You've got a couple crates of weapons, which need to be loaded, sorted, charged, and accessorized. This seems like a Seela and Del job.

You've got a pallet of ration packs of uncertain provenance, some of which should be eaten post haste. Figuring out a menuplan is Another Job for Seela, along with either the prisoner or Biodroid.

Everyone else could use some teambuilding stuff. Keep everyone laughing along, and maybe they'll be more willing to risk their lives when the time comes. Plus you learn who's going to be the biggest PITA. Strip Poker, Volleyball, Karaoke, maybe some light combat drills.

All in all, you've got the makings of a Montage.

Robin and the Seven Hoods musical number?

Baron 2018/02/14(Wed)08:34 No. 867421 ID: ca1cab
File 151862607154.png - (254.80KB , 1280x1024 , 101.png )

Right, better talk with Rocket on making a schedule to keep everyone busy. But first, gonna have to deal with our new guest. Sooner I can deal with her, the sooner I can free up the brig again for

"Hey, turtle man, got anymore of the honey glaze jerky? I cleaned out that box there."

"I was saving those you bitch!"

"Oh calm your ass down they're not that pricey."

"Out here they are! That was genuine meat, not that synth-print crap!"

"Well shouldn't have left me in the food locker huh?"

"That's the brig!"

"Why leave food in your brig?"

"Oh don't you start too! Wait why'd I come down here?"

"I dunno. To get me more jerky?"

Had your fill? Because now you're gonna have to work off those pounds. Or else I'll beat your ass again for fun before throwing you out the airlock.

Let's wet our beak in the deadly art of diplomacy:
I'm glad you're enjoying my food, but you oughta know you've just become registered cargo. Keep it up, you'll be sold off as 'company' to the next privateer with a blue skin fetsh and a crate of jerky we come across.

Doesn't need to come to that. We got an actual cook who can prepare those ration packs, and if you help her, you might get to sit at the big girl's table.

You like getting into fights, and not to particular about who's fighting back? We might could use someone like that. Shape up and stay alive, you could even make back what those Hedgies aren't paying you...

>>867421
You need to know what she wants. It's probably "to be dropped off somewhere with something resembling civilization" but you never know for sure until you ask.

Keeping her is a waste of resources unless she's willing to work, and you've decided to not kill her outright already. Making petty threats won't help convince her to work for you, and it won't reduce how much it costs to keep her imprisoned either.

So either figure out where to drop her off, or figure out how to make her /want/ to work for you. I suggest talking to her and getting to know her motives. Why're you out here anyway, they said you were a new hire, what's your sign, stuff like that.

>>867652
I fully agree with this statement, make it so
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZxHAZChcYU

>>867652
This, but no catch phrases. Those don't work.

Baron 2018/02/15(Thu)09:10 No. 867770 ID: ca1cab
File 151871461036.png - (201.23KB , 1280x1024 , 102.png )

"Okay okay had your fill? You oughta know you've just become registered cargo. Keep it up, you'll be sold off as 'company' to the next privateer with a blue skin fetsh and a crate of jerky we come across."

"Sounds like my last employer."

"You mean"

"No not Prince Asshat, some guy before him."

"Huh. Well it doesn't need to come to that. "

"This a job offer?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"Well I'm still technically employed by Prince Asshat."

"Actually they fired you while you were still knocked out."

"Well I'm listening then."

"What do you want? I don't want any dead weight on this ship."

"Meh. Hot food, decent pay, get to carry big guns, usual stuff. And no exploding ice cream trucks."

"What?"

"Long story, it involves why I got an eye graft."

"Well we got an actual cook who can prepare those ration packs, we're still sorting through the guns we got as ransom from the Hedgies. I can tell you like also getting into fights, and don't care much on who's fighting back. We can use someone like that."

"Sounds tempting. I'm in."

"Wait, just like that?"

"Not the worst choice I've made."

"This have anything to do with the exploding ice cream truck?"

"Yes."

Okay, that's not entirely unencouraging.

We didn't get in this game to harm ice-cream trucks.
We'll send Seela down in a bit to give you some pointers.
Don't eat anything I wouldn't eat until then.

...Seriously, our medical team is especially untested on Hwaesi.

(it may be appropriate now to request a moniker, or attribution)
Otherwise, she's gonna stay 'bodyguard', and it's awkward.

