HidHop-5

==Chapter 5 – Prisoners’ Dilemma==
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----
===Restricted Meeting===
10/02/3051 | Outskirts Astrapolis, Free Rasalhague Republic
An ST-46 shuttle descended from a clear blue sky onto the desolate ferrocrete airstrip in the middle of the grasslands. Beneath the Clan Daggerstar flying above the beacon were eleven bearded prisoners with five masked individuals wearing dirty gray fatigues pointing shotguns at them. The heat of reentry from its sub-orbital flight could still be felt as the shuttle neared the party and lowered itself on its wheels to deploy a ramp.
Star Captain Illusha Kearny descended from the stairs followed by a pair of soldiers whose faces were concealed behind the mirror visors of their helmets carrying compact Gauss SMGs
She approached another woman whose long, braided brown hair slipped out of the folds of her shemagh. “You certainly took your time Diana. I was about to send my own people whether you requested them or not. I had hoped you had perished in the wilderness or at their hands.”
“It will take more than rough living to kill me. The Kell Hounds were cunning prey and aided by the locals. We handled their co-conspirators and managed to capture them alive, and mostly whole.”
“You were supposed to kill Phelen Kell.”
“His fate has not yet been decided by the Council. I will remind you that I have discretion whenever an individual may be of value to the Watch. Phelen Kell may yet be of value to us.”
“He has already been interrogated.”
“By a Ghost Bear, not a Watch Agent. We both know how well Cote’s command carried out their mission.”
Illusha glared at the freeborn, “Yes, we certainly do.”
“Star Captain I am eager to burn this uniform and put this whole endeavor behind me after a long shower. We can continue this conversation in Astrapolis once I process my reports.”
Star Captain Kearny looked around a Diana’s Watch Team and their prisoners, saw everything was dirty and patched up, and smelled their accumulated hunting trip. Her revulsion was evident to everyone. “Very well, put the prisoners in the cargo hold and pack everything up, we are returning to base, and maybe we will finally get off this miserable rock and into the fight.”
----
===Communication Challenges===
A Clan Daggerstar and menacing Steel Viper standard flew over Lake Kroeger. Diana stopped at the checkpoint leading into the fenced off perimeter of COMSTAR’s former HPG compound to see her face reflected in a Viper visor. 
“Identification and Purpose.”
“Diana, Watch Team Leader. I am here to deliver reports to INTELSTAR and receive missives from Command.”
They hesitated just long enough to be annoyed while staring at her new uniform fresh from the packaging and long hair looped into a loose bun. Her gun belt still showed signs of wear, tear, and more than its fair share of dirt. “You have been away for a while.”
“I have been hunting. Do you think Command would have missed me even if we did have an HPG active?”
“Neg, move along. Watch yourself.”
The checkpoint guards opened the gate and Diana continued onward passing former COMSTAR personnel which continued their duties in their hastily repaired home. Steel Vipers patrolled a reduced perimeter with positions on the roof or from the towers near the gates and corners. Just beyond the fences were the hexagonal yurt-like tents of the infantry Star attached to Illusha’s [[Binary] ] for additional security and access to either the Eastern (Astrapolis) or Western (Starport) shore.
More Steel Vipers stood watch just outside INTELSTAR’s offices which formerly belonged to the now murdered COMSTAR Alpha branch. Sheet metal filled in for other structural materials which had been burned out the night the Kell Hounds escaped, and ROM destroyed the HPG.
One of the INTELSTAR staff looked up from his oscilloscope, which he was using to test pieces of a disassembled radio. “Diana, I thought you had died. You have lost weight.”
“A combination of sickness and starvation. I cannot recommend it.
I remain alive if only to spite the Star Captain.” Diana looked around to see that the INTELSTAR detachment had apparently been allowed to recruit some COMSTAR personnel into their group, “You seem to be doing well for yourself Nazar.”
“COMSTAR uses the same Star League standards that we do. We cobbled together enough connections so that the only thing this compound cannot do is send hyper-pulses.”
