Chapter 1 : Arrival at Pautho Starport

Chapter 1: Arrival at Pautho Starport

The ship’s deck hums beneath your feet even before your eyes fully open.
Sterile white light spills across rows of recovery pods arranged in neat, regimented lines. One by one, the pods cycle open with a hydraulic sigh and a sharp hiss of coolant vapor.

The air tastes faintly of antiseptic, coolant, and machine oil—
the universal scent of low-berth revival across a thousand worlds.

---

Low–Berth Revival

Ironhand medics move briskly from pod to pod.

A human woman with a clipped Glisten accent steadies your arm:
"Easy now. You’re awake. Try not to stand too fast."

A Vargr orderly hands you a hydration pack, offering a sympathetic snout-wrinkle.
"Most folk feel like they were folded wrong. The soreness fades."

You are groggy, sore, and disoriented. Twenty-seven weeks in low berth leaves its mark.

If anyone asks about the voyage, the medics give the same answer, almost rehearsed: "Uneventful. Which we like very much."

And finally: "We’re deep in Jump. Roughly one hundred sixty hours left until emergence."

Jump space prickles underneath your skin—static, silent, ever-present.

---

The Jump Transit

Over the next days, the crew encourages you to stretch, hydrate, walk, and reacclimate.
Ironhand security personnel run mild drills in the cargo deck, shaking off low-berth stiffness. With each day you progress physically better than the last day.

The hum of the engines never changes.
The days pass quietly.
Jump space remains kind enough not to interfere.

It is, as promised, an uneventful final week.

---

Jump Emergence: The Pautho System

The familiar thump and stomach churn of re-entry to realspace rolls through the ship.

Outside the forward viewport, a lone amber-white star burns against a clean black sky.

Navigation beacons ping in Riftian Anglic.
Traffic lanes illuminate.

A deckhand leans on a railing and tells you: "Pautho. Final stop. Eight hours ‘til downport."

---

Approach to Pautho Highport

The orbital terminal grows larger in the viewport:

A skeletal network of cargo arms and docking rings.
Weathered plating.
Peeling paint.
Stressed trusses and old weld scars.

Functional. Reliable. Tired.

Comms chatter swirls around the deck—freighters, scout couriers, local shuttles.
Pautho may not be glamorous, but it is active.
A Class A facility keeps the system alive.

---

Descent to Pautho Downport

Atmospheric entry rattles the hull as winds buffet the ship.
The sky outside is a dull orange, thin with dust.

Landing is steady.

The downport spreads out below:

• Warehouses with patchy roofing
• Cargo trucks gliding on lift-cushions
• Workers in drab orange coveralls
• Occasional Imperial Scouts crossing the tarmac
• A compact capital city beyond—housing nearly half the world’s 30,000 inhabitants

Pautho is temperate, comfortable, and dependent on imports for nearly all higher technology.
Its starport is its lifeline—and it shows.

Continental Lines freighters arrive and depart with machine regularity.

You’ve reached a quiet yet connected Imperial client state at the edge of the sector.

---

Arrival & Introduction: Tsoukfaeks (Vargr, Ironhand Security Solutions)

Waiting at the base of the ramp stands a lean Vargr female with short black-and-rust fur, cut close in the Ironhand field-operative style. Her matte-grey duty jacket gleams with embedded comm pads. A comm-link wristband flashes soft data pulses.

Her eyes track everything—exits, personnel, your posture. She offers a dry half-grin.

"You’re on the clock now, team. Keep it clean, keep it quiet, and we’ll all get paid."

Her voice is direct, firm, devoid of the theatrical lilt many Vargr prefer. She gestures for you to follow.

"Ironhand Corporate wants you processed planetside. That's me, and I’m your handler until further notice."

Even as she walks, she evaluates.
Professionals get respect.
Slackers get notes forwarded up the chain to Pautho Command and Ironhand HQ.

