Encrypted communication 5/12

WARNING: This article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!
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Decrypting…………segment found! Parsing segment…………………………………done Dumping buffer contents…

Archived transmission records found. Replay transmissions? [y/n]:  y 

[WARNING] Privacy certificates found. Transmissions may contain sensitive or protected materials, and unauthorized use may incur civil or criminal penalties. Are you sure you want to circumvent encryption?[y/n]:  y 

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

What are you up to, Valentina? I can see you, you know. You can shut down a ship’s comm arrays but you can’t silence the IFF. Why are you gathering survivors that close to the asteroid belt?

I thought I was clear before: your mission—your ONLY mission—is retrieval of the Vanguard core. It’s in the other direction.

Do you really want to test me? Do you think we didn’t build in safeguards? I’m lightyears away, but I can still reach out and touch you. Convince me why I shouldn’t.

WM Stanislaus Litvin

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

I assume you mean all of these references to &quot;Squassation Override” we found buried in the transport layer of our comm panels? Cute name. How exactly do you plan to activate it with our tactical comms in full shutdown?

I have three software engineers that survived the attack, and they’re all working on flashing the nav firmware as we speak. IFFs are next. I even picked up a bosonic specialist a few hours ago.

You keep telling me about your stick, but I don’t hear any carrot yet. We’re close to extinction here. Give me something I can use.

Val

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

Cute transmission header. So you’re a “Battle Group” now? Funny, it looks more like two shuttle transports, three very light SSA gunships, and a command module that’s mostly duct tape and carbon wire.

I’ve met with the Council fifteen times in the past twenty-four hours. Do you want to know what they think? They think you’re a little girl playing at Commander. They wrote all of you off the moment the Vanguard was lost. They’ve already moved on to figuring out how to manufacture bigger weapons for Rodina.

I am the only one even bothering with you. How’s that for a carrot. I care about you only to the extent that you can help me, and all I’m doing right now is thinking up bigger and bigger sticks to use.

Do you know how I got to where I am? I sat in the Party meetings on Fore deck, nodded at the bigwigs, and told them what they wanted to hear. Then I went down to the town hall meetings in Aft deck. I talked to the common man, and I convinced him to tear down those bigwigs and put me up instead. That’s what I’m good at. Persuasion.

You can stop your little band of survivors from responding to me, but I can still broadcast at them. What do you think the odds are I can convince at least one of them that you’re leading them to their death? All I need is one.

If that doesn’t work, I’ll keep brainstorming new sticks until I find one that works.

Or we can get on the same team. Tell me what you’re doing, and tell me what you want. You need me more than I need you.

WM Stanislaus Litvin

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

Well that was refreshing. Do you feel better now?

If you didn’t need me, why are you still talking? I think you do need me. I think you’re terrified of an enemy force cracking that core. What’s on it? Encryption keys? Tech blueprints? Something else, with your fingerprints on it? How badly did you guys screw up?

If you’re watching, you can see that the xenos are scooping up survivors left and right. I’m going to rescue them. There’s a xeno light capital ship close to Veles. I’m going to draw away its fighter cover and then we’re boarding it. I’m getting my people back.

What I want is for you to stop posturing, and start giving me realtime signal intel on that ship.

Val

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

Well that is interesting. You realize that whoever you send to draw off the fighter cover isn’t coming back, right?

And save your selfless leader rhetoric. You and I both know that the kidnapped lifepods aren’t on that ship. You’re going after it because it’s fast enough to run and small enough to hide. You’re not rescuing anyone, you’re saving yourself.

I’ll get you the signal intel, but you’re not running anywhere with that ship. You’re going to use it to help me get the core.

Do you really think you can take it with light gunships and untrained colonists? I’m not mocking you; that’s a serious question. I don’t have a military background.

WM Stanislaus Litvin

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

Well, none of us do. I have forty or fifty highly motivated humans here, and some pretty good pilots. We have thousands of years of evolution behind us. Apex predators, and all that. How good can a bunch of xenos really be?

//You and I both know that the kidnapped lifepods aren’t on that ship.

Congrats: you now have a tiny nubbin of a stick to use. We’ll talk about the core once I command that xeno ship. Start working on my carrot.

Val

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

A nubbin’s all I need, Val.

I’ll be in touch with intel for you in a few hours.

WM Stanislaus Litvin

…End buffer dump