Another of the INTELSTAR techs looked up from her console, “Or make decent coffee.”
“The equatorial temperature of this world is far too low to grow coffee Nia.”
She returned to her duties, “I would have never thought instant coffee from Irdmach would be preferable, but I have changed my mind.”
“Have you brought us anything of interest from your travels Diana?”
Diana unlimbered a heavy message bag and dropped it onto the bench, “Only my reports to be filed and transmitted whenever another jumpship comes into system.”
“Here I was hoping for something more interesting. Were you successful?”
“I captured the rest of the Kell Hounds. When does the next jumpship come into system?”
“End of month, with such a long planetary transit Illusha will likely have to wait until November to get off Elissa. REVIVAL is proceeding as ilKhan Showers had planned so Jumpships are hard to come by as we stay on the move. This one is from the One Star Faith. They have apparently decided to aid our glorious mission.”
“I presume that, and more will keep me reading for some time.”
Nazar looked at the satchel, “You might even need a bigger bag. You have been away for a long time.”
“I swear that I may do more reading than even you, the Scientist, lately.”
“Not lately. With nothing to transmit I have been browsing the Tau branch library. I have found it very intriguing, there are some fascinating illuminated books within, and I have done what I can to ease some of the resentment COMSTAR feels.”
“In true Nova Fox fashion.”
“INTELSTAR belongs to no Clan. We serve all, including the occupied. Although I could not save three of the imprisoned Kell Hounds.”
“What happened?”
“They got sick and were isolated in the infirmary until they succumbed.”
“Kappa branch could have treated them, without even drawing from the Touman’s resources.”
“The Star Captain ordered them not to, she said it would be ‘a waste.’”
Something felt twisted, wrong, inside her that made her think maybe she hadn’t yet gotten over her own illness. She picked up the satchel, overstuffed with printouts from across the Clan’s operation area, from their Homeworlds to the Front Line against the LCAF. 
She turned and walked out of the office, “It was a waste.”
----
===Survey Work===
10/03/3051 | DropShip, CSV Running Elk
Bootsteps echoed within the darkened corridors of CSV Running Elk as a young woman with three white stripes wrapping a pentagonal arm patch shone her flashlight around. In a weak voice she squeaked out, “Is anyone there?”
A woman’s voice and headlamp came out from the darkened engineering equipment causing the woman to jump back. The stranger’s slate blue jumpsuit showed the symbol of the Steel Viper Watch, her lean face and long brown hair showing in the light.
“Diana, what are you doing on the lower decks? In the middle of the night?” 
“I was curious.” 
“About?” 
“Why the Hell’s Horses changed the Lion dropship’s quad landing leg arrangement to a five legged one.” “That is an odd question to occupy your mind in the middle of the night Watch Team Leader.” 
“Do you an answer for it, Savanna?” 
“I can look it up.” 
“Would you?” 
Savanna pulled out her technical computer and searched through the notes for the Hellgate remakes of the Lion Dropship. “The quad arrangement was not as stable on uneven terrain because of the top heaviness of the design. 
An additional leg also made it easier to adjust the infantry disembarkation ramps and provided redundancy for battle damage.” 
“What would happen if two legs were damaged?” 
“It would probably crash into the ground, and we would not get any liberty for months because we would be fixing all the damage. 
If we keep it clear of the enemy, the Running Elk should be fine.” 
“That is the purpose of a military dropship.”
She looked nervous in the dim computer light while Diana cast a harsh shadow from the flashlight, “The Star Captain would not drop us right into a hot landing zone, would she?”
“Her Goshawk can hot drop in. As long as we prevent any saboteurs from reaching us and do not land within artillery range the Running Elk should remain intact.”
“You will take care of that right? The Saboteurs, not necessarily the artillery.”
“I can handle both, of course. We have parachutes and Nighthawks.”
“That is a relief. You had me scared there for a bit.”
“Everything is under control.”