---

Pautho Starport (Player Overview)

Once through security, you enter a bustling concourse filled with:

• Warm, breathable air (slightly dusty)
• Riftian Anglic signage
• Stacked displays advertising cargo brokers & fuel contracts
• Continental Lines banners (Apparently the big shipping corporation here as Tsoukfaeks points out)
• Tech import kiosks

It is quite evident that Pautho relies heavily on this starport:

• Almost all high tech must be imported
• Prices reflect scarcity
• Commercial traffic is steady and loud
• Scout Service couriers ensure Imperial order
• Private beacons constantly flicker across comm channels

Despite its modest population, Pautho feels like a crossroads—small, but undeniably part of the wider Imperial web.

---

Tsoukfaeks stops at the end of the concourse and looks back at the team, tail giving a single measured flick.

"Welcome to Pautho."
A beat.
"Let’s see what kind of professionals you really are."

---

Transfer to the Ironhand Contractor Facility

Tsoukfaeks leads you across the tarmac with a brisk, ground-eating stride, weaving through cargo pallets, refuel rigs, and low-slung gravloaders that never quite bother to slow down for pedestrians. The air is warmer here, tinged with the ozone scent of active grav modules and the metallic tang of freight-handling equipment.

As you cross into the IISS Scout Base logistics perimeter, something immediately stands out:

There are fewer people here than there should be.

A Class-A starport with an attached Scout base would normally be humming—uniformed couriers, tech crews, data clerks, traffic officers, and the ever-present mustering of young scouts moving between assignments.

But here?

You see only a handful of IISS personnel. Two techs working quietly on a support crawler. A lone Scout driving a Grav speeder moving out into the starport tarmac. A single courier team boarding a utility cutter.

Also there are no other Ironhand security personnel nowhere near the staffing level a contractor should maintain.

Tsoukfaeks doesn’t explain the emptiness. She simply notes your glances and says over her shoulder: "Short staffing. Long-term rotations. Don’t worry about it."

---

The Ironhand Facility

She brings you to what looks like a cluster of standard 40-foot shipping containers—five of them lashed together and reinforced with external struts. The exterior is painted matte grey with stenciled Ironhand markings. Power cables run into the structure from a Scout Service distribution node.

Tsoukfaeks taps a wrist code into the door panel.

"Welcome to the ready room."

The door slides open with a hydraulic shunk.

Inside is a surprisingly spacious common room—modular, practical, and very clearly assembled from whatever could be bolted together on short notice.

---

Interior Layout

Left Side – Tables & Seating
Six standard shipboard mess tables (5’ by 8’) occupy the left half of the room.
Each has three chairs on each long side—eighteen seats total.
The metal surfaces are clean but worn, the kind of furniture that has seen use on a dozen ships before ending up here.

Right Side – Planning Zone
Two more tables sit on the right, each with six chairs only on one side—facing the wall.

Mounted around the them are four electronic whiteboards, TL12 mission-planning displays capable of:

• layered data overlays
• hand-drawn inputs
• topographic integration
• 3D projection of tactical graphics

They are active but blank, quietly humming.

Rear Wall – ‘Last Chance Grill’
Double doors at the back carry a large overhead sign: LAST CHANCE GRILL
Beneath it, in faded paint, is a second stenciled word: Galley

A warm food-synth smell leaks faintly from behind the doors—something approximating eggs, oil, and kaffe (or is that real coffee?).

Right of Main Entrance – Armory
A locked door marked simply: ARMORY

Security indicators blink amber-green. Whatever is inside is sealed under Ironhand protocols.

---

Left Wall – Offices & Dormitory

Three evenly spaced doors line the left wall:

1. Tsoukfaeks’ Office Label: "Tsoukfaeks"
The Vargr snorts softly as she passes.
"Knock before entering. Or don’t. I bite either way."

2. Team Lead Office Label: "Team Lead", currently dark inside.

3. Dormitory Label: "Dormitory"

Opening it reveals a narrow hallway constructed from additional shipping containers retrofitted into eight private living bays:

• Bed with integrated storage
• Gear locker
• Clothing wardrobe
• Compact desk with dataport
• Sink, shower, and small toilet cubicle
• Basic climate control
• A single small viewport (or screen simulating one)

The accommodations are simple but far better than a troop barracks—more akin to a scout ship crew-cabin built from groundside materials.

---

Tsoukfaeks’ Instructions

After a quick sweep of the room, Tsoukfaeks turns to the group, claws tapping lightly on her datapad.

