships, including three frigates, and nearly sixty orbital installations. Our shipyards, munitions depots, orbital foundries, rally points, workup stations, fuel and reactor booms, and navigational infrastructure have been decimated. Analysts suggest it'll take five years to fully repair the damage.

Twenty minutes into the blitz, the Martian Second Fleet responded en masse, striking against the Imperieuse's deployed forces as well as Tev rear areas around Jupiter. In spite of our losses it seemed we might hold the truly critical installations and preserve our fleet and basic warfighting abilities.

But the loss of Rheza Station pushed us past our combat loss grouping as a military. We've lost a key subspace trajectory tracer, retrograde repair point, and dockyard for the First Fleet. Even as we speak, Tev bombers from Steele's own squadrons are jumping in through the blind spot and entering Earth's atmosphere. We could've lost Rheza and fought on, but combined with our other losses...

The Elders made the decision to surrender ten minutes after Rheza fell. Don't blame yourselves. There was nothing you could've done. We lost this war before it ever started.

For the last time, Navajas...dismissed.

RECOMMENDATION 2

Use your wingmen as a weapon. Use C-3-1 to order them all to gang up on a single target, and take enemies out one by one. Scorpio Wing should be your first target.

Keep the Vatican alive. Disarm the Redoubtable's main beams.

When the final attack comes, take out the bomber escort fighters first, then the bombers, and finally the AWACS. With their escorts gone, the bombers are easy pickings.

Once the Valerie arrives, be sure to shoot down its three bombers. The Indus and its fighters can handle themselves against the Valerie.

DEBRIEFING 3

Welcome back to the Solaris, Navajas...those of you who survived.

Today was a massacre. The GTD Imperieuse's squadrons blitzed the entire Sol Sector in a single, massive coordinated strike. We lost five warships, including a frigate, and nearly sixty orbital installations. Our shipyards, munitions depots, orbital foundries, rally points, workup stations, fuel and reactor booms, and navigational infrastructure have been decimated. Analysts suggest it'll take five years to fully repair the damage.

Twenty minutes into the assault, the Martian Second Fleet responded en masse, striking against the Imperieuse's deployed forces as well as Tev rear areas around Jupiter. Thanks to Admiral Netreba's swift intervention, we were able to preserve our truly critical installations and retain our basic warfighting abilities. We will fight on.

Your defense of Rheza was a key element of that resilience. The Tevs never sent a truly crushing force, but thanks to your skill and careful deployment of the Third Fleet's two surviving artillery ships, you held Rheza. It will keep our ships armed, fueled, and repaired for months to come. The UEC Vatican is already moored at Rheza, undergoing a workover.

The Imperieuse has withdrawn to Delta Serpentis to restock its squadrons. We have earned ourselves some breathing room...but at a price.

As you can see from the empty seats, the Navajas took 70% casualties today. The squadron is being disbanded, and our surviving pilots transferred. It has truly been an honor to serve as your commander.

We will fly our final sortie tomorrow.

RECOMMENDATION 3 (Note: This is identical to Recommendation 1 above.)

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

We died by the tens of thousands today. At least we killed some of them back.

There's a layer of soot on my ship, vaporized effluvia from the death of the Valerie. Some significant fraction of it is made of dead GTVA crewmen. When I climbed out of the cockpit I got it on my hands and my face and all over my flightsuit.

I haven't washed.

DEBRIEFING 4

The loss of the Indus to the GTCv Valerie represents an unacceptable failure. The frigate arrived in an advantageous tactical position, and your support could have guaranteed its victory in that duel.

You have failed your comrades in a critical moment.

RECOMMENDATION 4

Destroy the Valerie's two port beam cannons to guarantee the Indus' survival.

DEBRIEFING 5

Congratulations on bringing all your rookies home alive, Laporte. It was a bloodbath out there, but you kept them safe.

DEBRIEFING 6

Good work bringing some of your rooks home, Laporte. Try not to blame yourself for your losses. It was a bloodbath out there.