“Great, can you leave now? I must complete my rounds and I have had my nightly allotment of freakouts.”
Lake Kroeger was dimly lit with a rainbow of pre-dawn light as an old fisherman rested his elbows on the wharf’s railing as Diana approached the Starport’s lakeport terminal. Laborers and Technicians milled about just outside waiting for their assignments for the day when the office officially opened. A similar line to the one on the other side as Astrapolis’ civilians went across the lake to work with the Clans. 
“Do you have authorization to be here?”
He dipped his head and hat to conceal his eyes, “Sure do lady, otherwise I wouldn’t be here would I?”
“Show me.” 
He reached out to five her a gloved hand with his ID card which cleared. Then she looked at the shimmering silver lake trout in buckets within his small boat. Something still seemed off about him, she just couldn’t put a finger on it. “Very well Misha.”“Care for some? I’m selling the whole batch to your INTER-LOGI fella anyway. He’s already weighed it.”
“I will wait for the cooks.”“Suit yourself, I’ve become quite the sashimi fan over the years and in my travels.”
“Having recently eaten and gotten sick from undercooked food and bad water I will politely decline.”
“Good day to ‘ya then.”
INTER-LOGI, the Clan’s extensive ‘integrated logistics' service, operated out of the former harbormaster’s office. A local Merchant Factor stood behind a desk and sheaf of papers. “Diana, thank you and your team for returning most of your equipment intact. Far better than the regulars,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “or MechWarriors.”
“Regrettably one of our solar rechargers was lost, Durgan. The wilderness is harsh.”
“I am amazed that you managed to stay out in the field for so long on so few provisions.”
“The Watch is resourceful because we must be. 
Speaking of provisions, the fisherman outside, who is he?”
“Misha? He is a chill fellow, lives in the woods and on the river as he says.” 
Durgan put his finger to his chin, “Little odd, but provides a great product, I just keep forgetting to tell Illusha where her dinner comes from. He stops by a few times a week, but you have been away so long. You are in for a surprise tonight.”
“I have a request for you, Merchant Factor. A big one, so you might want to sit down.”
He dropped back into the chair at her request, “You have the authority of the Watch behind you so that does give you some discretion and heft. What do you need?”
“The Kell Hounds’ dropship, repaired, refueled, provisioned, and ready to depart on an independent mission I am proposing to Command.I would also like to requisition a Hansa or OSF crew to man the ship.”
“That is a mighty big ask. The Star Captain would not want her people tasked with it.”
“I am less picky with personnel. You have Astrapolii and COMSTAR personnel that can perform these tasks, quiaff?”
“Aff, technically the Junkyard is isorla of all the Clans as neither Star Commander Cote, nor Star Captain Kearny claimed it, or could reasonably staff it. I will need you to sign for it though.”
Diana handed the man a list of other goods. He peered over them with his glasses. “Fairly normal fare, but I have some questions. Why do you want the Kell Hounds’ personal effects?”
“They might provide value in operations planning.”
“Ten Mauser Twos, Avenger CCW, Gauss SMGs, Pulse Laser Pistols, Five Nighthawk suits, basically a full Small Arms Armory with boxes of ammo, spare power cells, and tooling.”
“It will be necessary for my mission. We have plenty of spares.”
“Three hundred kilos of Pentaglycerine, one hundred of C-eight, and other miscellaneous demolitions equipment reserved for Elissa’s civilian blast mining. Do you need that much explosive Diana?”
“I may.” Diana leaned in and batted an eyelash, while letting her hair slide down between them, “Durgan, would you rather have it on my dropship or in your warehouse where it could be accessed by saboteurs?”
“You make a very persuasive argument. If it does not involve Touman Capital assets and Illusha does not countermand me. I can get you what you request. It will however take time to restore the Junkyard to operation.”
“How long?”
“A week maybe six days provided we have the right parts.”
Diana did the math in her head, “That is fine, I will not need it until my operation has been approved. It will keep the locals busy though, and out of trouble.”