"You have twenty minutes. Store your personal gear, claim a bay, wash your face if you need to."

Her ears angle forward.

"Meet back in the ready room for briefs. We start on the clock."

Without waiting for a reply, she steps into her office and the door hisses shut.

The quiet of the Scout Base is not absolute—just uneven. Even as the Travellers take in the strangely hollow tarmac, the low thrum of maneuver drives rolls in from the far end of the field. One after another, Continental Lines or Aaleem Consolidated Factors freighters drop onto their assigned pads: boxy TL–11 haulers in the Continental Lines’s trademark white-and-amber livery or the Amber and Black livery of Aaleem Consolidated Factors, cycling through cargo operations with mechanical precision. Containers clatter into place on grav-spines, loaders shuffle pallets toward the bonded warehouses, and crews in reflective vests trot between assignments. The shipping giant clearly uses Pautho as a high-frequency logistics node, and the port’s quiet stretches are broken every hour by another arrival or departure. For all its institutional neglect, the starport moves—just not with Imperial purpose. Continental Lines and Aaleem Consolidated Factors keeps it alive by volume alone.

The Scout Base personnel, what few are visible, offer the Travellers a polite wave when paths cross—helmets tucked under arms, datapads in hand, working their own task lists. None seem dismissive, merely occupied, carrying the posture of people running lean on staffing. A pair of IISS technicians working on an antenna mast nod in greeting but return immediately to their calibration work. Another small team strides between buildings, too focused to stop for conversation. It is clear they will talk later—once their shift cycles break or once they’ve sized up the newcomers—but for now Ironhand’s arrivals are simply folded into the background rhythm of a base that functions on muscle memory. Chaala senses the gap between what the base should be and what it is; Wilbur notes how activity clusters around shipping pads while the Imperial sections run on skeleton crews. Whatever is happening on Pautho, the port isn’t abandoned. It’s just being kept alive by people who aren’t the ones in charge.

Jumpspace – Day 3

When Chaala casually mentions her plan to study the peoples, languages, and polities of the Korsumug Empire, the ready room goes still. One of the junior deckhands actually drops the tool he was holding. Another mutters under his breath, "Stars above…"

You would think she had announced a desire to dissect a demon.

The crew exchange uneasy looks. Nobody speaks at first—not out of disrespect, but out of an old, culturally inherited fear. Finally, it’s the oldest among them, Loadmaster Hargen Vell, who sighs and steps forward. He rubs a hand along his jaw before speaking.

"No one’s judging you," he says quietly. "Curiosity’s good. But the Jaibok? They’re not a people you ‘study.’ They’re something you avoid. Standard protocol is simple: run, hide, refuel, and jump out. If you stay… you’re a story someone else tells."

He hands Chaala a datapad.

"This is all we’ve got. Sparse. Old. Mostly rumor. But one thing on here—one report—shaped Confederation policy for sixty years."

He hesitates, then adds:

"Just… be ready. The crew who gave this testimony? They were never the same."

---

FILE 17-KORS / "THE HESHIKAR INCIDENT"
Trooles Confederation Office of External Threat Analysis
CLASSIFICATION: DOWNGRADED PUBLIC DIGEST – Highly Redacted

---

1. Summary

On 1051-135, the free trader Heshikar arrived at Pirdon Downport under emergency autopilot. The hull was half-melted, interior bulkheads torn open, and life support seconds from collapse. Six survivors remained from an original crew of twenty-three.

Their testimony constituted the first civilian account of a Jaibok planetary assault. This report triggered the emergency defense compacts still in effect across the Trooles Confederation.

---

2. Recovered Testimony
(Translated excerpts; emotional breakdowns removed.)

2.1 Initial Contact
"It wasn’t a fleet—it was a tide. Their carrier blotted out the sun. And the sound… gods, the sound. You don’t hear them. You feel them. Through the deck, through your teeth."

2.2 Planetfall
"They didn’t speak. Didn’t demand surrender. Just landed. Whole cities went silent in minutes. They move like animals—no, worse. Like perfect hunters."

