Room 3

[testingphase]

[The room, once you've entered it, has a number of ear buds laid out on a table.]

Now, pop those ear buds in and we'll begin the test! Failure to comply will result in desyncing and forcing your team to pay for a replacement body.

Comments

[prideofabh]

How is it going? Fighting them?

[cloak_and_sniper]

I killed them. I think. It's hard to be sure. There was an explosion and then I woke up, naked, in our dorm.

[prideofabh]

I see. Congratulations.

How bad were the casualties on your side?

[cloak_and_sniper]

Tens of millions in the first few days... I stopped listening to the numbers after that.

[prideofabh]

[wow]

That quickly or just aiming for populous planets.

[cloak_and_sniper]

They aimed for the homeworlds first. Earth, Palaven, Thessia... Once they'd finished there, they would have moves on to the colonies.

[prideofabh]

[tries to hide a wince] That would do it.

Were some planets able to evacuate?

[cloak_and_sniper]

Too many people, nowhere to go. The Citadel was heaving with refugees... they started having to turn people away for lack of food and medication.

[prideofabh]

[nods] I've had to handle an evacuation before, and that was with ships that could support long-term habitation. Even then, it took weeks to move everyone who wished to leave.

[cloak_and_sniper]

What happened?

[prideofabh]

The Empire conquered a border planet that one of the other spacefaring nations was using as a prison. As Abh territorial citizens, none of them were responsible for crimes done under other countries' laws, though we did warn them that Abh punishment is harsher than their home nation's.

The prison's administration and most of the female section of the prison wished to leave. Understandably so: the prison was gender-segregated and the de facto leader of the male section threatened everyone, up to and including me, for letting the women leave. I don't really understand lander sexual politics, but I could understand that.

The men staged a coup, and kidnapped my Supply Officer who was acting as an ambassador... did I tell this story before? There was an enemy fleet in the area. Admiral Spraugh bought me as much time as I could gather, but we ended up having to break orbit and leave Jin- Supply Officer Lynn in hiding because we were unable to locate him. He'd escaped everyone and couldn't make it to the last ground shuttle launches.

The enemy fleet was more interested in our fleet near the front lines than in reconquering their territory, so we were able to return and finish the job once their fleet moved on.

[cloak_and_sniper]

You mentioned the kidnapping of your Supply Officer but not much else. That sounds like it was a tough mission.

[prideofabh]

It was. I've lost crew before, but not one of my officers. And that was one of the first missions I had as captain where I was operating independently. Previously, all of my engagements were as part of a fleet. Or an escort with a civilian, when I was a pilot-trainee.

[cloak_and_sniper]

It's never easy, losing a member of your crew. I've lost more than I'd like to admit and.... it just gets harder. But it sounds to me like you did well, despite the pressure.

[prideofabh]

Thank you. As I expect to stay in the military, knowing how I operate when in command is... useful.

[cloak_and_sniper]

You're welcome.