Baron 2018/02/20(Tue)09:00 No. 868902 ID: ca1cab
File 151914603378.png - (259.40KB , 1280x1024 , 103.png )

"Oh don't worry, we didn't get in this game to harm ice-cream trucks. Hey Seela1 Come down and give...uh"

"Toikani."

"Toikani here some pointers."

"Pointers on what? I just joined up."

"In the mean time, don't eat anything I wouldn't eat. Cause our medical team is especially untested on Hwaesi."

"We have a medical team?"

Sorry about the delay, weekend vacation to the countryside, and I had no access to the internet or computer with more RAM than a coffee maker.

I support taking any and all time needed to rest and recharge!

>I just joined up.
And yet, only one of you has tried to shank me. Work on stopping that, and keep her out of other trouble.
I think the idea was some sort of ration-triage. Find out what needs making urgently, what can stay stored, and what we need to acquire (jerky!)

>We have a medical team?
We have a modified pleasurebot with aspirations. It's probably never even seen one of you guys.

Baron 2018/02/25(Sun)12:55 No. 870050 ID: ca1cab
File 151959211620.png - (1.08MB , 2700x2100 , 104.png )

"And yet, only one of you has tried to shank me. Work on stopping that, and keep her out of other trouble.
I think the idea was some sort of ration-triage. Find out what needs making urgently, what can stay stored, and what we need. Like Jerky. Okay enough dicking around time for a montage."

"A wha" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTDVRSlfmtU

***
"Delmar finish your calibrations?"

"My what? The guns don't need calibrating. I'm watching porn. Wanna join?"

"Hells yeah, scoot over."

***
"How do you not have coffee?"

"There's caffeinated substitute back here."

"It's not the same! How can anyone run a ship without coffee!"

"I got expired ration packs in here, you think I can afford real coffee?"

"You should."

"Why do you even need it?"

***
"I'm gonna pulverize you turtle-man!

"You tried already, we know how that went."

"That was a cheapshot! Best twelve out of thirteen!"

"Do you always get this serious when sparring?"

***
"What are you doing?"

"Fixing the blue girl's helmet. Since, you know. You hired her. Without telling me."

"Oh."

"Don't you have something else to do?"

"Not for another six hours."

***
"Wow I didn't know being nude on the job would feel so...free."

"Well that is one reason. It's not why I do it."

***
"I like guns."

"Me too"

Baron 2018/02/25(Sun)12:57 No. 870051 ID: ca1cab
File 151959226929.png - (110.78KB , 1280x1024 , 105.png )

"Hey boss just got a star carrier just popping out of warp in front of us.

"Montage over!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

>>870050
Thought you were going to use Team America: World Police for that.

>>870051
Set up a hailing frequency while you set up firing solutions for their weak, salvageable weapons modules!

ID that logo, is that a Cynisys-owned Magribird as promised?

I wub this update.
(We should have bargained for Coffee, but I chalk that up to the MAKO fans not doing their job.)

Probably it'll hail us, and we can see if this is business as usual, or something new?

Baron 2018/02/28(Wed)10:06 No. 870689 ID: ca1cab
File 151984120737.png - (127.61KB , 1280x1024 , 106.png )

"Set up hailing frequency and prepare firing solutions!"

"They already hailed us. Putting them through."

"Oh."

"Is this the vessel we were called to pick up? Am I speaking to the captain?"

"You are."

"Oh good. Our ship has been trying to get an ID for your ship, but we keep getting an error. We were afraid you may have been a pirate scout."

"...scout?"

"It was quite small. We almost didn't see it if not for the gamma ray bounce when we dropped in."

"...small?"

"Nevermind. I am Ata'a amrita, representative of Captain Sethi of the CCC Deductible. To who and what vessel am I speaking to?"

We already have a name, don't we?
Anyway, the ship's name is the Guts and Glory.

>CCC Deductible
I think stealth insulting other ships is just what they do to keep their namesake as a trademark pun.

"We're on a mercenary contract, but we've been ordered to stay here and wait for the mission briefing. If you want to trade intel or supplies, that would be appreciated."

This is Commodore Tybalt of the Gunboat Diplomat and yes you're here for us.

>>870694
>>870740
I named Ty, so it's totally you guys pick.
That said, I like both of those, and they strike the right tone.

