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eigos · (This post was last modified: 01-28-2024, 06:52 PM by eigos.)

Cpt. Kadego Sudrossa

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
SECURE CHANNEL TRANSMISSION
AUDIO FEED: [AVAILABLE] VIDEO FEED: [OFFLINE] MESSAGING: [ENABLED]

To: Deterrence [DTR] HQ
Subject: [Time to pick sides...]
Priority: █ █ █ █ █
Encryption: [VERY HIGH]
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Pacifica Base [Bering System]

│SENDER├─────── RELAY ONLINE ───────┤RECIPIENT│

Hola, caballeros...!

This is Kadego Sudrossa, captain of the ex-maltese, now freelancing vessel "The Shovel". I've been looking for the 'go-to' people who run the Omegas for a time now and by the looks of it - the name "Deterrence", also known as [DTR], is mentioned the most among the rumors.

I understand this might look strange and suspicious, coming from an ex-captain who had served the Maltese Navy, especially during the current ongoing large-scale conflict between the Corsarios and the Nación Maltesa, so I will do my best to explain exactly what my agenda is in contacting you, in spite of my origins. Speaking of origins... my mixed rheinlander-maltese blood and lack of any cardamine in it is also worth mentioning, having been brought up in Rheinland, only to later make the mistake of wanting to 'see the other side'.

In my past, I have never waged war against corsairs, despite having served in the Maltese Armada for a time. I have never met anyone from our southern blood brothers in person either. My military service started during the first Outcast-Gallic incursions, shortly after the discovery of the bespoke mine field, surrounding the northern jump hole to Gallic space. The last operation I was in, involved a full-on fight for survival against a gallic push, aimed to destroy any outcast presence in the Lorraine system. Naturally, our command had to make a decision - would they sacrifice the base of operations in Lorraine, or would they rather send us, the footsoldiers, to bear the brunt of the gallic force and perish, while diverting enemy attention away from the outpost...

Only me and two other wingmen survived that fight. We split up during the diversion, each of us flying separately, leading the enemy to follow us away from the outpost's location. Most of the gallic patrol ended up following my ship, "The Shovel", a maltese destroyer RM-1 (older modification). My two compatriots had managed to shake their pursuers, but I had to fight for survival in uncharted waters across Gallia. As faith would have it, the gallics were overconfident, but ultimately unprepared to fight a vessel that devastating, as the one I'm flying. None of my pursuers survived that day and I took every precaution to escape with my life (and my ship).

My escape, however, didn't grant me my freedom - my senior officer, who gave the 'sacrifice order' to our forces in Lorraine, found out about me and the others who survived. And he gave out a hit order for our... permanent termination. This is the reward for our loyalty - if you survive certain death, you get terminated... just in case anyone of us should want to get revenge on him, for sending us off to die. Or just in case we were planning to take his place in the naval hierarchy, with promotions and medals for our brave actions and survival.

From that point onward, I was a fugitive. Unable to return to my homeland, in fear of getting my close family in trouble or worse... under the sights of Sgt. Pelaez, the dog who would rather kill a war hero, than lose his official position. The same dog, who likely still thinks I'd plan his assassination, in return for his betrayal towards me and my fellow brothers, with whom we fought shoulder-to-shoulder, while he was taking it easy 'commanding' the operation in complete safety.

This is my biography, as far as I'm willing to disclose for now. My current situation is this - I've outstayed my welcome in the Bering system and need to get moving soon. My ship also needs urgent maintenance that no Freeport can offer. I cannot return to my homeland and I've got a hit order on me by my ex-commanding officer. The ship I'm flying, "The Shovel", is under a Freelance transponder - something the Maltese Armada would terminate on the spot, or try to re-capture from me. I owe the higher-ups nothing. And I gave them plenty. This ship... is MINE. That's what I consider my 'retirement parting gift' from the navy, which kept me alive during all those years.

I'm offering my service to the Deterrence, as an affiliate freelancer. I am willing to work for you, if you can give me and my ship a permanent home in the Omegas sector. I am loyal to those who don't betray me. The question is... would you?

Looking forward to your response...
Sudrossa, out.

