They are serious liabilities. Do you really want to offer the Dranos leverage on a silver platter? Plus Nyrah is basically an expert on Starcasters (more or less), don’t surrender that.
I think at least one person was trying to make those point earlier in the comments, but seriously, Quel. This shouldn’t need to be pointed out to you.
One point that escapes both Cort and many readers: it’s not up to Quel. There’s a lot of bureaucracy above Quel and they make the decisions Cort is asking Quel to make.
Yeah, problem is that Cort’s demands aren’t really all that much for the Federation. It’s actually a drop in the bucket for a galaxy spanning government. Are they really going to be stupid over bureaucratic nonsense?
The Federation may decide they want to take Cort’s Starcaster off of him, but what kind of damage could he do before they knock him out or kill him, if they even succeed in capturing him?
I think the biggest problem will be it setting a precedent. They have someone with a questionable moral compass with questionable loyalties holding a bfg 9000 and making demands. Quel is in a tight spot of trying to maintain the veil of neutrality as his superiors already question his abilities and loyalties in being a middle-man. If it was as spanning and bloated as it is painted, he was allowed to stay on the case but was monitored enough he could skip his next regular-scheduled doctor’s appointment and could be told about any cavities before his dentist even knew about… Read more »
Maybe, but this whole arrangement was Quel’s idea, wasn’t it? He can say “Indulge me in this, people…this is IMPORTANT, and we can’t have him leaving…give him a reason to stay.”
Yes and it was approved by a chain of command and when Quel tried to keep Cort nearby, Cort was transferred to someone else’s unit but the chain of command. It doesn’t matter how good the idea is, there is always a chain of command that reviews these things. We as the reader know Cort and his crew’s intentions because we see them. The top brass only know a rogue marshal who as spent the last however long being a pirate now has a nuke on their right arm. Yeah they need Cort but they have no reason to trust… Read more »
That’s Cort’s point though, why he doesn’t trust the Federation. If they can’t cut through the bureaucracy to uphold their end of the deal then it’s not a deal in good faith and Cort has no obligation to uphold his end either.
But wouldn’t Nyrah be a VIP, or at least someone of special interest? She’s the last member of a species with unprecedented knowledge on galactic WMDs. Isn’t the Federation also aware that the Dranglaex really wanted her, and had that massive bounty on her? That alone would make her an asset, that the military could take steps to acquire without needing permission from up top. Just the fact they held her and tortured her for so long would flag her as someone with knowledge about the people running the Dranglaex fleet. There’s probably already a bulletin out for her after… Read more »
ChaosSepher
1 day ago
That is a good start. In the meantime, tell that deck officer to lay off and fix their damn ship!
yes, and what keeps cort from turning the starcaster on himself?
seriously, why is everyone seemingly cheering for the federation to attempt force here?
Ashi
21 hours ago
“I am altering the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further…by taking this Starcaster and noping out of here.”
Cmasta1992
20 hours ago
I get Cort is frustrated but Quel 1) is not charge of everything on even the ship that they’re on 2) probably has a lot of stuff he needs to deal with given they just had a major battle.
Cort is going to end up getting Quel transferred or worse
Cort knows how to make it happen by knowing who can make it happen. That is to say, he knows Quel, and Quel knows who to talk to and how to relay the message. Now, if Cort not only knew Quel’s superiors, but ALSO had a direct line to them, that’s who he’d be talking to here. Not only does he not have those, he *also* knows Quel personally, and knows that he can trust that Quel will, within his power, do what he can to make it happen – which is a LOT more leeway than the Brass would… Read more »
Nik
20 hours ago
Is anyone else bothered by the “Shoot Here” symbology plastered on Cort’s chest plate?
It being an insignia aside… that’s where you’d WANT to get shot, if you were gonna get shot. It’s armour, and if it didn’t work, it wouldn’t be issued. Better to get shot in the protective equipment, than the much more squishy bits that go uncovered.
To be fair, soldiers and police officers are trained to aim for “center of mass.” Putting your best protection on your squishy bits (your chest), and put on a good helmet, and you SHOULD be good.
Ben
18 hours ago
I think he’s being as reasonable as you could possibly expect him to be at this juncture. Probably not reasonable enough for the Feds, though.
chargersfan
17 hours ago
I don’t know where things are going in the patreon, but I’m hoping for Strike Team Delta, where Quel and Janora join Cort’s crew and he gets to engage in space guerilla-style tactics.
foducool
16 hours ago
in administrative terms : “it’s never gonna happen”
James Rye
14 hours ago
They could just become mercs for the Feds and all’s good. Easy solution. Though I could imagine Nyrah even joining the Feds now that the Drangs might be able to actually wipe the entire galaxy out and then the next ones they put their sight on. Like even if she distrusts or even hate the feds, they are the best possible shield and sword in their current circumstances. And with her starcaster knowledge she would be incredible valuable.
Derfman
1 hour ago
Hire Speck and Nyrah on as military contractors. Get paid, Nyrah helps out with the starcasters and I am sure Specks physiology may be useful to some extent. Win/Win.
24
They are serious liabilities. Do you really want to offer the Dranos leverage on a silver platter? Plus Nyrah is basically an expert on Starcasters (more or less), don’t surrender that.