Anyway, we're the contractor is question.Should we expect a long trip?

Baron 2018/03/04(Sun)16:55 No. 871598 ID: ca1cab
File 152021135626.png - (152.44KB , 1280x1024 , 107.png )

All good ideas. But first.

"Hey Rocket, what's the ship's name?"

"Technically it has a bunch. Each component still retains their old ship designations, and clearing them has been a pain. The Vassalia, Undefeated, Westermarch, and my personal pain, the Primogen cargo vessel We Honor the Martyrs of The Battle of Achoban May Their Sacrifice Be Forever Remembered in the Annals of Saints. Honestly if we just took one of those, it'd make my job easier-"

"This is captain Tybalt of the Guts and Glory and yes you're here for us."

"Or ignore my suggestion that works too."

"Wonderful, please dock in cell 8 at the end of the ship, we are expecting other passengers before we transit out. Is there anything I can help you with today?"

"Yes, should we expect a long trip?"

"Oh not at all. With the size and sophistication of our warp coils, we should be there in a matter of days. We however request a representative, preferably the captain, to speak with our captain so as to coordinate your ship actions when we drop back in. Combat operations are expected to begin hours after transit out so it is best to organize our disposable assets now to minimalize loss and expenses."

"What was that about 'disposable'?"

"Goodbye~!"

So you're being ferried into a suicide mission. Great. Bring armor.

Your chances are good; this is only a cover.
Everyone else here wants dead pirates, bonus pay, and bragging rights.

You just need to survive long enough to get a scrambler.
Maybe we can get 'bullied' into doing something safe and lucrative.

Baron 2018/03/06(Tue)08:25 No. 871951 ID: ca1cab
File 152035353345.png - (143.31KB , 1280x1024 , 108.png )

"Ah, you must be Captain Tybalt? I'm Captain Sethi, CO of this vessel. Can Ata'a amrita get you anything? Coffee? Tea?"

"Uh no, wanna explain what you mean by 'disposable'?"

"It's just a term used by the company for anyone not part of the company not expected to stay around. If you think it is about your chances of survival, I suppose that is also true, but that is more dependent on your actions, as you will see."

Baron 2018/03/06(Tue)08:37 No. 871952 ID: ca1cab
File 152035424629.png - (197.94KB , 1250x967 , 109.png )

"We are expected to drop into the fleet, with three Liquidation class Dreadnoughts spearing the assault on the pirate base. The base itself is in an asteroid field, and only recently we managed to plot three safe routes through it. Each dreadnought will form the core of a group for each route, as we do not know which the pirates will anticipate.

Each group supporting the dreadnought will be four destroyers, six frigates, eight gunboats, and two privateer teams the star carriers are bringing in. My cargo is planned to rendezvous with Group Two, who will be assigned to what team has more or less been decided. Except you."

"Yeah. Me. Why?"

"Oh you signing up so late in the hiring process, the small size of your ship, and the unknown specifications of it."

"It's not that small..."

"You know your vessel better than I, so I am giving you an unique opprotunity to decide which team you will be assigned to. 'Team A' is expected to lead from the front of the battlegroup, helping the support vessels clear a path and repel boarders. This particular chapter of the pirates does enjoy boarding actions and are quite adept at it."

"And B?"

"Team B is being kept in reserve until the assault on the base itself, as we wish to capture it intact to reclaim whatever spoils they have stolen from us. As you may expect, we are planning on using Team B less to fight ship-to-ship, but more for inserting combat teams in key locations to disable base defenses. There are your options captain. What can I put you down for?"

Ask about the pirates' known tricks. Aren't we more likely to find an IFF scrambler on board one of the boarding crews' ships? That would mean joining team A, then.

Your ship has some high-grade weapons systems and targeting parameters, but it can't handle itself in a duel. However, with enough support as a distraction, your ship is specialized for surgical-precision disable-and-board tactics, so B is the obvious choice.

Aren't there three fronts? What's the third? (If this turns out to be a dumb question, then I vote Team B.)

>>871998
There are three attack groups and we're going to be with group 2, the question is in what capacity.

I'd rather do B.

if the pirates have a surprise, A will most likely bear the brunt of it.