├─────── TRANSMISSION END ───────┤

Michela Calliente · 01-01-2024, 01:29 PM,

┝┅┅┅{INCOMING TRANSMISSION}┅┅┅┥

┝┅{Sender: Michela Calliente
┝┅{Recipient: Kadego Sudrossa
┝┅{Location: Unidentified
┝┅{Message Type: Recording
┝┅{Subject: Time to pick sides

Signor Sudrossa,

My name is Michela Calliente, representing Deterrence's Internal Affairs and Intelligence. Your message was relayed to me and I will be your direct liaison on behalf of Deterrence's military, as I have experience dealing with foreigners and other entities.

I must admit that reading the file and comunicación left me with a great deal of skepticism. It definitely raised a few eyebrows up the chain of command. A mixed rheinlander-maltese blood and lack of any cardamine looking to switch sides? Sounds like we've have a lot to chat about.

We ran a check on your vessel, this so called "The Shovel". We could not find any known contacts with it against Deterrence or the Corsair Imperio at large. This at least verifies the bit where you state that you've never waged war against our kind.

Now onto business - you have indeed come to the right place. Deterrence is the sword against the enemies of the Imperio. You are familiar with the Corsairs and therefore the scope of our operations. And while our more traditional hermanos y hermanas trust only those born within our borders, we have a more flexible disposition to outsiders - provided that they prove their allegiance, reliability, and loyalty. Asymmetrical warfare is a useful tool.

A word given, a bond made, never broken. Those are the words of Ravenna Nagash and Deterrence has a reputation for upholding their commitments.

The question is - your story is a lot to take on faith. We need proof that you are truly interested in working for us.

We have centuries of experience from reverse engineering and building vessels from the remnants of salvaged ships. Repurposing is our nature. And you sound like you've had quite the adventure. I am sure that in your travels you've come across something valuable. Obtain a valuable piece of technology and bring it to us. I'm sending you an encrypted code - once you find something that's worth our time, come to Omega 41 and activate it. A detachment will be sent to your location to take you to Ravenna Invicta, one of our stations.

You and your crew will be de-briefed at that time under my supervision. Your ''legitimate salvage'' can dock with the station under our escort for repairs after it has been thoroughly checked and inspected for any potential bugs or other Maltese surprises. We normally only find wrecks of these ships after our military has done serious damage. I make it my business to gather intelligence on any foreign ships and assess their capabilities. While I doubt Malta has anything to challenge Corsair superiority - it would be an interesting exercise in futility. That is to find anything worthwhile replicating or adapting. No offense to you signor, I am sure that ship has gotten you out of scraps. It's just nothing compared to our vastly superior designs.

If everything goes smoothly, we'll give you a working assignment. Should you prove worth our time, I can very much guarantee your long-term future has improved dramatically. I will be waiting your contact.

For the Imperio,
Michela Calliente

┝┅┅┅{END OF TRANSMISSION}┅┅┅┥

eigos · (This post was last modified: 01-28-2024, 06:52 PM by eigos.)

Cpt. Kadego Sudrossa

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
SECURE CHANNEL TRANSMISSION
AUDIO FEED: [ONLINE] VIDEO FEED: [ONLINE] MESSAGING: [ENABLED]

To: Deterrence [DTR] HQ
Subject: [Time to pick sides...]
Priority: █ █ █ █ █
Encryption: [VERY HIGH]
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Freeport 1 [Omega 3 System]

│SENDER├─────── RELAY ONLINE ───────┤RECIPIENT│

Señora Calliente,

I have received your message and I appreciate the swift response on your part.
In turn, I am hereby revealing my current whereabouts and enabling my direct Video & Audio feeds for communication, as a sign of mutual trust and good will.

Onto the matters at hand, I find your terms acceptable and am offering an assortment of exotic items, which I'd like to bestow to your organization, as a first gesture on my part - I am, after all, about to encroach into your turf in the Omega sector, so it only makes sense for the 'guest' to bring gifts. The items in question are quite hard to obtain and considered valuable... and also possibly dangerous. I trust you will find a greater use for them than I can, as surely your scientific expertise will be able to properly store and study them. I'm sending a cargo manifest for you to inspect shortly...

Cargo Manifest: [Details];

Now, all that's left to do is for me to make my way to Omega-41 and activate your secure beacon code, so we may finally meet.
One thing I would like to point out - I will be coming alone and my ship does not have any other crew on board (except basic maintenance droids, with less than one and a half brain cells' worth of intelligence).
You will, of course be welcome aboard "The Shovel" for an initial inspection to verify all of this, before we depart to your headquarters for a thorough look at everything you might be interested in.

A word given. A bond made, never broken. I will remember this.

