#MSMC Baronies Arc

[msmc-796-official]

Hail and well met, Heaven's Fury!

This knight is called Sir Eddy, of the 1st Oceanic, Banner Company of the House of Water. Alas, this knight is away in the Dawnline Shore and so will not be able to attend the House Games (although frankly, he has little interest in the current House Games, as obsessed as they are with Pankration Mekani), so will not be able to greet you in person. Nonetheless, he does wish to welcome you to the Karrakin Trade Baronies on behalf of the House of Water!

It is this knight's understanding that you are in the employ of the good Lord Torrentes III of House Bilal, providing security against any foul play in the games. It is a laudable goal to prevent such low cowardice, and Torrentes is considered a potential ally of the House of Water given the political turmoil of his own House, and so it is very much in our interest that you should succeed in your mission with flying colors. To that end, this knight's more technically and analytically-minded comrades did prepare for you a collection of files that may be of use, including overviews of Karrakin politics and perhaps more relevantly, a compilation of casefiles concerning suspected or confirmed assassinations or other underhanded tactics at interhouse events such as the House Games.

[Karrakin Politics for Dummies.zip]

This knight has also noticed some apprehension over humiliation in the Baronies amongst your number. This is an understandable fear, for the haughty facades of the nobility can be intimidating, to be sure, and humiliation is a craft they are well-practiced at. Forget not, however, that those selfsame nobles also consider themselves to be innately superior to all ignobles, including yourselves. They will underestimate you, and this knight has full trust that you can use that underestimation as a weapon against them. Fear not embarrassment, it is but temporary, and it shall only make them underestimate you more. If this knight did nothing that was considered "cringe", why, he would do nothing at all.

This knight bids you all good fortune, and may you enjoy the Games!

// Greetings and hail, Sir Eddy! We send our thanks to your comrades in the House of Water - these extra resources will be of much use to us in the coming weeks. (I'll especially be taking a look at that part about previous assassination attempts... just in case.) We appreciate your warm welcome, and from all of us in the 796th, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well.

nice to meetcha, Eddy. I take it that last piece is directed at me specifically, so: I get it, Baronies folks ain't all they're cracked up to be. it's just... something about this job feels off, somehow. like we've been set up. don't get me wrong, Torrentes has been nothing but gracious since we met up with him (he's surprisingly personable for a member of the nobility), but I just can't shake the gut feeling that there's another shoe set to drop, and we're all gonna get the shit kicked outta us the minute we slip up. (do all non-Baronies ignobles feel this way when they get invited here?) I'll take your advice to heart - part about being cringe and all - but I'm not dropping my guard until I'm sure this deployment isn't a trap in disguise. thanks for the advice, though. appreciate it.

-- Angel & Slipshod

[msmc-796-official]

// Excellent - thank you, High Lord Torrentes. We appreciate this show of immense generosity and hospitality, and shall do our utmost to represent House Bilal faithfu- apologies, excuse me a minute. Shoddy, what in RA's name are you doing?

oh, good, you finally shut up. look, P, you gotta quit licking boots before people start accusing you of having actual Baronies ties. not even Torrentes themself is that far up their own ass. sheesh.

> Slipshod makes a fair point. They are... decidedly less formal than some of their counterparts. We might as well reciprocate their casual demeanor.

// I am not-!!! Ugh, fine. Just don't blame me when we get publicly executed for overstepping our social boundaries. Let's go, ladies.

-- Angel, Slipshod, & Lockbreaker

Greetings and hail, High Lord Torrentes.

This is callsign Angel of MSMC-796 speaking. I wish to inform you on behalf of my squadron that preparations have been completed, and we are ready to deploy at your service. Send word of your transport ship's arrival, and we shall be on our way to the Baronies posthaste.

