Hailing frequencies open (Intro & OOC chat)

Back to the combat, I think the non-bridge and non-engineering crew should be taking advantage of the down time to move stuff around in the cargo hold. We should move the bikes, grav plates, and storage drives back to be hidden amongst the freight, and the weapons to be moved closer to the doors to be more prominent. This will help encourage them to just focus on what they want so the get out more quickly. We should also rearrange the various freight and cargo to be more defensible for us. We can have a stronghold in the freight for the non-combatants, and set up the weapons cargo to allow for our attacks on the boarding parties.

I think you're missing the point of combat. If we're fighting we're not worried about them taking things quickly.
And I don't want to use the cargo we're defending as cover, that sounds like a good way to lose our cargo.

You have Mariella, Stone and Maya under your control for this. I understood they were to hunker down, but let me know what you want then to do during the space combat. Mariella can surely move some of these things for you, but she will be exposed in the cargo bays in the meantime, specially if she is doing that alone. You can also define that using the ship sections, so I can more easily locate where you wanna put everything. =)

Mercer has Xia and RB. Douklan has his 3 NPCs as part of the squad, Corbin has the engineering team and Peter is alone but autonomous. I will let them confirm what they want to do or how they want to order the other NPCs during this downtime/space combat, ok? :)

I wasn't ordering any characters around. I was offering a suggestion for a course of action that could be done in concert. Obviously everyone is expecting to either succeed in the combat or die trying, so planning for alternatives is apparently a non-issue. So be it.

As far as being exposed, that shouldn't be an issue yet, correct? Can they dock with us and board us while we are still moving? Don't that have to either incapacitate our ship or get us to depower our engines for them to be able to board? And don't the space combat turns last for like 15 minutes? If both of those are correct, then Mariella (and whomever) has 15 minutes to do whatever they want in relative safety. As long as they are back into a defensible position at the end of those 15 minutes, it would seem that there is no "exposed", just "active". Am I misunderstanding all of that?

Also, assuming we are going to rush the Free Merchant, I don't remember if we got an answer to the question: Is everyone to get on the Free Merchant, or just a prize crew?

You're correct. 15 minutes is not enough time for Mariella to move all that cargo, alone, though. That's what I meant when I asked if she was going to stay exposed (ie. keep doing that round after round) or should she do something that she is able to finish within a reasonable time, check if it is still safe, and get back for doing more? Do you wanna safe or efficient there? She can do that, I just need further information. =)

Somebody else can chime in and help her, of course. But, so far, nobody has. You suggested that long enough ago for me to think they have other priorities.

Who would we need to fly the Free Merchant, assuming we succeed, specifically to fly both ships.
I assume one person with FIX and one with PILOT.
I suggest we have our best of each on the CV and our second best on the Pirate's Free Merchant.
I think we keep Corbin on the CV.
Douklan has some Pilot and Fix, but that's up to them.
Whatever NPC would could also help, maybe Gui Wang as they have both skills too.

If no other PC's want to board I would love to have Erin as another combatant for boarding.
If no other PC's want to board and Douklan doesn't, can I have Erin and Jill?

Comments? Disagreements with my choices??

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Mercer will adjust to moving items out of the line of fire, but I am assuming I don't have extra time with my Above and Beyond actions.
If we have empty boxes to use as cover I will use them as cover.

@PhoenixScientist,

Erin does not have fix.

I have always assumed that Jil would pilot the FM if we took it. The logical option for Fix is Gui.

Douklan, Erin, and Appius are your primary fighters. The rest of the PCs have varying levels of combat ability. The other NPCs, except for Professor Stone can probably fire a weapon, but I'm not assuming any real proficiency, just no negative modifiers. Stone is probably a true non-combatant. When the fighting starts, Corbin will be another primary fighter and I assume the synths will be left to repair things until we win or are released.

So, in the intervening time, Mercer and (on the side) Douklan need to figure out the combat plan for the boarding.

@htech,

OK, I now get the comment. How much can she do in 15 minutes? Thinking about it, best case, I want to move the two bikes, the drives, and the plates into the shuttle. How long does each of those items take? If I can get a is to help, will that mean I can two things at once? I just want to know what is possible with the description in the third sentence. Thanks.

Erin doesn't have FIX. She's there for combat.
Gui and Jill are there for pilot and fix.
I know all the things you said. That's why I asked for the team I did, assuming the variables I proposed.
I just need to know which PC are boarding party, so I need to hear from them.
Figuring out the plan is what I'm staying. That's the point of the post, to give a starting point for input.

I'm back from traveling.
I just saw how long ago you proposed that, so assuming Mariella is doing this since Aug 25th (in real life), which translates to a couple of rounds, plus as your best case is moving around less than 5 tons and 2 fully functional hovercycles... She can finish... At the end of this space round.

Sorry about that, in the end it doesn't really matter if Mariella was exposed. I lost count of how many weeks/rounds ago you proposed this, so now it became irrelevant.

Anyway, do you wanna choose a section were the bikes and the other cargo will be?

Yes. I want them in the shuttle. Kinda counter-intuitive, but that's probably the best place to keep them for now. If that's too much, then they should be placed in the midst of the contracted freight (so they are completely surrounded). I don't want to otherwise touch the freight, and I don't want to touch the blades or stunners.

Consider it done.

Thanks! And, yes, that could horribly backfire. But I figure they have more important things to worry about.

Honestly. I want the chance at that Free Trader vessel. It could solve a lot of problems
Not worth dying over though.

I remember in a different game I thought about trying the "reverse boarding action" idea. But, at the time, we decided better of it and didn't try it.

My main concern is the boarding action as a whole. Whether we try for the Free Merchant or not, I don't like the fact that they have 2-to-1 odds in their favor. Assuming they are not carrying extra crewmen (NOT a guarantee!) they can send over 15 from the Patrol Cutter and 5 from the Free Merchant. I would further assume that the 5 from the Free Merchant are more lightly armed as they will be primarily focused on moving the cargo. The 15 from the Patrol Cutter would presumably be much heavier armed and armored, presumably equipped from an Armory like we are. I'm also going to assume the 15 are also combat-focused, unlike the majority of our crew.

And that assumes stock ships. If they added in whatever allows you to double your crew, then they could have as many as 35 from the Patrol Cutter!

I don't disagree. That's why I'm working to run.
But there's that part of me that thinks...'If we pulled it off...'

What a chase... Anyway, maybe you can win through sheer persistence!

I also noticed that there is a (risky but feasible) way for you to try to escape twice in a round, even with a Boost engines maneuver.

Oh it may just be worth it! What is it?

Well, let's see ...

Each combat round is 15 minutes. That's four rounds per hour. The Sentinel started at seven hours away. That means if we can keep this cat-n-mouse going for 28 combat rounds, the Sentinel can deal with the pirates for us!

Not counting on that, but it is funny to think about.

Probably involves everyone Going Above And Beyond except Engineering and Bridge.