See you at the meeting...
Sudrossa, out.

├─────── TRANSMISSION END ───────┤

Michela Calliente · 01-09-2024, 09:45 PM,

┝┅┅┅{INCOMING TRANSMISSION}┅┅┅┥

┝┅{Sender: Michela Calliente
┝┅{Recipient: Kadego Sudrossa
┝┅{Location: The Eclipse, Ravenna Invicta
┝┅{Message Type: Transmission
┝┅{Subject: Time to pick sides

Signor Sudrossa,

I trust that you have found the quarters aboard the Ravenna Invicta to your satisfaction. Please join me for your full debriefing in 10 standard hours. We'll also take care of a routine decontamination process. There are many items to discuss on my agenda including your potential next assignment and compensation. Your ship is also being analyzed by my team and our engineers. Rest assured, it's in good hands. As mentioned, we need to ensure that it's not a security threat to us. While we cover these little technicalities, I am sure you will understand the guards, your current restrictions, and comms limitations. They are of course for your protection until we've verified all information.

In the meantime, I would like to attach these items to your case file, please check if the data is accurate - a simple written confirmation would be sufficient. We can discuss the finer details during our debrief.

Cargo and manifest as per agreement

Communication

Telemetry

See you soon,
Michela Calliente

┝┅┅┅{END OF TRANSMISSION}┅┅┅┥

eigos · (This post was last modified: 01-28-2024, 06:51 PM by eigos.)

Cpt. Kadego Sudrossa

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
SECURE CHANNEL TRANSMISSION
AUDIO FEED: [ONLINE] VIDEO FEED: [ONLINE] MESSAGING: [ENABLED]

To: Michela Calliente
Subject: [Time to pick sides...]
Priority: █ █ █ █ █
Encryption: [VERY HIGH]
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Ravenna Invicta [Omicron Gamma System]

│SENDER├─────── RELAY ONLINE ───────┤RECIPIENT│

Señora Calliente,

My ship is now moored with Ravenna Invicta, pending the upcoming inspection by your crew. All systems are unlocked and open to be scrutinized and analyzed. I also hereby confirm the data attachments you provided to be correct and untampered, as is the cargo manifest after I handed it off to your personnel.

As for my current accommodations aboard the station, it's more than enough to cover my needs - a frugal traveler always appreciates a working shower, a simple bed and a temperate environment... couldn't ask for more than this, considering the current situation and pending debrief.

On the matter of the debrief itself, I am ready to proceed with it, as soon as my metabolism has recovered and adapted to the gravity conditions aboard the station... I've been advised to rest for a couple of days by medical, before submitting to the lenghty procedure of a full examination and interview.

As soon as I am mentally at 100%, I shall give the 'go ahead' to the guards, who will escort me to the appropriate facility for the job.
Talk to you soon...

Sudrossa, out.

├─────── TRANSMISSION END ───────┤

Michela Calliente · 01-28-2024, 06:56 PM,

┝┅┅┅{ABOARD THE RAVENNA INVICTA}┅┅┅┥

Signor Sudrossa, the time has come, please follow me to the Eclipse's brig.

Michela gestured politely to show him the way and two proceeded with a small escort of Corsair troops. The Eclipse was currently docked aboard the station for repairs and the team made their way passing by multiple engineers along the path. The brig was dimly lit, with a bio-scanner, a small lab with some vials, and some device on top of the desk with a few chairs. The operatives sat down on the allotted chairs without saying a word.

Please, take the designated spot in front of the scanner and allow it to do its work. You've got nothing to be afraid of. It's just there to look at your vitals. We need to see if you don't have any implants, ID spoofers, memory crypts, you get the gist.

Sudrossa followed instructions and without much the delay, the scan lit up in a welcoming green.

Great, looks like you are clean. Next steps are fairly simple, please sit.

She went to the small lab and picked up a vial. She sat across from him and hooked up the device on his arm. Whether Sudrossa was uncomfortable, she could not tell while observing him.

Drink this and we are ready to begin. It's a truth serum, makes sure you are telling the truth on any questions I ask. The device is monitoring your pulse, breathing, and overall synapse response. She winked at him with a coy smile. He drank it without protest.

Great so far, so good. Let's begin.

Please describe in great detail your operating history particularly military career.

eigos · (This post was last modified: 01-28-2024, 07:38 PM by eigos.)