...I do hope our chosen uniforms are serviceable - we do not wish to insult the sensibilities of the Karrakin Trade Baronies by appearing, as you initially phrased it, "dirty and uncouth" while on deployment. While MSMC lacks a common uniform for its pilots across its various squadrons, its official dress uniforms all share the same regalia and indications of mercenary allegiance. We have chosen to wear these on deployment; foremost as a unified means of identification amongst the varied members of the Baronies, but also in deference to our positions as "hired help", as it were. (This being said, if there is a secondary manner of dress you would wish us to adopt during our time of service, we will graciously defer to your preferences.)

Yours among the stars,

MC Phoenix "Angel" Michaelis-Landers, MSMC-796-3

I am quite sure your dress uniforms will be more than enough for the upcoming House Games - Normally I would tell you all to wear what you find most comfortable just like I would for events that are not important, but unfortunately the House Games are indeed a. . . Different level, I suppose. And worry not, we will most definitely go clothes shopping during your stay here! I also have some gifts prepared for the lot of you - I am sure Slipshod will indeed love theirs. I welcome you with open arms to our glorious little Eyalet-a!

[msmc-796-official]

//Sucker\\

Welcome to the baronies, (ignore that i'm all the way in rim 4, we're both in the barronies)

Fast and loose guide to local politics for those who need it.

Republicans: most like union space, no legal distinction between noble and ignoble.

Liberal: legally distinguishes bewteen noble and ignoble, but aren't total assholes about it.

Federalists: pro-status quo and pretends nothing is wrong. (and are assholes to ignobles)

Hegiographs: Assholes. Want to abolish the federal monarchy for a confederation of duchies, and absolutely are assholes to ignobles.

Neo-Pasicaglians: monarchists, it is socially acceptable to laugh at them. (the Box of Rocks is one of these, along with the Box of Sand)

Ignobility: anyone who was not born into a noble house. (US!)

//For Cogito Ergo Sum\\

@callsign-sucker

> Greetings again, Sucker. I appreciate your reaching out with this... highly abridged primer to Baronies politics, but I believe Phoenix already has this aspect under control - she saw to it that we were well-furnished with ample reading material on such things prior to our deployment. Nevertheless, your welcome is appreciated. Take care.

-- Lockbreaker

[msmc-796-official]

Fair greetings! Lord Torrentes the Third of Venerable House Bilal, a Minor House underneath the Major House of Smoke here; This may come as incredibly strange, as one such as myself would not be expected to contact, hire nonetheless, a group of "Dirty" and "Uncouth" mercenaries from outside the Karrakin Trade Baronies, but I frankly do not give quite the amount of fucks required to please my Noble contemporaries, but I do indeed desire your security services. Not only do I offer two-thousand units of Manna for each of your mercenaries, but I also offer gossip, dirty secrets, free seats for several Pankration Mekhani matches, and perhaps a bursting a Hagipgraphic Noble's nerve by sheer annoyance. Transport to the Baronies will be paid for by yours truly. Why do I require these services? Let us say that upsetting Stonelord Ferdinand Cannamos, the baron of the House of Stone, which is deeply Hagiographic and affiliated rather closely with the infamous House of Sand, may not be a good idea in the long-run. Unfortunately, Lord Cannamos is incredibly amusing and easy to upset, so I could not help myself. - High Lord Torrentes the IIIrd of Venerable House Bilal.

// ...well. This is certainly a first for our squadron; we have served many clients in our time with MSMC, but to be called to service at the direct behest of the Baronies themselves? I... I'm not entirely sure what to say in response; this is uncharted territory.

hang on a sec - isn't Torrentes the same guy who kungpowpenised the House of Stone a while back? and now he wants to hire us to piss the same person off again??? holy shit, the absolute stones (er, no pun intended) on this motherfucker - I hate to admit it, but I kinda respect the hustle

> Slipshod is correct; High Lord Torrentes is indeed the same noble who orchestrated the public humiliation of Lord Cannamos. I will openly admit to my suspicions regarding this contract offer, as we have already desecrated the Baronies once prior. Furthermore, declaring open alliances among warring houses in such a volatile political climate is unlikely to fare well for us, especially with two of the most dangerous Hagiographic houses openly conspiring against our would-be contractor.