2.3 Boarding of the Heshikar
"They cut through the hull with their claws. Halkan hid in a locker. They ripped it open like tinfoil."

(SURVIVOR BREAKDOWN – 18 minutes)

2.4 Escape
"We didn’t escape. They let us run. Like we were too small to bother chasing. One followed us into a shaft—then just stopped… like we were beneath notice."

---

3. Physical Description
Matches classified xenobiological observations:

• Height ~2.5m, digitigrade stance
• Three-toed clawed feet; often unshod to detect vibrations through hull plates
• Communication in extremely low-frequency infrasound—speech is felt
• Movement extremely rapid; easily provoked by sudden motion
• Teeth adapted for tearing; observed consuming remains
• Wounded individuals do not retreat, even in catastrophic injury

---

4. Conquest Pattern

Sudden orbital arrival

Eradication of military assets

Capture of "selectors" (purpose: redacted)

Deployment of awakened juveniles

Planetary collapse within 72–120 hours

No further transmissions

(Sections on post-occupation biosphere collapse remain redacted.)

---

5. Linguistic Notes ("Kors" Language)

• No lexicon survives
• All known recordings classified
• Communication primarily infrasonic; survivors perceived only "a storm inside your bones"
• Observers rarely survive first contact long enough to record meaningful data

A surviving linguist’s note reads:
"Anyone close enough to hear Jaibok speech dies too quickly to document it."

---

6. Aftermath

The Heshikar testimony forced the Trooles Confederation to unite militarily for the first time in its history. Listening arrays were built. Borders hardened. Trade routes shifted.

The six survivors—all profoundly traumatized—never returned to space.

---

7. File Addendum
Analyst Note, appended 1101-224:
"This remains the only civilian survivor account. No other encounter has yielded witnesses."

---

Just beyond the IISS perimeter, the Travellers notice a second compound—similar in size to the Scout Base but operating under its own protocols, its own personnel, and its own security posture. Layered access gates and discreet sensor pylons mark a controlled crossing point between the two facilities, though no one seems inclined to use it. The guards posted there wear uniforms that are clearly not Scout Service issue, watching the junction with calm but practiced vigilance. Whatever that compound is, it’s meant to stand beside the Scouts, not under them.

The sign at the gate reads "Trooles Reconnaissance Command". She makes out the obvious fenced walkway between the IISS Compound and the TRC Compound. The TRC Compound is much larger. Chaala's observation would lead her to surmise that the compound and buildings would easily hold over 4000 to 6000 personnel. It is quite busy at the moment.

The gated walkway sign is not manned and appears to have a keycard-style entrance lock. Upon closer look at the building at the end of the walkway, there is a sign that reads
"Welcome IISS Personnel to the Joint TRC-IISS Coordination Facility."

This building is much smaller, one level with no windows and could hold about 100 personnel (~48m × 24m). There are no visible guards, but then when Chaala scans the doorway with her former experience she detects video monitoring cameras and a card or a security stick reader.

"It is over at the main cargo facility, section two-D." is the friendly reply and then the worker goes back to what he was doing.

BUT
Wilber finds his ISU10 positioned just outside the Ironhand building with the other team bags and personal gear.

Virel finds what he is looking for in the corridors, but the not in the ready room. It is an open area and while there is a wall at the ready area, the common area that he reads as the mess tables would still allow voices and noise to cross over.

On what is present and what is not, Virel notes the obvious, where is the Ironhand team they were replacing or are they the first. This looks like a worn in place, so his instincts strongly suggest that they are not the first ones.

Tsoukfaeks’ Welcome & Joint Compound Orientation Brief
Delivered by Tsoukfaeks, Vargr Liaison Officer, Ironhand–IISS Pautho

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1. Purpose of This Briefing

---

I am Tsoukfaeks, your designated Liaison Officer for Ironhand Security Solutions on Pautho. My responsibility is to ensure you understand the standards, expectations, and operational realities of serving within the IISS Scout Base and the TRC–IISS Joint Coordination Facility. Your conduct from this point forward reflects directly on Ironhand and the Imperium.

This orientation is designed to provide clarity and remove assumptions. The previous team failed to meet Ironhand’s professional expectations. You will not repeat their errors.