“Yes, I suppose it would.”
“Thank you, Durgan.” She turned slightly away and departed slowly to the door, “I will see you for dinner.” Leaving the door slightly ajar she glanced back at him before walking through with a bounce of her hair and slight smile, “Looking forward to it in fact.”
----
===Unpleasant Interview===
10/09/3051
Phelen felt the cold concrete beneath his bare feet as he passed through the former COMSTAR compound. Curfew was in effect so only the frogs and insects were out about and making noise. “I really wish I still had those boots.”
He felt a solid jab from behind right in his ribs, “Shut it prisoner.”
“Wasn’t this was supposed to be an interrogation?”
“We do not want to listen to you, the Watch does, for some reason.”
“Oh great. The oh so lovely Diana.”
The Steel Viper slapped his side with the neural whip drawn from their belt. Despite being unpowered the steel whip still stung. “What part of shut it didn’t you understand? Next time I am powering it up.”
All four of them walked silently to the interrogation room that formerly belonged to ROM. Diana sat legs crossed on her chair facing away from the door and mirror as the guards secured him to the table browsing through thick manila folders. “Phelen Kell, as requested.”
She dismissed them with a wave and the heavy door closed effortlessly, “No glib remarks mercenary?”
He looked around the bland, familiar, and uncomfortable room, “I love what you’ve done with the place.”
Diana turned to face him and put the folders off to the side and put the neural whip on top of them, “We have not changed anything.”
“Exactly. It was perfect and functional just like the last time I was here.” He stared at himself in the one way mirror, shaved, and in prison clothes, again.
“Do you know why you are here?”
“I presumed you wanted to see how handsome I am without a beard.”
A sigh and long exhale escaped her lips as she leaned back and patted the neural whip, “The fact that your tongue has remained intact is a testament to my patience, mercenary.”
“It has gotten me into and out of many troublesome situations, particularly with women.”
“Until now.”
Phelen smiled at her, “Remains to be seen.” Then lifted his shackled hands, “I’ve done it handcuffed before if you are interested.”
Her eyelids twitched faintly and grip on the neural whip tightened as Phelen’s interrogation continued fruitlessly.
----
===The Decision===
10/10/3051
Two shadows clung to the benighted concrete walls of the MechWarrior’s dugout and crouched along the roof. Gentle persuasion from an impact driver opened the skylight into the Mech Bay. One of them wrapped a rope around their torso as the other looked to see if Mech Bay was occupied. Hand signals quickly signaled readiness as the other rappelled down to the floor. Silently they ascended the stairs to the barracks side door. A keypad blinked red as they approached before seven numbers were punched on the pad.
Her sneak suit’s mask shifted away revealing Diana, “Unbelievable. They didn’t even change the security codes. No wonder ROM was able to break the Kell Hounds out the first time.” 
She toggled the code change protocol within the Mech Bay’s security system, ‘77933’
“That ought to slow you down but, just in case.” 
Diana lifted an arc welder and metal bracket out of her bag, sparks flew as the welder merged the bracket to the metal walkway. A similar one was anchored next to the small door built into the hanger’s door before she ascended back onto the roof.
Tech Grade III Savanna walked through the lower decks of the CSV Running Elk and heard something, “No one is supposed to be down here on orders of the Star Captain.”
A hand went over her mouth muffling the scream. She felt something made of cold steel next to her neck. “Mwont kill mwe.”
“It’s me. Promise you won’t scream. Just a nod will do.”
She nodded and had the hand removed from her mouth although it still gripped her neck and the hard object still rested on her shoulder. “What are you doing, Diana?”
“Giving you a choice. 
If you help me, we both get what we want.
If you refuse, I will have to kill you, but I will feel bad about it.”
“Why?”
“Because I think you and Ash are cute.”
Savanna swallowed hard, and tried not to panic and give her supposed friend a reason to hurt her, “What are you going to do?”
“Leave. 
