[OLD ERA] PERSONAL LOG #11 - 13 AUG 3305
13 Aug 2019Kaparov
Starting DISCOVERY.LOG...Opening telecomms to 4 CAMELOPARDALIS:IBOLD INSTALLATION...
[OK] Telecomms connected to 4 CAMELOPARDALIS:IBOLD INSTALLATION.
Forwarding traffic to BEOWULF:BLACKBOX...
[OK] Connected to BEOWULF:BLACKBOX.
Writing to CMDR.KAPAROV.11...
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"It's been three days since the conflict in 4 Camelo began, and operations went according to the OSLM's plan. The squadron and I held the line at Laval Dock while OSLM forces staked their claim on Low Station. With most of the Cartel's forces pressed between a trio of conflict zones between Laval and Ibold, the CZs nearest to Low were reportedly dominated, quashing the Cartel in the process. There is no possibility of a recovery for the foreseeable future," the voice saved to the blackbox is terse and matter-of-fact, a change from the usually impromptu tone. "There were some issues along the way, however."
The feed is garbled as the signal bounces the sounds of cloth on cloth from the broadcast's origin to the final destination. "Cartel forces had some aces in the form of spec ops teams. Usually groups of Vultures armed with plasma accelerators and modified with phasing sequence slugs. They dropped in and focused fire on the Beowulf on nearly every occasion, instead obliterating allied forces when they didn't. The most effective maneuvers I managed were to kite them to the fringes of the CZ and engage one versus one; the units without chaff dropped quickly so long as their shields went down. Glass cannons. Suppose the Vulture doesn't have enough power capacity to fit decent defensives with that type of firepower; never could stick with a Vulture myself, for that reason. It's one or the other." A slow, thoughtful sigh rides the feed.
The serious voice continues droning on with its debriefing. "Enemy spec op units contained the occasional Fer de Lance, the real bane of everyone on the battlefield; we made the mistake of focusing fire on them for the first few drops, but eventually came to realize that there wasn't any use until the rest of the opposition had been diminished. Heavy shielding and more modded guns to bypass defensives. I... regret to say that the only method of surviving the full force of the enemy was to depend on allies for tackling. There were a lot of lives lost. Good lives."
"Including Gerald."
...
"Before the operation, I reported an inefficiency with the fighter hangar's rebuild time. During the battle, the inefficiency manifested in the form of the fighter bay jamming when trying to launch the last unit on board. In the heat of the conflict, Gerald saw himself fit to board the fighter manually without the use of telepresence. It worked." The voice on the line grows hesitant and soft, "Yet the F63 Condor has a reputation for being more paper thin than other models of fighter. It did not manage to hold. Gerald Donovan was killed in action on the evening of August eleventh, thirty-three oh-five."
There's the sound of knuckles tapping against wood as the soft voice settles somewhere closer to normal, away from formality and distanced from sympathy. "... I received a temporary replacement following that battle, a woman named Sanvi Curtis. I'll attach her profile to the end of the log, but I'm not sure I'll be keeping her around. The losses we face in war don't often... click, I think, as Commanders. Where we fly with the training of the Pilot's Federation against untrained or shoddily briefed wouldbes. Pretenders. Hopefuls. I've wondered before, you know, how many confirmed kills it takes before the feeling catches up. Yet now I realize, it is not the quantity that die by the pull of your trigger, but the connection to those who are lost."
...
"I'll be withdrawing from the clean up operations in order to conduct repairs and modifications to the Beowulf. If I decide against keeping the hangar, my next report will likely come from a different vessel," the serious tone returns, only to wane:
"I... I will need to find what to do with Donovan's belongings. To my knowledge, he has no family. No heir."
...
"Kaparov out."
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File upload (SANVI_CURTIS.prof) detected...
97 KB of 1.92 MB -- About 1 seconds
1.83 MB of 1.92 MB -- About 1 seconds
1.92 MB of 1.92 MB -- About 0 seconds
[OK] File upload complete.
[OK] Written to CMDR.KAPAROV.11.
Disconnecting from BEOWULF:BLACKBOX...
[OK] Disconnected from BEOWULF:BLACKBOX.
[OK] Terminating telecomms connection to 4 CAMELOPARDALIS:IBOLD INSTALLATION...
[OK] Telecomms connection terminated.
Stopping DISCOVERY.LOG...
[OK] Stopped DISCOVERY.LOG.
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