*Kadego tries his best to look relaxed, but the unfamiliar experience of getting questioned is having a visible effect on his heart rate - the monitor to his left reads "ELEVATED ANXIETY", which does nothing to improve the situation. He exhales deeply, before starting to speak to commander Michela Calliente...*

Where should I start... let me see...

I was drafted into the Maltese Navy through family connections from my mother's side - her father (my grandfather), Arturo Sudrossa, was an ace pilot in the roster. As such, he was tasked with testing new spacecraft as they were being developed, such as the Carabela and the Rapier (the replacements for the venerable Stiletto and Sabre fighters).
Grandfather Arturo died during one of the final tests, as he was pushing the limits of the vessel - something he was known to often do. I never met him in person, but my mother used to tell me stories about him. Those same stories are key to how I met with one of the top brass at the MN.

Enter chief engineer Diego Rojas - one of the brains behind the creation of the "CQ - Conquistador" line of snub craft. Guess who used to be his closest friend... my grandfather, Arturo Sudrossa. Our meeting was inevitable, as I frequented the spaceport bar on Malta almost daily during my smuggling run breaks, telling stories about my exploits. During one of my bragging sessions, I ended up mentioning my grandfather's name... One mention of the family name "Sudrossa" was enough to provoke Diego to come running at me, knocking me down with a single uppercut punch. That's how we met.

Not long after, I essentially became part of the Rojas family - Diego took care of me, bailed me out of any trouble I got myself into, gave me a a home... his sons were like brothers to me. Unbeknownst to him, I enlisted in the Navy as a security patrol pilot, to honor my granfather's family name. Diego wasn't happy about it, but went along with it - he actually had me move up two ranks immediately, in the hopes that I'd be offered a safer position as a HQ comms officer aboard some command base. I, however, always volunteered for patrol duty and action.

Cmd. Calliente: Give me full details of your relationship with the Outcasts - past and current.

I climbed the ladder further, establishing myself as a reliable security pilot and got tasked to guarding Torino Base in the Lorraine system - one of the riskiest jobs on THE most remote outcast outpost, right in Gallic space.

Me and the rest of the security patrol pilots on Torino, we were relentlessly sent to deal with possible contacts around the station's 3 safety perimeters - if any vessel breached the outer perimeter, we were on it. But as the months went by, our diligent work of 'disappearing' gallic vessels did not go unnoticed... We started encountering armed patrols of both Gallic Royal Navy, as well as some shady para-legal group, called the Unione Corse. They were possibly suspecting the existence of Torino base in the asteroid field, but they didn't yet know its exact location.

These developments forced the hand of our naval command and they decided to dispatch one of their Elite Guard to deal with Torino's security - enter commander Socorro Pelaez... a greasy sleazeball of a bastard, who ultimately is the reason for my 'untimely retirement' from the Maltese Navy.

Cmd. Calliente: How did you obtain this ship?

There was an... operation in the works, codenamed "Sombra Asunto". Its main objective - to 'discourage' the gallics from further venturing into the asteroid field, by deploying "mobile" heavy weapons platforms. By "mobile", I mean actual ships. Vessels that are simple to operate, armed heavily and are devoid of the typical crew that would be present for tactical, medical and navigational duties.

Enter the decomissioned RM-1 "Storta" destroyer - something that was big, heavy, old and lacked any of the advancements of the current RM-2 counterpart.
Those old RM-1's were dumped around Bastia Shipyard in the now closed-off Omicron 85 system, acting as weapons platforms and practically rotting away in the dense radiation-infested green gas cloud around the station.

Being completely disposable, yet operational enough (and sporting a slim vertical profile), those ships were quickly patched up to base functional state and manned by a single pilot - no other crew was needed. Acting similarly as a gunship, with heavy armament, a couple of those vessels were sent off to Torino Base in Lorraine, to actively hunt down and destroy unprepared enemies inside the safety perimeter.

Cmd. Calliente: Interesting... Then, I assume you are piloting that very type of vessel?

Correct - 'The Shovel' was the first of those "mobile weapons platforms" to arrive at Torino. I was immediately put at the front line of defense and soon had been tasked with a mission (which ended being impossible to complete, if I was to follow the instructions of Mission Control).
We had two squadrons - Sigma and Iota, each tasked with a different objective.
Sigma was to make contact with a local (to Lorraine) leader of the Unione Corse. There was a deal proposal that Sigma Leader (none other than Cmd. Socorro Pelaez) was supposed to extend to the gallics, and supposedly avoid a full-on war.