---

2. Your Mission and Responsibilities

---

Ironhand’s role on Pautho is straightforward:

"Provide security for Imperial Scout Service personnel so they may safely and effectively accomplish the Imperial mission."

Nothing in that statement is optional. You are here to support IISS operations without creating complications, distractions, or liabilities.

Your duties include:

• Provide close protection and site security for IISS personnel and facilities.
• Escort IISS teams on and off world, including Joint TRC-IISS missions and liaison meetings.
• Advise IISS on security for movements, cargo, and high-value personnel.
• Maintaining readiness in accordance with Ironhand SOP and IISS base regulations.

When on duty or off duty, in uniform or not, you remain accountable for your actions and conduct.

---

3. The Joint Compound: Structure and Expectations

---

The Pautho installation consists of three interconnected operational zones:

• IISS Scout Base – Imperial operations, survey planning, and base command.
• TRC Reconnaissance Command Section – Trooles Confederation long-range monitoring and intelligence functions.
• Joint Coordination Facility – The shared interface between the IISS and TRC.

"This is a controlled environment requiring discretion, accuracy, and disciplined communication. The Pautho installation is a shared site: IISS Scout Base on one side, TRC Reconnaissance Command detachment on the other, with a joint facility in between. Think of it as three zones behind one fence."
Tsoukfaeks points to the map

" This is the Joint TRC–IISS Coordination Facility, This is where the recon brains of the Trooles Confederation interface with the Imperial Scout Service. Inside are Joint planning rooms, secure comms, brief/debrief spaces, and the offices where I work with my counterpart, Scout Kayla Lin. Most of your "business" with TRC will be here – escort duty, presence in joint briefings, and security for visiting TRC or IISS teams moving between sides of the fence."

---

4. Ironhand Operational Areas

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4.1 Ironhand Facility (Common and Ready Room)
This space serves as your working hub. Use it for planning, briefing, and conducting administrative tasks. Treat the equipment, furniture, and mission boards with respect and maintain a clean, functional workspace.

4.2 Mission Planning Systems
The electronic whiteboards are TL12 planning tools capable of projecting secure 3D overlays. They are not to be altered, modified, or used for purposes outside authorized operations.

4.3 "Last Chance Grill" Internal Galley
This internal Ironhand-only space is for controlled breaks and meals. It is not a social lounge. Maintain appropriate behavior and stay aware of mission readiness requirements.
4.3.1 Mess Hall – Local Contractors
The main mess is run under a local contract by Pauthoan civilians.

• They cook, clean, and keep everyone fed – TRC, IISS, and Ironhand alike.
• No fraternization. No dating, no "just drinks," no side deals for better rations or off-menu favours.
• Treat them professionally, tip only where allowed by policy, and remember they talk to their families, who talk to everyone else. You are always under observation.

4.4 Armory
All weapons and equipment are issued, logged, and tracked. Your compliance with armory regulations is requested. Deviations will be detected immediately.

Standard Ironhand loadout (role-dependent):

• IH10 Pistol
• IH7 Rifle or IH4 Carbine
• IH18 Short Carbine (mission-based issuance)
• IH15 SAW (support personnel only)
• AS11 Integrated Soft Armor
• IH-VisionPak HUD eyewear

No unauthorized weapons,or ammunition will be stored or carried. There is a liability here. If we need better weapons we will procure them.

4.5 Billets
Your living space is your responsibility. Maintain cleanliness, hygiene, and organization. Substandard conditions will be corrected immediately.

---

5. Tetra Team Coordination
"The Ironhand Tetra Team occupies the module adjacent to your facility. They are currently deployed supporting a TRC instructional mission and are expected to return in several weeks."
She shows a slide with their images.

Tsoukfaeks goes over the following in the brief:

• Tetra Team are Ironhand’s senior direct-action and high-risk escort specialists on this contract.
• When they return, we’ll conduct formal introductions.
• For now, you will see their faces and callsigns on the orientation slide

The Tetra Team maintains a higher-risk mission profile. Their standards are strict, and yours must be compatible.

