#ooc: if someone wants to step in as the VIP being escorted they should feel free

[northstar-galactic-command]

The Caspian Incident, Part 2

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E/S-P Group 72

As has been previously mentioned, one of the many services Northstar Galactic Command offers its clients is our Escort/Secure Premier (E/S-P) package. A standard E/S-P package is the rough equivalent of a BUC light naval group and typically includes two carriers plus frigate, frame, and subline escorts. 

As the Karrakin Cavalry College opens its doors to new students, a number of clients made use of our E/S-P package to ensure the safe arrival of their prospective Kavaliers. One of the groups granted this privilege was E/S-P Group 72.

NGC values the privacy of its clients, so we are not at liberty to disclose who contracted E/S-P Group 72, or who it was escorting. Should they wish to identify themselves they may do so, but until such time they will simply be referred to as “The Client” and “The VIP”. 

E/S-P packages are customizable at client request. In this case, The Client expressed a desire for speed, efficiency, and a certain degree of subtlety. An escort of multiple capital ships is not a thing that can go unremarked, but there were concerns that arriving at school at the head of a war fleet could be considered a bit ostentatious. As such, they were provided Group 72: a low number, high-impact package consisting of only one carrier and two frigates, plus their attendant subline escorts and wings. 

NGCS-CV Guiding Light

Guiding Light was the flagship of Group 72. She was constructed to the specifications of the Masauwu class Heavy Carrier-Frame, and was launched in 4898U. Like many NGC vessels, much of the time since her launch was spent in transit, but she has seen more than her share of action. Guiding Light has worn both Union and KTB colors and saw action in the Siege of Sapphire Dawn, the Battle of Point 5974, and the Harvest Line campaign in addition to her standard patrol and escort duties. 

In 4978 she was formally transferred to GALCOMM’s KTB-C division and assigned as the flag vessel of her own battlegroup: the newly formed E/S-P Group 72. As is standard for flagships, Guiding Light was given a refit that significantly reinforced her structure, armor, and point defense capabilities. She was also equipped with a new FORGEMASTER subaltern command suite to help maximize combat efficiency.  

Like all vessels built to standard Masauwu class specifications, Guiding Light has no naval ordinance of her own. She is a dedicated carrier, with docking berths for multiple subline escort groups and dozens of catapults for launching attack wings. To help leverage her extensive complement of parasite craft, she features an extremely robust set of command and control (C&C) systems. 

At the time of the Caspian Incident, she was hosting four Bowsprit class destroyers: NGCS-DD Whip Shark, NGCS-DD Ripperfish, NGCS-DD Orca, and NGCS-DD Razorfin. She was also carrying six autonomous assault delivery platforms, equipped with boarding pods for several hundred IPS-N PIPECLEANER subalterns.

For close-in patrol and raiding, Guiding Light maintained a Legion drone nexus with ninety drone craft on standby. To secure the safety of the VIP against possible boarding actions, a mounted Chassis wing was allocated to Guiding Light. The wing consisted of 40 mounted frames divided into ten teams of four, and was primarily comprised of IPS-N Tortuga frames and their support units.

As it is currently operating within the Concern, Group 72 uses the rank structure of the BUC. At the time of the Caspian Incident, it was commanded by Line Captain Nelson Chiarella. This also placed them in direct command of the group's flagship: Guiding Light.

Line Captain Chiarella was born from Honest Truth with top naval command certifications. They were seconded to Union peacekeeping operations, where they served as the executive officer on UNS-CV Erie. Their first command was NGCS-CL Narwhal, where they led Narwhal through three long-range patrols and two combat engagements. They were eventually promoted to command of NGCS-CV Chicōmecōātl, which completed one long-range patrol and three E/S-P contracts before being badly damaged in the Battle of Eastfold. For their skill and heroic action during the battle, Chiarella was promoted again to commander of E/S-P Group 72, a position they have held since the Group's creation.

Chiarella's public-facing naval record notes their particular loyalty to their crews and clients, something that served them well throughout their career. They are also noted as extremely dedicated by several former commanders, and uncompromising in the face of adversity.

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Next we will review the remaining ships and commanders of Group 72. After that, we can dig into the incident itself.

Stay tuned!