---

My Brother, My Enemy

Start bp2-07.fs2

---

FICTION VIEWER

Personal Log
Ensign Noemi Laporte
UED Solaris

Debris from yesterday's blitz is still coming down all over Earth. The pictures from groundside are gorgeous, until you realize that a lot of those shootings stars are probably bodies.

The orbitals are in ruins. I don't think anyone expected the Blitz. Someone in the Admiralty - Byrne, maybe? - must have assumed the Tevs wanted to capture everything intact. So much for that notion! Now here we are...our spaceborne infrastructure shot out from under us, our fleet facing a six-month operational window before fuel and ammo start becoming a serious problem.

And what does Byrne do? He announces that we're going to cut flight operations and restrict combat deployments in order to 'preserve our assets for the long war ahead.' What 'long war'? The Tevs smashed the Luna garrison and nearly put troops down on the surface. They could probably hit Earth with shoulder-launched rockets from there!

Rumor has it that Admiral Steele is pulling his ships back to Europa and gathering his strength for a decisive push in the next few months. Anyone can see that we're ready to lose this war.

Kassim wasn't on the flight roster for the Rheza mission. In fact, I haven't seen him since his breakdown. I want to feel bad for him but instead I'm furious. Everyone is just giving up...where the hell is our backbone? We should be returning the favor, pushing back, hitting Jupiter or the node!

I keep thinking of Lorna Simms, charging into the fray at Rheza. Her voice on the comm, so casually fierce, almost joyous in its savagery. I feel more akin to her than to anyone here...even dear, tired Uncle Manuel.

He's being transferred out. I'll miss him, but not as much as I would have a month ago.

I'm not the same as these people any more. I want to kill Tevs. I crave that rush so hard it frightens me.

COMMAND BRIEFING 1

<heads up, Fleetrats: this message has been leaked - read at your own risk!>

*** FleetNet Admiralty Communique ***
FROM: Admiral Calder, CINC3JRF
TO: Admiral Byrne, CINC1EHF, Admiral Netreba CINC2MF

How the hell did this happen?

I have been warning you since before the fall of Europa that Steele is the most dangerous commander the Tevs have. He is not going to dicker around conserving resources and fighting an 'inexorable attritive war' like Severanti. He wants this war over. He hates the waste of life almost as much as he loves the chance to fight.

I told you he'd go for the throat. Now we're looking at logistical collapse within the year unless we cut our fleet in half - if that doesn't happen on its own. On top of that Byrne continues to insist on diverting critical supplies to his damn 'priority operation'.

You should've given me your ships when I needed them, Byrne. Not squandered the Home Fleet defending the Elders' mysterious 'project'.

If we do not break out of our defensive rut, within three months we are all going to answer for it at the gallows.

-Admiral Calder, Commander
Jovian Rim Fleet (In Exile)

COMMAND BRIEFING 2

To the Officers and Crew of the UED Solaris,

InSec has recently become aware that a document was posted publicly on FleetNet labeled as a compartmentalized Admiralty communique.

Although the source claims to be a disgruntled Jovian comms officer, I am sure none of you are naive enough to believe this obvious fabrication. GTVI continues its PsyOps in an effort to wear down our morale and cohesion.

If you hear scuttlebutt about this message, defeat it as you would any other enemy.

-Major Ran Gia, Internal Security

COMMAND BRIEFING 3

*** Intercepted Transmission ***
Decryption Code: 4433-ssd212-64lo960
Broadcast Timestamp: 2386-10-4 0147 GST

This is Paula Hunter, Alliance Embedded News, reporting in the field on board Artemis Station in the Sol system. Several days ago GTVA forces launched a truly enormous coordinated attack against UEF naval infrastructure in the space around Earth itself. This is a huge, a really huge - am I getting through, Chen? - all right, sorry, yes, this is an enormous change in strategy from what we saw under Admiral Severanti.

In an interview yesterday Admiral Steele told us that he wants this war over by the end of the year and he's willing to take risks to do it.