You both can come with me. I need someone to begin the startup sequence for the Kell Hounds’ dropship. You and he can do that, quiaff?”
“Aff, but there’s no jumpship and Illusha will follow us in the Running Elk.”
Diana sheathed her knife and showed her a remote detonator switch, “No she won’t.”
“You can’t blow up a dropship. It would take tons of explosives.”
“I’m precisely hamstringing it, that is enough, and a jumpship is on the way.”
A realization dawned on her, ‘She is going to blow the legs. That I told her about last week.’
Her tone was icy cold and caused Savanna to tremble, “Time is of the essence, little tech. 
You can die now, later, or much later and elsewhere. 
Decide.”
----
===Sudden Exit===
10/10/3051
Two of INTER-LOGI’s 10 ton light duty trucks approached COMSTAR’s HPG compound/prison camp passing by the hexagonal Yurts of their fellow Steel Vipers. The compound itself was double fenced and protected by three rolls of concertina wire strung out on the ground. Their headlights were dark, but there was an IR lightbar on top of the cab so only the slow crunching of gravel beneath their tires revealed them in the night before they stopped at the north-eastern gate where a trio of Steel Vipers waited under the lights were overwatched by a machine gun in a sandbag bunker.
The trucks drew up to the gate and its passengers rolled down their windows. “Caresh, Melanie, what is the Watch doing out here so late? It is almost three am.”
Caresh leaned out of the window slightly and Melanie did the same with the other dismounted guard, his passenger climbed out to stretch his legs near the bunker. “We were on a night driving exercise. Just putting these back in the garage. Is that a problem, Severine?”
“There is nothing about the Watch being out on maneuvers tonight and the garage is on the other side of the compound. You should have used the main gate.”
Muffled flashes from silenced pistols dropped the guards while a pair of Watch ‘replaced’ the guards who were slumped against a wall out of sight of the watch towers and rest of the infantry camped just outside the fences. The gates were raised, and trucks passed into the inner perimeter of the Kell Hounds’ Annex.
Five heavily armored but lightly armed Steel Vipers fell to the armor piercing slugs of a Gauss Sub-Machine Gun before they could register the fact that these two monoculared Watch Agents wore no insignia on their dark blue fatigues. Like the others they were immediately propped up out of the watch tower’s sight and to prevent the horizontal alert on their radios from triggering. 
Melanie opened the door into the barracks and was closely followed by Caresh who closed the door behind him. Light streamed in from the oval windows over the sleeping forms of the Kell Hounds. Caresh slammed his hand on the door but didn’t turn on the light, “Witching hour, time to leave Kell Hounds.”
Lieutenant Teng, now Commander of 222 after the death of Captain Wilson, was already awake and ready as were the eleven that had accompanied him to the other side of Elissa. They roused the others and the Watch peered through the partially open door at the Watch Towers above them. 
“As soon as we move the alarm is going to be raised. We messed with comms on COMSTAR’s end, but it will be sorted out quickly and we cannot sabotage all the radios in the unit or eliminate the Belfry.”
One of their pilots that hadn’t been with the team tried to make a move for Melanie’s pistol but was stopped by Phelen, “This is some kinda trick Phelen, we can’t trust them.”
“I’m sorry but we couldn’t tell you, Virgil. Its legit, we are getting out of here with their help and taking them with us.”
“You said that about the last time, I won’t go back again. You don’t know what it was like watching the Captain and others just waste away.”
Phelen kept a firm grip on Virgil’s wrist and looked toward the others that had suffered tremendously after being recaptured. “I know you’ve all been through a lot, but we are making it off-world this time." 
She kept an eye on the watch tower, “Your dropship is fueled up and ready to take off, with all your stuff on it.”
He looked toward Melanie, “How are we getting out of system?”
“A One Star JumpShip is due to arrive by month’s end. We will take it over and jump out.”
“What about the other DropShip?”
“It is being handled by Diana.” The guards were looking outward as far as she could tell. “Time to go.”