>>872042
Either serving as cannon fodder in space or. cannon fodder when boarding the space station. Either way we are expendable. Better to board the space station as that at least plays to our strengths: shooting and punching.

>>872583
...alternatively we could choose A and steal ourselves a warship.

Baron 2018/03/10(Sat)14:47 No. 872826 ID: ca1cab
File 152072207038.gif - (537.32KB , 2700x2100 , 110.gif )

Yeah I kinda spaced out and chose 'B' since that means I get to shoot stuff instead of letting Del shoot all the stuff. I like shooting things. Hey, did you know Cynysis give complimentary coffee and snacks? MAKO is banned from the canteen now.

Captain Tybalt, we are approaching the destination and will be detaching your vessel shortly, if there is anything you want cleared up, now is the time to do it.

Is my IFF working properly? Are you detecting any hiccups in that system? I know we're a small target, but I just want to be sure.

If we could get their IFF unscrambled, your sentry guns could do some catastrophic damage, right?

Where should we go to disable that?
Sneaky, sneaky.

>>873113
This, absolutely. Love the subtlety. And doing this sort of deception isn't something Tybalt would be against since he still gets to shoot people.

Baron 2018/03/15(Thu)08:24 No. 873745 ID: ca1cab
File 152112748714.png - (513.79KB , 1280x1024 , 111.png )

"Uh yeah. If we could get their IFF unscrambled, your sentry guns could do some catastrophic damage, right?"

"Not me specifically, my job is done, but the rest of the fleet? Very much so. I'll be sure to note that quick thinking in my report."

"Awesome. Where should we go to disable that?"

"Near the core. If I were a betting man, which I am, you're best chance of success is through one of the lower ports. Those have a direct line to the core, and from there, the rest of the base. Hope you get it. Odds of you succeeding are 255 to 1."

"Oh yeah? Who says?"

"Betting and Claims. Don't feel too bad, they pegged the odds of your dreadnough surviving at 1020 to 1."

I am suddenly glad we are not conducting the initial assault.

“Betting pools? Sounds pretty unprofessional, but eh, I’d be guilty too if I had the option. Come to think of it, anyone on the boards seem promising? Any last tips or tricks before we get the party started would help, too.”

Maybe we should make a bet on our success?

Can't be a dead debtor, after all.

Baron 2018/03/17(Sat)16:12 No. 874178 ID: ca1cab
File 152132837710.png - (209.55KB , 1280x1024 , 112.png )

"Hey can I get in on this?"

"No you need to be a full time employee not contract help; but I suppose I could hedge a bet for you. Anything in particular?"

"Me succeeding, and surviving to collect."

"520 to 1 it is. And how much do you bet?"

"I got two crates of silver in my cargo hold. However much that gets me in Imperial creds."

"Done. Anything else?"

"Any advice for me?"

"First, you'd best stay close to your team. The base will undoubtedly have time to prepare for your arrival so you will want support to storm the base. Second, well since I am also betting on you...don't die."

***
"You bet all our silver?! Tybalt are you nuts?!"

"Hey, the bet was on us surviving, worst case scenario is we die and then we won't care anymore about collecting Rocket."

"That's not reassuring!"

"Well I signed us up for the rearguard. Doesn't that reassure you?"

"How is that reassuring?!"

"Cause the frontline ships are expected to not survive."

"Again, not helping!"

Baron 2018/03/17(Sat)16:17 No. 874180 ID: ca1cab
File 152132865203.png - (322.45KB , 1280x1024 , 113.png )

Break formation! Ambush! Ambush!

The Profit Margin is hit! The Profit Margin is hit! Power banks 2 and 3 are dead! Bank 1 is overloading, jettisoning excess!

We lost Kushel.

Return fire! Return fire!

"You know suddenly having a tiny ship doesn't seem so bad."

>>872826
I just now noticed that one was a .gif. That's pretty cool.

Use your low profile to slip past their defenses and get first dibs on the pirate station.

Baron 2018/03/21(Wed)08:20 No. 874688 ID: ca1cab
File 152164563631.png - (676.87KB , 1280x1024 , end.png )

"They still don't see us! Full speed! If I'm gonna die I wanna die punching something in the face!"

"You suck at making speeches."

See you later, space turtleboy...

Try to run fast, but cold. Hopefully we’ll register small enough and be going by fast enough to bank on some good ol’ sentient error.