"I want one thing to be clear: we will suffer losses. I'm not going to grind away five hundred thousand lives on both sides when we could spend a few thousand now and achieve victory. We need to show the UEF the rules of the game: there are no rules. These people are fragile. They haven't seen what we've seen, or fought our battles. Push them and they will break."

Now, a lot of pundits have criticized this change in strategy as an unnecessary risk, and I know there's been a lot of footage of damaged ships coming home, or news about lost squadrons. But let me tell you, the damage inflicted by Steele's attacks is just so much more -

USER COMMAND: feed off

USER COMMAND: meditation widget

MEDITATION WIDGET! YOUR BIOMETRICS SHOW INCREASED HEARTRATE, NOEMI. WOULD YOU LIKE A KITTEN PICTURE?

COMMAND BRIEFING 4

KITTEN PICTURE DELIVERED. REMEMBER, SERENITY PRECEDES SUCCESS

COMMAND BRIEFING 5

Message Received - Sender: Manuel Brie

For the attention of Sub-Lieutenant Laporte,

Hello Noemi. I ran into Kassim last night. He was in his civies at the Rec room. I asked him where he had been the past couple of days. He said he was heading back to Earth, and wasn't going to take any more part in this war. It turns out he missed the squadron briefing when the Tevs attacked Earth. Captain Telfer eventually found him in his bunk, up to his ears in rocket fuel. He got an immediate court-martial, and was determined psychologically unfit to continue in the Navy. He leaves for Earth tomorrow, and they're setting him up in a Government centre for some spiritual therapy.

It's sad that the Navajas are being broken up, but to lose Kassim as well makes it all that much more difficult. He had the manners of a hog in heat and half the charm, but he was a good pilot, a reliable friend. Like Captain Telfer said though: this is war. War doesn't stop for anyone. It is a machine that carries on without us, and we either continue on with it or we die.

COMMAND BRIEFING 6

Let me tell you something that I always told your parents: No matter what life throws at us, we always have a choice in how we choose to receive it. Most of us aren't born great. It's a conscious decision that we make at some point in our lives that propels us to do great things. You're still at the beginning of your adult life, but the choices you've made in this war have shown me that you are quite capable of determining your own destiny. It is therefore with no fear that I let you go into the unknown by yourself without me to guide you.

I'm going to Rheza Station to help out with the training of new pilots. I've been flying Navy birds for more than twenty years, and this is probably the most useful thing I can do in this war. My reactions aren't what they were fifteen, twenty years ago and the front is no place for a person like me. Who would have thought, Laporte, that out of the three of us you'd be the only one of us moving forward, not back.

I'll send you a message when I get a spare moment.

With love, your Uncle Manuel.

BRIEFING 1

Morning, Fighting Navajas. This will be your last sortie before everyone goes to their new postings, so let's make this a good one, all right?

Here's the situation. About fifteen minutes ago, we received an automated distress call from one of our cruisers, the Dea Icaunis. She was transferring some non-essential materials from Mars to Earth and serving as a base and rally point for local patrols. We can't establish communications with the cruiser, so we've assumed that she must have fallen under some distress. Admiral Byrne has ordered us to send a wing to investigate the fate of the Icaunis.

BRIEFING 2

This is not a recon mission. We suspect enemy action to be the cause of the cruiser's distress. GTVA forces have withdrawn from regional space after the Second Fleet's maneuvers, but we've detected some remnants that haven't joined up with the Tev fleet at Europa. This could be a retaliatory action. We need you to proceed with caution, and be ready for a fight as soon as you enter the area.

Beta wing will serve as backup. Because of Brie's departure, you'll be taking Alpha wing, Laporte. Your recent action at Rheza Station has proven that you've got the capability for field leadership. I've already made a statement in your FleetNet record for your next squadron leader. Do us proud, Sub-Lieutenant.

BRIEFING 3

Hey! Hey, Laporte! It's Vineto. Camerone's checking something with the deck crew.

When we get back, let's take a few minutes to remember the Navajas, all right? Captain Telfer could use a little cheering up.