Diana stood at the base of the Junkyard’s main ramp with a vibrosword slung over her back and Mauser IIC in her hands when she heard COMSTAR’s bell ring frantically. Her Nighthawk’s advanced sensors registered that the vessel was warming up and detected machine gun fire in the distance. She signaled to the trio of heavily armored former Jade Falcons crewing a tripod mounted heavy machine gun and gyroscopic harness mounted grenade launcher on the ramp to ready themselves as lights began to show in the tents throughout the Steel Viper camp.
She took a knee and toggled the zoom on the integrated optics that seamlessly broadcast her Mauser’s scope to her HUD because they were designed to work together. Although they were out of effective range, she saw how fast the Viper crews woke up, armed themselves, and manned their checkpoints. It was only a matter of time before they recognized the dropship behind her was powering up and went to investigate. She turned and positioned herself with her back to the ramp and looked toward the much closer Mech dugout where the lights were already coming on. Illusha and her MechWarriors were quick to don their gear and she could only hope that her efforts delayed them long enough, if they got into the fight it was all over.
“Hurry it up, Hounds. We don’t have all night.”
----
===Rude Wakeup===
10/10/3051
Star Captain Illusha Kearny woke up to the frantic ringing of a bronze bell over Lake Kroeger. She, Raj, and Giselle all uncoiled from one another and looked over to the clock. “Oh, three eighteen. What in Great Father's name is going on?”
The sound of heavy machine gun fire nearby got them all vertical and hastily putting on their clothes, “We are under attack, Star Captain.”
Outside the door the corridor clamored with Steel Viper MechWarrors rushing to the locker room to don their cooling vests and neurohelmets. The radio reports were fragmented, but the general situation was that the Kell Hounds had escaped somehow and were heading toward them on light trucks. Then another report told her that heavily armed infantry near their dropship, the one positioned closest to her, were firing upon troopers trying to reach the helicopters.
Vivienne, one of her MechWarriors blocked the way to the Mech Bay, "It will not open, Star Captain.”
“Get out of my way!” She pulled her back and put in the code, the keypad blinked red three times meaning it was locked out for three minutes before she could try again. “We do not have time for this. Raj, break it down!”
Raj stepped forward his bulk, reflecting his Roland genefather, almost disqualified him for Battlemech service but made him a deadly foe un-augmented even against Trueborn Elementals. Tucking his chin, he slammed his mass into the metal door which deformed but did not fall. He sharply sucked in air and rubbed his shoulder, “It is solid, Star Captain. Something heavy is holding it in place.”
“Then we go around it.”
Two of her MechWarriors went out the front door and found themselves under fire as grenades exploded around them cutting into their armored vests and flesh with red hot shrapnel. One of them was injured badly enough that his companion had to pull him back into the dugout by his recovery strap and deploy the IFAK on his vest to staunch the bleeding. “Someone is out there, Star Captain.”
Illusha seethed with rage as she looked out and saw the silhouette of a Nighthawk suit just beyond the lights. She saw the muzzle flash of the heavy machine gun firing at and grenade impacts near the jeeps pursuing the light trucks as they stopped next to the dropship. “It has to be Diana.”
She looked toward her other MechWarriors knuckles white and eyes filled with fire, “Someone get an axe and into this fight! I have freeborns to kill.”
A burst of inferno grenades punched through the dugout’s windows activating its sprinklers but those proved insufficient to stifle the flames. Viper MechWarriors deployed extinguishers to not be suffocated within their barracks, slowing them further. Their Goshawks broke through the hanger door just in time to look up as the Junkyard lifted into space illuminating the entire lake basin with its thruster plume.
Star Captain Kearny’s fury was beyond words, every muscle and nerve was saturated with it in a way she hadn’t thought possible. “Your victory will be short-lived, freebirth.” She looked over to the Lion dropship proudly standing across the Starport. “I still have the Running Elk.”