// I fully agree, Kennedi - this offer puts not only our would-be employer's life at risk, but all of us as well. That being said, two thousand Manna apiece is nothing to scoff at, and the offer of receiving potentially incriminating information relevant to the Baronies is rather tempting. The payment suits the job, does it not?

> ...hmph. Consider me sufficiently intrigued; you have my permission to accept this contract. Dress uniforms will be a must, of course - the last thing we need to do is leave a poor impression of MSMC on such influential hosts as the Karrakin Trade Baronies.

look, I'll be completely honest here - I dislike dealing with the KTB as much as you two do, but this I have to hear more about; stuffy dress uniforms be damned. sign me the fuck up, chief!

// Then it appears we have reached a consensus. High Lord Torrentes III of Venerable House Bilal, MSMC-796 "Heaven's Fury" accepts your offer of employment. Allow us a brief time to prepare for our term of service, and we shall be ready to depart for the Baronies shortly.

-- Angel, Slipshod, & Lockbreaker

[msmc-796-official]

> Horses? Antiquated, indeed. I have heard stories of their tactical importance to Cradle, long before the Fall, but in the age of mechs their days of use in combat are long past. Still, I cannot say I am surprised to see a Karrakin noble in possession of such creatures.

...is now a bad time to mention that I've never seen a horse in person before? are they aggressive? do they bite??? no, seriously, I'm asking.

// No, Shoddy, horses don't bite - at least, not unless you irritate them first. As Kennedi said, they're more of a status symbol to own nowadays, given that caring for them is so expensive, though some planets do still use them as beasts of burden. That being said, the prospect of riding in a horse-drawn carriage does feel a tad gauche for a cadre of Lancers. But I suppose, if our host wishes it of us... just be prepared to get jostled around a bit. It's not exactly a smooth ride, especially not compared to more modern forms of transport.

...right. are we absolutely certain this isn't all a ploy to humiliate us in front of the entire KTB?

> Slipshod. One more word about this, and your name will be removed from the payroll for this mission. Understood? Besides, our host is here - look sharp, now. And straighten your uniform, it's uneven.

hmph. fine. don't say I didn't warn you...

// Lord Torrentes! It's an honor to finally make your acquaintance in person. MC Phoenix Michaelis-Landers, at your service.

> Greetings, Lord Torrentes. Squadron commander Kennedi Sable IV, at your service. Pleasure to meet you.

Lord Torrentes. MC Slipshod Schell, at your service - they/them pronouns only, please.

// Thank you for providing the carriage for us, sir - I'm afraid none of us have any experience on horseback. Let's go, ladies.

-- Angel, Slipshod, & Lockbreaker

> Status report! Phoenix, Slipshod; ready to disembark?

// Armed and ready, Commander.

ready as I'll ever be. let's get this shit over with. fuckin' hate the Baronies...

> Attitude, Schell. We as much guests here as were are hired guns. Lord Torrentes has made that more than clear. It would do well of all of us to make a good impression.

// It's just one deployment, Shoddy. You can handle that.

yeah, I can handle it just fine, but that doesn't mean I'll like it. let's go.

[BEGIN TRANSMISSION]

Hail and greetings, Lord Torrentes. This is squadron commander Kennedi Sable VI of MSMC-796 "Heaven's Fury" reporting for duty, accompanied by pilots Phoenix Michaelis-Landers and Slipshod Schell. Our transport to the Baronies has landed, and we await your arrival at the loading zone. Requesting permission to disembark.

[END TRANSMISSION]

-- Angel, Slipshod, & Lockbreaker

Well met my good fellows! I will be arriving shortly on horseback, and unless you can ride a beast such as this, I fear you'll have to be in the carriage that my knights shall steer for you - An antiquated method of transportation indeed, but a cheap and effective one! Not to mention that the sightseeing will be quite nice as we head to the manor! I look forward to a nice drink and some gossip before the House Games begin in the coming week!