Congratulations on your promotion, too. You deserve it. You're handling all this better than most of us.

DEBRIEFING 1

Camerone, Laporte, welcome back to the Solaris. We don't have a briefing room any more so we're going to do this over coffee. Cream, Sublieutenant?

I'm sorry about Vineto. He went down fighting the best. His parents are gonna be real torn up, but real proud.

Okay. I have no more idea than you do why the Tevs were so eager to board the Dea Icaunis. Their strike was under-supported and desperate. The ships you engaged were from the 64th Bengals, off the GTD Imperieuse - they should've been in Delta Serpentis with their base ship.

Our best theory at the moment concerns one of the prisoners the Dea Icaunis was transporting. Captain Esmar Al'Fadil of the 64th Bengals surrendered himself to UEF custody during a failed attack on the Jakarta Station dockyards. So far as we can tell, members of his squadron went rogue in order to rescue him from what they perceived as a fate worse than death.

It's...hard for me to think about, I'll admit. Ubuntu taught us all to never treat a human being as a thing. But if we're going to go out there and kill them, we...can't know things like this. Things like how much these pilots loved their commander. I know I couldn't pull the trigger if I had to think about that.

Ah, never mind. Laporte, you look shaky as hell. You should get some rack time.

RECOMMENDATION 1

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

Xinny. Zero. Rabbit. Dishes. Camel. Bonk. Eyes. Chavel.

Who were they? How long had they known each other?

Why did they have to go after their Captain? Why did they have to make me kill them?

Usually I can handle it. But this time...somehow it just doesn't feel fair.

DEBRIEFING 2

It's good to have you back, Noemi.

I know it's odd to be debriefed in a sickbay bunk. Beta Wing found you in your cockpit with a shrapnel wound and a paucity of blood. It looks like you passed out after taking a pretty serious hit.

We're not completely certain what happened out there. Neither Vineto nor Camerone made it home to report, and the Dea Icaunis was boarded by GTVA marines. According to your flight data recorders, you engaged a wing of elite GTVA pilots. However, these ships were from the Imperieuse battle group and should have been in Delta Serpentis...not engaging in an unsupported boarding operation within our space.

Our best theory at the moment concerns one of the prisoners the Dea Icaunis was transporting. Captain Esmar Al'Fadil of the 64th Bengals surrendered himself to UEF custody during a failed attack on the Jakarta Station dockyards. So far as we can tell, members of his squadron went rogue in order to rescue him from what they perceived as a fate worse than death.

According to forensics, the fighting aboard the UEC Dea Icaunis grew fierce, and the Tev marines deployed a thermobaric weapon after freeing their prisoners. There were no survivors. But don't blame yourself, Laporte...those Tev pilots were ruthless and experienced in a way even I can't understand. And you were outnumbered, at that.

Heal up. You're being shipped out in a week.

I'll miss you, Sub-Lieutenant.

RECOMMENDATION 2

I can barely remember getting hit. I don't know if I was afraid. Getting that close to death doesn't seem real. I wonder...why did they spare me?

(You may replay this mission to achieve a different ending. If you want to defeat the SOC wings, try the following strategy: swap your Vulcans for Mauls, hang back near your starting point to draw them out, and pick off one ship at a time using wingman commands.)

DEBRIEFING 3

Laporte, Vineto, Camerone, welcome back to the Solaris. We don't have a briefing room any more so we're going to do this over coffee. Cream, Sublieutenant?

I'm glad you all came home intact. The Tevs you ran into today were genuine badasses, some of them former SOC.

Okay. I have no more idea than you do why the Tevs were so eager to board the Dea Icaunis. Their strike was under-supported and desperate. The ships you engaged were from the 64th Bengals, off the GTD Imperieuse - they should've been in Delta Serpentis with their base ship.

Our best theory at the moment concerns one of the prisoners the Dea Icaunis was transporting. Captain Esmar Al'Fadil of the 64th Bengals surrendered himself to UEF custody during a failed attack on the Jakarta Station dockyards. So far as we can tell, members of his squadron went rogue in order to rescue him from what they perceived as a fate worse than death.