I think at least one person was trying to make those point earlier in the comments, but seriously, Quel. This shouldn’t need to be pointed out to you.
One point that escapes both Cort and many readers: it’s not up to Quel. There’s a lot of bureaucracy above Quel and they make the decisions Cort is asking Quel to make.
Yeah, problem is that Cort’s demands aren’t really all that much for the Federation. It’s actually a drop in the bucket for a galaxy spanning government. Are they really going to be stupid over bureaucratic nonsense?
The Federation may decide they want to take Cort’s Starcaster off of him, but what kind of damage could he do before they knock him out or kill him, if they even succeed in capturing him?
> Are they really going to be stupid over bureaucratic nonsense?
If all the military based videos and shorts I’ve watched and stories I’ve read are even 10% true, the answer is yes.
I think the biggest problem will be it setting a precedent. They have someone with a questionable moral compass with questionable loyalties holding a bfg 9000 and making demands. Quel is in a tight spot of trying to maintain the veil of neutrality as his superiors already question his abilities and loyalties in being a middle-man. If it was as spanning and bloated as it is painted, he was allowed to stay on the case but was monitored enough he could skip his next regular-scheduled doctor’s appointment and could be told about any cavities before his dentist even knew about… Read more »
Maybe, but this whole arrangement was Quel’s idea, wasn’t it? He can say “Indulge me in this, people…this is IMPORTANT, and we can’t have him leaving…give him a reason to stay.”
Yes and it was approved by a chain of command and when Quel tried to keep Cort nearby, Cort was transferred to someone else’s unit but the chain of command. It doesn’t matter how good the idea is, there is always a chain of command that reviews these things. We as the reader know Cort and his crew’s intentions because we see them. The top brass only know a rogue marshal who as spent the last however long being a pirate now has a nuke on their right arm. Yeah they need Cort but they have no reason to trust… Read more »
That’s Cort’s point though, why he doesn’t trust the Federation. If they can’t cut through the bureaucracy to uphold their end of the deal then it’s not a deal in good faith and Cort has no obligation to uphold his end either.
But wouldn’t Nyrah be a VIP, or at least someone of special interest? She’s the last member of a species with unprecedented knowledge on galactic WMDs. Isn’t the Federation also aware that the Dranglaex really wanted her, and had that massive bounty on her? That alone would make her an asset, that the military could take steps to acquire without needing permission from up top. Just the fact they held her and tortured her for so long would flag her as someone with knowledge about the people running the Dranglaex fleet. There’s probably already a bulletin out for her after… Read more »
That is a good start. In the meantime, tell that deck officer to lay off and fix their damn ship!
And give this woman a new body!
They’ll fix his damn ship when he pays the rent! Wait…
How is Speck supposed to get anywhere with a damaged ship? The deal was to fix the ship, not leave it stranded somewhere….
“Towed” by one of the other military ships that will depart soon
That would make a lot of sense! But I just need that to be stated in the story itself. Otherwise, it’s another thing that feels strange about this.
I am surprised they didn’t just draft all of them. Welcome to the Federation.
That would be the best solution.
yes, and what keeps cort from turning the starcaster on himself?
seriously, why is everyone seemingly cheering for the federation to attempt force here?
“I am altering the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further…by taking this Starcaster and noping out of here.”
I get Cort is frustrated but Quel 1) is not charge of everything on even the ship that they’re on 2) probably has a lot of stuff he needs to deal with given they just had a major battle.
Cort is going to end up getting Quel transferred or worse
Cort knows how to make it happen by knowing who can make it happen. That is to say, he knows Quel, and Quel knows who to talk to and how to relay the message. Now, if Cort not only knew Quel’s superiors, but ALSO had a direct line to them, that’s who he’d be talking to here. Not only does he not have those, he *also* knows Quel personally, and knows that he can trust that Quel will, within his power, do what he can to make it happen – which is a LOT more leeway than the Brass would… Read more »
Is anyone else bothered by the “Shoot Here” symbology plastered on Cort’s chest plate?
It being an insignia aside… that’s where you’d WANT to get shot, if you were gonna get shot. It’s armour, and if it didn’t work, it wouldn’t be issued. Better to get shot in the protective equipment, than the much more squishy bits that go uncovered.
every stormtrooper everywhere would like a word.
He’s not Siegfried von Xanten
To be fair, soldiers and police officers are trained to aim for “center of mass.” Putting your best protection on your squishy bits (your chest), and put on a good helmet, and you SHOULD be good.
I think he’s being as reasonable as you could possibly expect him to be at this juncture. Probably not reasonable enough for the Feds, though.
I don’t know where things are going in the patreon, but I’m hoping for Strike Team Delta, where Quel and Janora join Cort’s crew and he gets to engage in space guerilla-style tactics.
in administrative terms : “it’s never gonna happen”
They could just become mercs for the Feds and all’s good. Easy solution. Though I could imagine Nyrah even joining the Feds now that the Drangs might be able to actually wipe the entire galaxy out and then the next ones they put their sight on. Like even if she distrusts or even hate the feds, they are the best possible shield and sword in their current circumstances. And with her starcaster knowledge she would be incredible valuable.
Hire Speck and Nyrah on as military contractors. Get paid, Nyrah helps out with the starcasters and I am sure Specks physiology may be useful to some extent. Win/Win.