---

6. Professional Conduct and Expectations

---

The previous Ironhand team failed due to lack of discipline, boundary violations with local personnel, and financial misconduct. This resulted in reputational and financial damage to Ironhand.
6.1 The Team You Replaced – What Not To Do

---

"The last Ironhand detachment rotated out two weeks ago. Officially. Unofficially, they limped over the line. Their Team Lead was fired for fraternization with a local contractor in the mess – resulting in a pregnancy. Ironhand is now financially responsible for that child. That’s not "romance;" that’s a liability line item. Two other members mishandled Ironhand construction funds on another world – "creative accounting" that turned into an audit trail and disciplinary action. The remaining three completed their six-month contract and left on the scheduled IISS transport, but there was no proper face-to-face outbrief waiting for you because of the disciplinary mess."

Tsoukfaeks ears lower to her skull and she looks at everyone to ensure you all understand,
"Bottom line, They should be the ones standing where you are, handing over the playbook. They are not here. Learn from that. Don’t repeat it."

Tsoukfaeks then relaxes again (ears up and her tail wags) and says: "Be adult, no fraternization with local contractors, no inappropriate relationships with IISS or TRC personnel. There will be complete compliance with financial, logistical, and accountability procedures."
She stiffens again as if she is reading a Corporate Legal form:
"There will be no diversion from SOP without written authorization. Your interactions, both inside and outside the compound, must reflect Imperial standards."
and then
she relaxes a bit and says
"You wear two reputations on your chest rig: Ironhand and the Third Imperium. Treat IISS staff, TRC personnel, and local civilians with respect and they will respect you. Your discipline ensures both Imperial and Confederation personnel can focus on strategic duties without distraction. Keep your temper, keep your mouth shut in public, and save the growling for the range. If in doubt, ask your TL or ask me. Improvisation is for firefights, not for policy."

---

7. Key IISS and TRC Personnel

---

She introduces the IISS staff with images;
Scout Commander Harlan Mervik – Overall command authority for the Scout Base. You will follow his directives without ambiguity.

Senior Administrator Yaro Kessel – Oversees base logistics and mission coordination. Expect precise and timely execution on his requests.

Junior Administrator Silvia Dominicus – Currently deployed. Manages field admin and mission documentation.

Senior Administrator (Captain) Deyra Halsson – IISS Azure Voyager
Responsible for starship-based operations, docking security, and interstellar mission interfaces.

Scout Kayla Lin – Administrative liaison between IISS and Ironhand. Her workload is significant, and she ensures operational continuity. Respond promptly and accurately to her directives.


Myself, Tsoukfaeks – I oversee Ironhand’s interaction with both the IISS and TRC. Bring any cross-boundary issues directly to me. I expect clear communication and timely reporting.

---

8. Regional Situation Overview

---

You’ve already had the higher-level Threat Briefs that is six months out of date, so this is just how it looks from inside the fence.

---

Korsumug Empire & Jaibok ("Zerp")
"The Korsumug Empire’s Jaibok forces – what I call "Zerp" – pushed hard through the Jelmiri Marches and into what is now the Percavid Marches. Resulting in their expansion ran too hot, too fast. Whole regions flipped, then erupted in insurgency. Now there is a "huge insurgency" on almost every occupied world and in several systems. Former Jelmiri naval units and local forces are conducting hit-and-run operations wherever they can.

Where TRC & IISS Fit
"The Trooles Confederation Navy (TCN) supports these rebel and resistance elements – that is their lane, not the TRC Reconnaissance Command. TRC Reconnaissance Command and the IISS watch, measure, and report: fleet movements, political shifts, insurgent activity, and any Korsumug reaction that might spill coreward. The picture changes daily. Your role is to provide the physical security that lets the intel people think, talk, and act without worrying about their backs."

Specific to Pautho
"There are no known Korsumug or Jaibok/Zerp elements operating openly on Pautho. This world is a listening post and logistics node, not a battlefield. That said, assume someone’s always collecting – local agents, commercial traffic, foreign eyes. You conduct yourselves like professionals because anyone might be watching."