It's...hard for me to think about, I'll admit. Ubuntu taught us all to never treat a human being as a thing. But if we're going to go out there and kill them, we...can't know things like this. Things like how much these pilots loved their commander. I know I couldn't pull the trigger if I had to think about that.

Ah, never mind. Laporte, you look shaky as hell. You should get some rack time.

RECOMMENDATION 3 (Note: This is identical to Recommendation 1 above.)

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

Xinny. Zero. Rabbit. Dishes. Camel. Bonk. Eyes. Chavel.

Who were they? How long had they known each other?

Why did they have to go after their Captain? Why did they have to make me kill them?

Usually I can handle it. But this time...somehow it just doesn't feel fair.

DEBRIEFING 4

Welcome back to the Solaris, Laporte. We don't have a briefing room any more so we're going to do this over coffee. Cream, Sublieutenant?

I'm sorry about your wingmen. Those are going to be tough letters to write. The Tevs you ran into today were genuine badasses, some of them former SOC.

Okay. I have no more idea than you do why the Tevs were so eager to board the Dea Icaunis. Their strike was under-supported and desperate. The ships you engaged were from the 64th Bengals, off the GTD Imperieuse - they should've been in Delta Serpentis with their base ship.

Our best theory at the moment concerns one of the prisoners the Dea Icaunis was transporting. Captain Esmar Al'Fadil of the 64th Bengals surrendered himself to UEF custody during a failed attack on the Jakarta Station dockyards. So far as we can tell, members of his squadron went rogue in order to rescue him from what they perceived as a fate worse than death.

It's...hard for me to think about, I'll admit. Ubuntu taught us all to never treat a human being as a thing. But if we're going to go out there and kill them, we...can't know things like this. Things like how much these pilots loved their commander. I know I couldn't pull the trigger if I had to think about that.

Ah, never mind. Laporte, you look shaky as hell. You should get some rack time.

RECOMMENDATION 4 (Note: This is identical to Recommendations 1 and 3 above.)

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

Xinny. Zero. Rabbit. Dishes. Camel. Bonk. Eyes. Chavel.

Who were they? How long had they known each other?

Why did they have to go after their Captain? Why did they have to make me kill them?

Usually I can handle it. But this time...somehow it just doesn't feel fair.

DEBRIEFING 5

Vineto, Laporte, welcome back to the Solaris. We don't have a briefing room any more so we're going to do this over coffee. Cream, Sublieutenant?

I'm sorry about Camerone. He went down fighting the best. His parents are gonna be real torn up, but real proud.

Okay. I have no more idea than you do why the Tevs were so eager to board the Dea Icaunis. Their strike was under-supported and desperate. The ships you engaged were from the 64th Bengals, off the GTD Imperieuse - they should've been in Delta Serpentis with their base ship.

Our best theory at the moment concerns one of the prisoners the Dea Icaunis was transporting. Captain Esmar Al'Fadil of the 64th Bengals surrendered himself to UEF custody during a failed attack on the Jakarta Station dockyards. So far as we can tell, members of his squadron went rogue in order to rescue him from what they perceived as a fate worse than death.

It's...hard for me to think about, I'll admit. Ubuntu taught us all to never treat a human being as a thing. But if we're going to go out there and kill them, we...can't know things like this. Things like how much these pilots loved their commander. I know I couldn't pull the trigger if I had to think about that.

Ah, never mind. Laporte, you look shaky as hell. You should get some rack time.

RECOMMENDATION 5 (Note: This is identical to Recommendations 1, 3, and 4 above.)

Personal Log, Noemi Laporte

Xinny. Zero. Rabbit. Dishes. Camel. Bonk. Eyes. Chavel.

Who were they? How long had they known each other?

Why did they have to go after their Captain? Why did they have to make me kill them?

Usually I can handle it. But this time...somehow it just doesn't feel fair.

---