Battlestar Invictus

Ch V. A New Beginning

Walking through the halls of this space station was very much different from anything he had seen before. If anything this part of the station looked more like an ancient cathedral than a hall of a space station. Though this was one. Man and material were moving through many of the same halls, going about their business. Even skulls were flying around! If anything, these Imperial guys were a weird bunch. It took a few minutes for Price and his escort of soldiers to reach the planning chamber, which could be easier described as a church nave, where he would meet Ravensburg again for his briefing. And as expected, through the door he could see the authoritarian silhouette of the Lord-Admiral standing across the room.

"Morning Admiral" Price said as he saluted.

Ravensburg answered his salute "Good morning Commander. Thankyou for coming over. How are the repairs to your ship coming?"

"Your mechanicum boys are a weird bunch, a bit nervous yammering on about their machine spirit, but they do a good job. They've repaired that engine within eight days. If they keep this rate up, we should be ready to cast off by this time tomorrow."

"Good, because I have an important mission for you and your men."

Both men walked up to an electronic charting table. All known stars and planets, as well as fleets and forces were blinking at their respective positions. Most were stationary, but some were moving, and fast as well!

Ravensburg pointed to one of the systems marked with strange markings.

"We are here, Port Maw, our fleet HQ. This here.." his finger moved slightly upwards, "This is the Barbarus Costa system. This system is relatively close to us and a key point in our shipping lanes. Most ships going this direction have to move through or close to this area. Unfortunately for us, this is also home to at least a very powerful Pirate Fleet. To secure our trade routes, Admiral Mourndark and his fleet were dispatched to deal with the threat. Now however, he is in need of resupply in order to continue his offencive. Your orders are as follows: You are to meet your a small fleet of frigates at the edge of the system. There you will wait for the supply convoy to arrive, and you will escort them towards the rally point. When resupply is complete you are to engage in anti-pirate operations attached to Admiral Mourndark until instructed otherwise by me."

"Any word on threats out there? What to expect?"

"I have decided to attach a Liaison officer to your crew. He will monitor your ship and crew during actions. In addition he will have a more detailed instructions and intel on enemy positions. He will arrive tomorrow, as well as a Flight-Sergeant to evaluate your spacecraft. Do you have any questions?"

"I do, but as you said, more instructions are coming in the morning. Is Admiral Mourndark aware of my ship's arrival?"

"A message detailing your convoy, including your battlestar has been dispatched an hour ago."

"Good. Then I will await the arrival of your officers. Thankyou for your time Admiral."

"Good Hunting, Commander."

Both men shook hands before Price turned around and started on his way back.

"Pirate raids... well they shouldn't pose a huge threat. The problem is to find the buggers. They're probably tucked away in some asteroid field."

"In our system, you would be right Howard, but remember that everything in this region is a lot bigger. And hunting pirates is not our task, escorting transports is. After that we'll see."

"Indeed, what about that officer they're supposed to send? Any clue on who he is?"

"I've read his file. I reckon he'll be keeping an eye on us."