CSV Running Elk’s legs were engulfed in an explosion, hydraulic fluid bled from the wounded dropship as the tortured metal strained to support its mass. The screech of failed metal could be heard clearly across the lake before the spheroid dropship crashed into the ferrocrete causing a small tremor that could be felt for nearly a kilometer around. 
Their Goshawks rushed to investigate and found it mangled, rendered incapable of spaceflight, perhaps forever. Illusha Kearny precisely slammed her mech’s actuator enhanced fist into the ship denting it. Inside her cockpit she did the same cracking one of her MFDs, distorting its picture, and her reflection. 
“No! I refuse to accept this! I deserve better!”
----
High above her Phelen Kell held onto the rail next to a delta winged ST-46 shuttle opposite him were Diana still in her suit and Jackson Teng still in his prison whites. “You have one orbit Phelen. If you don’t rendezvous with us after that, you will have to catch up with us. 
It’s already twenty days to the Zenith jump point, we must be there before Elissa finds out that the One Star Faith JumpShip has arrived to ambush them.”
“I will be there,” Phelen tapped his hand on a metal chest, “We Kell Hounds keep our promises. That is why I must go.”
“I understand and know you will.”
Phelen saluted, “Requesting permission to disembark, Captain.”
Jackson returned the salute, “Granted, MechWarrior. Godspeed.”
----
===Transition though occupied Space===
10/23/3051
Almost two weeks had passed since they left the planet while the Mercenaries and Falcons processed what happened. Based on Diana’s reports the outer Blackjack and Tsarahavana OAs, almost eighty Lyran worlds, were occupied in a line from Elume to Ridderkerk. This inflamed the passions of some of the Hounds who had family on these worlds, but it was quickly put down by Teng who politely reminded them that they only escaped because of the Clanners and so are all marked for death now. 
Questions were raised about why the Clans had chosen to persecute their war against the Lyrans to which Diana answered, “ilKhan Showers intends to use the Commonwealth as a steppingstone for greater victory against the whole Inner Sphere.” She didn’t have a full operations plan, only the Khans, Galaxy Commanders, and highest ranking civilians in their hierarchy likely possessed such knowledge.
A different commotion drew everyone’s attention as a KF-emergence wave swept past them. Shortly afterward they resolved a Merchant class Jumpship on the long range scope. “A Jarnfolk ship?”
Phelen Kell, was on bridge watch lost in thought to the mellow tune of telltales blinking green showing all systems normal when a directed radio transmission came across the console. “This is Kai Allard of Kell Hound’s Two One Three transmitting from the Greyhound attached to JF Blatand.
Junkyard is that really you? Gretchen wishes to speak with Captain Wilson.”
He wished for nothing more than the speed of light to stop existing and for a real time conversation with his friend, he had so much to tell him, but Kai was probably off watch by now as even radio to the jump point would take hours. Jackson rushed to the bridge in his pajamas to confirm the codes. “It’s them, and a miracle. Go ahead kid. You are Officer of the Watch.”
“This is Phelen Kell of Kell Hounds’ Two Two Two, this is in fact the Junkyard, Captain Wilson is dead, Jackson Teng is in command now. Does the Blatand have a collar for us?”
Seven days later the Junkyard, Greyhound, and Blatant disappeared into the void.
-----
===Catching up on Interstellar News===
11/28/3051 | Outpost, Free Rasalhague Republic
JF Blatant rematerialized into real space, launched its shuttles, and detached the Kell Hound dropships. A squadron of gunships led by an Avenger fast attack craft were waiting for them. “All vessels are to follow Kungliga Flotten commands and prepare for boarding.” 
“The border is closed and the Free Rasalhague Republic is acting under martial law on orders of Elected Prince Magnusson and Supreme General Mansson, failure to comply will result in use of force.” 
“Acknowledge.”
On the bridge of the Junkyard the Kell Hounds and Falcons looked at one another, “We have received your communication and will comply, but since when has the border been closed and martial law instated?”
There was a paused on the other side as one of the boarding craft maneuvered into position, “Since Tamar fell.”
-----
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