Chapter 4.1 - ISS Harrier : Chaala, Virel, Ruiha & Dr. Shone

EDIT - for got one thing at the end

ISS Harrier – Stealth Operations
Harrier drifts in controlled silence. Power output remains minimal — emissions carefully damped. The ship’s thermal profile blends against lunar background radiation and reflected stellar scatter. Internal lighting is dimmed to operational minimum.

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Chaala’s command input shifts the ship’s survey array into a narrower focus cone. The sensor sweep tightens — less range, greater resolution.
On the main display, the Cutter remains stationary. No visible tampering. No external heat signatures inconsistent with maintenance activity. No anomalous movement within the immediate perimeter.

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Ruiha monitors Voyager’s telemetry feed and the descent profile is nominal with the lunar masking is effective. everyone see there is no deviation in Niparro passive sweep patterns. The results in no alarms, no sensor spikes.

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Virel adjusts magnification toward the individual near the Cutter. Facial mapping software initializes — slow, deliberate, non-invasive. Harrier’s system runs pattern recognition locally to avoid broadcast signatures. A rotating wireframe overlays the individual’s profile. Confidence metrics begin populating the side panel.

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Dr. Shone moves to the communications analysis station. Spectral graphs fill his display — layered interference bands from the starport’s jamming network. He begins isolating modulation signatures. He spots that the jamming appears structured and not board spectrum force. The jamming uses rotational frequency hopping, but predictable within cycles, but Victor is confident that another sweep will confirm the pattern and provide the necessary information for the coded burst transmission to the Cutter after that pass.

No transmission is attempted.

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Satellite control status scrolls across Chaala’s console. Six high-TL observation satellites remain in station. One could be repositioned for improved angle. Fuel cost and orbital lifespan reduction projections populate beside the option., but no action taken yet.

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No movement from the Niparoo vessel.
No active targeting emissions detected.
No change in the Cutter’s power signature.
The system remains still.
For now......

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At the end of Ten Hours:
Dr. Shone draws continuous feeds from all six observation satellites, layering their data into a composite model rather than relying on a single sweep. The first hour establishes the basics — spectrum capture across multiple bands, confirmation of structured frequency hopping, and identification of the jammer’s duty cycle. As additional satellites rotate into favorable geometry, Shone begins cross-correlating time-of-arrival and signal strength variances, narrowing the source region and mapping the interference footprint against planetary curvature and terrain masking. By mid-cycle, he is no longer simply detecting interference but charting its behavior — directional bias, power consistency, and any adaptive response to Harrier’s minimal repositioning. The final hours are devoted to repeatability: confirming that the pattern persists across multiple satellite aspects and ruling out reactive modulation or decoy emitters. By the end of the ten-hour collection window, the jamming field is no longer an unknown disruption but a characterized system with measurable limits, coverage arcs, and exploitable gaps.

Virel working the same ten-hour collection window with some input from Chaala, the facial recognition routines complete their layered verification. Harrier’s optical magnification, enhanced by cross-angle captures from two satellites, builds a stable biometric profile of the individual working near the Cutter. Bone structure, orbital spacing, dermal patterning, and gait analysis are compared against Scout Service personnel archives. The confidence metric climbs steadily with each refined sample. By the end of the cycle, the system resolves the match within acceptable operational certainty: the individual at the Cutter is Senior Engineer Harlan Voss.

Conditions are set for penetrating the jamming without compromise for the purpose of contacting the Cutter but the Voyager is not yet finished taking over fuel.

Dr. Shone had been mapping and cross-referencing the jamming patterns, trying to find loopholes in the signatures. He also tried to locate the specific locations from where the jamming signals originated, backtracking the signatures to their sources. When Virel notified them of the identity of the individual of the Cutter, his eyes widened. He turned to the Chaala and said, "Captain, I have been meaning to ask. If we contact the individual in the Cutter, who we now know is probably Harlan Voss, won't it be better if we use some fake identity? Like maybe the identity of Dominicus? Ask him to meet at a designated location where we can dispatch Bohdie and JEEM?"

Chaala pulls up Senior Engineer Voss' personnel records, reviewing them for any signs he might be likely to have 'gone native' in any way. Also looking for anything that we could put in as a pass phrase.