---

[b]Pautho – The World You’re Standing On

---

Quick UWP Snapshot

• Non-industrial client state of the Third Imperium, in the Festab Subsector of Theta Borealis.
• Associate member of the Trooles Confederation.
• World Profile: Temperate meso-world, standard taint-free atmosphere, ~70% water, storm-wracked oceans. Comfortable climate for most sophonts.
• Population: ~60,000 sophonts, concentrated in one primary urban center with satellite communities; most of the planet is wilderness.
• Government: Feudal Technocracy – key technical functions held as fiefs; leadership is whoever controls the critical systems.
• Law: Moderate. Off-base, most firearms (anything beyond shotguns) are tightly regulated or prohibited. On-base, Imperial and TRC rules apply within their compounds.
• Tech Level: TL–13. High-end toys on a low-population world that cannot manufacture most of what it uses – everything big comes in by ship.

Starport & Traffic
"You have seen the starport, it has excellent facilities, refined fuel, shipyard capable of annuals and construction. As you can tell, the IISS Scout Base is co-located with the downport; no highport in orbit, but enough traffic to keep the comm channels busy. You might have seen all the Ships from Continental Lines and others run regular routes along the Korsumug Main, in and out of Pautho. so this is a busy port"

Local Culture
The Pauthoans are homogenous, aloof, and polite. They don’t rush into relationships with off-worlders. They notice everything that moves around the starport. Ironhand uniforms and IISS scout jackets are instantly recognizable. Remember you are guests of the Imperium, and the Imperium is a guest of Pautho. Behave accordingly."

---

10. Closing Guidance

---

"If you remember nothing else from this brief: remember these things, One you are here so the IISS can do the Imperial mission without getting shot, kidnapped, or embarrassed, Two, the TRC–IISS Joint Coordination Facility is the nerve centre; treat anything that happens there as high-sensitivity. Three, the last team showed you exactly how to fail. You are here to show how Ironhand gets it right."
She looks around the room and says,
"Questions, tasking conflicts, or anything that "doesn’t smell right"? Bring it to your Ironhand Team Lead. Bring to me your supply issues, and admin. If there is a problem with IISS, or TRC, that’s my job, and I’d rather hear a dumb question now than read a dumb incident report later.

She asks at the end
Do you have any questions?

After the updated threat briefing and after a Fifteen minute break Tsoukfaeks gathers the new Ironhand contractors together outside and takes them over to the Joint Coordination Center building to meet a IISS Officer for the final brief of the day.

Joint Coordination Center (JCC) Orientation
Delivered by Group Administrator Dalen Huxwright, IISS — Day Duty Officer, JCC

---

The group is held briefly outside the Joint Coordination Center entrance on the IISS side of the compound.

The building itself is deliberately unremarkable—flat lines, reinforced composite walls, minimal external markings. No banners. No symbols beyond a small Imperial Scout emblem and a simple placard identifying the structure as a coordination facility.

A Scout officer in duty uniform steps forward, datapad held loosely at his side.

---

Group Administrator Dalen Huxwright (IISS):
"I’m Group Administrator Dalen Huxwright. I’m the IISS Day Duty Officer for the Joint Coordination Center. My role is to manage Imperial coordination within this facility, ensure proper information flow, and act as the Imperial point of contact for joint operations conducted here."

He looks over the group carefully.

"You’re here because Ironhand supports personnel who operate inside this building. Before that happens, you need to understand what this place is—and what it is not."

---

Huxwright turns and gestures toward the outer security gate.

---

Huxwright:
"Follow me. No active systems. Badges visible."

---

The outer gate opens after biometric verification. As each of you passes through, the gate seals behind you with a muted mechanical sound. A second checkpoint follows—badge readers, visual confirmation, and a passive scan that hums briefly as it sweeps across armor and equipment.

Huxwright keys his badge and waits while each of you does the same. The inner door unlocks.

---

Inside, the lighting shifts—cooler, neutral, intentional. The corridor ahead is narrow and functional, with smooth walls broken only by recessed displays and access panels.

---

Huxwright:
"This hallway is still IISS space. On your left is the Scout briefing cell. That’s where Imperial-only mission planning and internal briefings occur. Here is where any mission tasking to Ironhand will be given."

He continues forward without slowing.

"Beyond that point, jurisdiction changes."