The Iota squadron was tasked with being "Plan-B", should Sigma fail in its objective. As you might have surmised, Plan-B is the total annihilation of ALL Corse ships, to send a message (and ensure the safety of Torino from getting discovered).

Pelaez failed in his negotiations. Not only did he fail, he actually ended up abandoning the field of battle, tasking Iota squad (of which I was part of) to take the brunt of the gallic force. We were already outnumbered, when more hostiles arrived... this time from the Royal Police, with bomber support. Pelaez's final orders were 'sacrifice code'. We were to either destroy all enemies, or not return to base at all (to prevent its discovery).

I ordered my surviving men from the Iota squad to split up in separate directions, to give themselves more chance of survival. The Royalists ended up swarming my ship, but ultimately failed in bringing me down (they were overconfindent in their direct attacks, not aware of my Light Mortar armament until it was too late).

Having survived the battle, I was faced with two options:
A] to return back to Torino, unknown of what would happen - I was at this point not sure if I was being tracked, or followed by more Royalists;
B] to head off in an off-plane direction, thus evading all system traffic and then plotting a route out of Lorraine;

Cmd. Calliente: And which 'option' did you take, captain?

I took the second option. Not only that, but I managed to squeeze my way through Gallic space, back into the Tau region. The key to my survival was a contact that Diego had gained, a gallic freelancer, whom he had helped and owed him a favor. That person never identified himself to me, but managed to contact me through comms and gave away navdata locations to the jumpholes that I had to navigate through, to get out of Gallia safely (the less travelled routes).

Months later after my escape, I got in touch with Diego. He was relieved to know I was alive, but advised me to 'lay low' and not return to outcast space, until he could ascertain that I'd be safe. Several people, whom I served with, on Torino were going missing in uncertain circumstances, supposedly shortly after getting debriefed by none other than Cmd. Socorro Pelaez.

This should cover the topic of my military career fully.

*Having finished telling his story in detail, Kadego let off a sigh of relieve. His heart rate had normalized at this point... perhaps as an effect of 'coming forth' with his personal story... or perhaps because of the drugs he was given at the start of the session. Whatever the truth may be, he was now looking calmly at commander Calliente...*

├─────── POLYGRAPH READING: TRUTH ───────┤

Michela Calliente · 01-28-2024, 07:34 PM,

┝┅┅┅{ABOARD THE RAVENNA INVICTA}┅┅┅┥

Excellent, thank you for the summary. How do you feel about working against the Outcasts?

eigos · (This post was last modified: 01-28-2024, 07:53 PM by eigos.)

*That question was something Kadego was dreading since the start... but he felt he had the right answer nevertheless. Conflicting emotions started to stir his heart rate again, but only a little. Kadego was now certain - the serum he was given at the start is having two effects on him. First comes the calming effect... and the second one is causing him to speak on an impulse. He couldn't suppress his thoughts getting verbalized, even if he tried.*

You see, commander... I have an axe to grind with the Maltese Navy for 3 reasons:

Number One: They never gave my mother the honors of compensating her for the demise of her father (my grandfather, Arturo Sudrossa), because she was 'not part of the orange dream' - she was not a cardamine user. They claim she's an illegitimate child (adopted or otherwise).

Reason Number Two: My friends, whom I worked with back in Torino, were probably terminated after their 'debriefing'. I suspect Pelaez is behind this. I also suspect a nomad connection here, but that's for later discussion.

...Reason Number Three: The very fact that the 101st outcast division is protective of the nomad aliens (Pelaez is part of that same guard), coupled with the fact that the whole MN has a policy of non-aggression with them (unless provoked), doesn't sit well with me. Diego warned me to not get close with the higher-ups in the Guard, as bad things tend to happen there. I suspect there are many who are either infested, or otherwise conforming with the alien agenda.

I would, however... not harm civilians. Unprovoked, for vengeance, or "for the sport". Not unless they attack me, or my family, first.
That is the code that I live by.

*He slumped on his chair to the right side, feeling fatigue slowly but surely kicking in...*

├─────── POLYGRAPH READING: TRUTH ───────┤

Michela Calliente · 01-28-2024, 07:54 PM,

┝┅┅┅{ABOARD THE RAVENNA INVICTA}┅┅┅┥

Good, let's move on to the next item. How did you avoid using Cardamine?

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