She acknowledges Doc's thoughts. "That's an option. A lot depends on if the Cutter has enough fuel to make it to orbit and join up with Harrier. If not, we've really got no choice but to take Voyager down. Once we make contact, clocks start ticking. In addition to any that are already running for the rest of the crew who we haven't located yet. We don't know how many clocks, but the more change to routine, the more factions will notice. If Voss is there because he's not allowed out of the airstrip, then that's not an option. If there's fuel and we have him meet up with us, everyone will know something's up, but we keep Voyager safe and a surprise if needed. If he's free to move and can meet up with a team on the ground, we can probably get a fuller report than a few text messages."

"Priorities on getting info from Voss are finding out if the cutter is flight worthy and fueled, if he knows what happened to the rest of the crew, then if he's free to leave. If he knows where Dominicus and the others are, great, but if not, we need to move forward carefully so we don't put them at greater risk and keep as many options open as possible."

Chaala is able to pull up Scout Engineer Harlan Voss's IISS personnel file and his ISOPREP:
IISS PERSONNEL RECOVERY REFERENCE

Scout-Engineer Harlan Voss
Abbreviated Bio – IISS Pamphlet 3-50 Reference

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IDENTIFICATION

• Name: Harlan Voss
• Rank/Role: Scout Engineer — Senior Engineering Specialist
• Service: Imperial Interstellar Scout Service (IISS)
• UPP: 778A75
• Age: 46
• Assignment: ISS Harrier — Telemon-class Scout

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PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

• Height: 1.79 meters
• Build: Lean, slightly gaunt from long engineering duty cycles
• Hair: Black with early grey streaks
• Eyes: Brown
• Facial hair: Often worn long during extended deployments

Distinguishing Markers

• Electrical burn scar across left forearm from jump-coil discharge during field repair
• Persistent grease stains under fingernails
• Usually carries a pocket diagnostic stylus

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TECHNICAL PROFILE
Primary Skills

• Engineer (Jump Drive)-2
• Electronics-2
• Mechanic-2
• Engineer (Power Systems)-1

Operational Characteristics

• Methodical engineer with strong field-repair instincts
• Comfortable working independently in engineering spaces
• Known to distrust automated diagnostic systems

Limitations

• No pilot certification
• No flight crew qualification
• Not trained for Cutter flight operations
• Average INT/EDU profile — practical technician rather than academic engineer

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SERVICE HISTORY (ABBREVIATED)

• Over two decades with the IISS engineering branch
• Extensive frontier survey experience maintaining jump drives
• Known among Scout crews as quiet, reliable, and technically stubborn

Crew commentary notes Voss often remains in engineering until a system problem is solved rather than escalating the issue.

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PERSONAL BEHAVIORAL NOTES

• Consumes strong bitter coffee during engineering watches
• Keeps handwritten diagnostic notes rather than relying solely on system logs
• Often sketches circuit paths on scrap maintenance sheets

Voss is known for repeating a line learned at Scout Engineering School:
"Jump drives lie. The math tells the truth."
The phrase reportedly became a running joke among engineering crews.

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PERSONAL DATA (AUTHENTICATION RELEVANT)

• Preferred diagnostic tool: handheld probe stylus nicknamed "Old Blue"
• Maintenance habit: taps jump-coil housing twice with a wrench before calibration
• Preferred ration meal: Scout emergency protein curry pack

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RECOVERY AUTHENTICATION GUIDANCE
Suggested challenge-response for identity confirmation:
Challenge:
"Engineer Voss — diagnostic check. What tells the truth?"
Expected Response:
"The math."
or
"Jump drives lie. The math tells the truth."

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While reviewing the logs on the ISS Harrier, Virel find the following:

ISS Harrier — Engineering Log Extract
Engineer: Harlan Voss
Timestamp: 217-1105 | 03:14 Shipboard

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Ran manual diagnostics on Jump Drive Field Regulator again. Autolog keeps reporting the coil alignment inside acceptable tolerance, but the phase drift is still sitting outside the margin I like. Automation says green. My gut says otherwise. Recalibrated the regulator and rebalanced the field lattice manually. System stable now.

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Leaving this note in the maintenance log for whoever pulls the next check cycle.
Jump drives lie. The math tells the truth.
— Voss

Virel studies the compiled data for a moment before speaking.

"Doctor Shone’s suggestion has merit. Until we confirm identity, caution is appropriate. Fortunately, we have a straightforward authentication test."

He glances briefly toward Voss’s personnel file.

"If that is indeed Engineer Voss, his presence at the Cutter may have been deliberate. He cannot pilot the vessel but an ideal caretaker for the craft."

A slight pause.