---

At the end of the corridor, a second set of doors waits—unmarked, heavier, fitted with dual badge readers. Huxwright stops briefly.

---

Huxwright:
"This is the Joint Coordination Center proper."

He scans his badge and nods for the team to do the same. The doors slide open.

---

The Operations Cell opens up around you—larger than expected, circular, with tiered workstations arranged around a central holo-table. Multiple displays show traffic plots, system maps, sensor overlays, and rolling data feeds. Personnel in mixed uniforms—Imperial Scouts and TRC officers—work quietly, voices low, movements practiced.

This is not a command center. It feels like a controlled nerve junction.

Huxwright guides you to a briefing alcove at the edge of the room. The holo-table shifts into presentation mode.

---

Huxwright:
"This is the JCC Operations Cell. Everything that happens here is about coordination, not command."

The display highlights intersecting data streams.

---

Huxwright:
"The Joint Coordination Center exists to synchronize Imperial Interstellar Scout Service activities with those of the Trooles Reconnaissance Command. We do not issue combat orders. We do not task fleets. We ensure that information moves cleanly and accurately so decisions are made with full context."

A second layer of data appears.

"TRC provides focused reconnaissance and strategic analysis—particularly along unstable regions near the Korsumug frontier. Their value lies in precision, depth, and regional insight."

Another layer overlays it.

"The IISS contributes long-term survey data, traffic monitoring, jump-route analysis, and continuity. Scouts remain in place long enough to recognize patterns, not just events."

---

He pauses briefly.

---

Huxwright:
"What the Imperium provides to the Trooles Confederation through this facility is early warning, neutral observation, and stability. What the Confederation provides to the Imperium is advance awareness of developments that could affect Imperial borders and interests."

He turns slightly to face the group directly.

"This is a cooperative arrangement. Neither side operates under the authority of the other."

---

The display shifts again, highlighting access points.

---

Huxwright:
"For Ironhand personnel, your role is support. You do not operate within this cell. You provide security, escort, and controlled presence so those assigned here can focus on analysis rather than force protection."

His tone remains measured.

---

Huxwright:
"You enter this space only when tasked. You do not solicit information directly from TRC personnel. All coordination flows through this center and through IISS channels."

---

The holo-table dims.

---

Huxwright:
"Everything inside this facility is considered sensitive unless explicitly stated otherwise. Discretion is mandatory."

He steps back.

---

Huxwright:
"That concludes your Joint Coordination Center orientation. Follow-on instructions will be issued through Scout Lin or through your selected Ironhand team leader."

He gestures back toward the corridor.

"Let’s clear the space."

---

The doors close behind you as the Operations Cell resumes its quiet, controlled rhythm.

GM: No worries
Tsoukfaeks listens without interrupting, gives a single acknowledging nod when Bohdie finishes, then answers the group as a whole.

"You are correct in your assessment. Familiarity with issued weapons is mandatory, not optional.

Tomorrow is scheduled as a full familiarization and range day. Every Ironhand-authorized weapon system assigned to this detachment will be available for hands-on handling, dry drills, and live fire. That includes safeties, fire selectors, reload mechanics, optics interfaces, and malfunction procedures. The purpose is exactly what you described: ensuring that no one is discovering a weapon’s quirks for the first time under stress.

Range time will be supervised, logged, and conducted to Ironhand standards. If any individual requires additional repetitions on a specific platform, that will be accommodated. Competence is assumed. Confirmation is required."

She pauses briefly before continuing.

"As for weapons issue and storage: no, you will not maintain a standard issue weapon outside the armory under current conditions.

Pautho is assessed as a secure environment. Weapons are issued for missions, off-world movement, or if the local security situation changes. Until then, all firearms and controlled equipment remain secured and maintained by armory personnel, and the Armory personnel are you. You are in charge of the Armory. You are professionals and Ironhand expects professionals to account for themselves.

If that posture changes, you will know well in advance. Any shift in threat status will be identified through the Joint Coordination Center and corroborated by the Trooles Reconnaissance Command. This is not a system where surprises occur without warning.

Until such a change is declared, weapons are checked out for training or tasking only, then returned."

She gives a final nod.

"Good questions. Range Day details is posted to your schedule for tomorrow."