"That said, we should not assume the situation is entirely voluntary. If the rest of the team was taken elsewhere, leaving the engineer behind could serve the dual purpose of maintenance of the Cutter, and leverage over the others."

He lets the thought hang only briefly before continuing.

"At present, however, the evidence suggests stability rather than confinement. I suggest we proceed carefully. Confirm identity first, then determine the nature of his situation before revealing anything of our own."

Chaala wanders down to engineering and then takes a peek into Voss' quarters, looking for any of the handwritten notes indicated in the file. She'll also keep her eye out for a blue stylus.

Cycling through rest cycles so at least one person is monitoring at any given time.

"Doc, let's link up with Cutter's system, as quiet as possible. I want any logs that have been entered since it departed Harrier and I want to know current status. If anything turns up in the logs that points to other valuable data we'll look at pulling that, too."

Victor nodded at Chaala, "Alright, Captain. I will try the most stable and subtle intrusion possible from my side. But, to link up without any detection, I would like to take more time to calibrate the intrusion if that's alright. Also, another suggestion regarding the jamming signatures. Can we also hijack a local satellite, install a frequency opposite to the jamming one, and make it broadcast so that we nullify their jammer? Or will it be too risky?"

Chaala dedicates computer resources to optimizing the initial contact, putting her own skills at Doc's disposal for the time until Voyager is due back on orbit (except for her sleep period).

Virel remains quiet while Chaala gives her instructions to Dr. Shone. After a moment he adds,

"While Voss cannot fly the Cutter himself, it would still be useful to know its current flight status. If the logs confirm the Cutter is fully operational and fueled, it remains a viable extraction option."

With careful and meticulous planning with Captain Chaala, Victor finally entered the codes and tried to access the Cutter's computer, hoping their calculations are going to work out.

ISS Harrier — Computer Operations

The Harrier’s computer core hummed quietly beneath the deck plates as Dr. Shone finalized the last of the intrusion routines. The Cutter’s signal was faint but unmistakable—its systems still alive, still transmitting housekeeping telemetry through the blanket of interference that wrapped Marinagua’s surface.

On the display, layers of signal noise crawled across the spectrum like static fog.

Alejia tribal jamming.

Irregular, wide-band, and powerful near the surface—normally enough to block orbital communications entirely.

Dr. Shone studied the pattern for only a few seconds before beginning the bypass. His fingers moved across the console with deliberate calm, building a narrow-band insertion window through the interference. Rather than overpowering the signal, the Harrier’s computer threaded its way between the bursts of noise with surgical precision.

"Signal path established," he said quietly.

No alarms triggered. No countermeasures appeared.

The Cutter’s system handshake followed a moment later.

Imperial Scout Service authentication routines passed automatically. The Cutter recognized its parent vessel without hesitation, accepting the connection as a routine system interaction.

Within seconds the Harrier’s computer was inside the Cutter’s systems.

The intrusion was silent.

Scout-Engineer Harlan Voss, still aboard the Cutter, remained completely unaware that his ship’s computers were now being accessed from orbit. Equally unnoticed were the monitoring systems operated by the Niparoo Marinagua Trade Corporation’s security detachment at the Balac Pontli airfield. Their own electronic surveillance remained blind to the narrow thread of data now flowing through the interference.

On Shone’s screen the Cutter’s internal directory began unfolding rapidly.

"Access confirmed," he reported.

Chaala and Virel stepped closer to the console as the Harrier’s computer began indexing the recovered files.

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Recovered File — Cutter Descent and Landing Log

The recovered file contained a complete flight record beginning with the Cutter’s launch from the Harrier’s hidden lunar position. The log documented the departure from the moon, orbital insertion around Marinagua, and the atmospheric descent toward the Balac Pontli airfield. Embedded throughout the record were navigation solutions, atmospheric readings, sensor returns, and cockpit voice entries from the crew during the approach and landing sequence.

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Recovered File — Personal Log: Scout-Engineer Harlan Voss

This archive consisted of daily personal log entries recorded by Voss beginning shortly after the Cutter’s landing. The entries continued uninterrupted through the present day, documenting his observations, the developing situation around the airfield, and his efforts to maintain the Cutter while waiting for the return of the away team. In total, the log covered one hundred sixty-eight days of isolation.

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Shone leaned back slightly from the console.

"We have it," he said.

The Harrier’s computer began copying both records into the ship’s secure archive while maintaining the undetected connection.

Two pieces of information immediately stood out.

The first was the Cutter’s full descent and landing record, detailing exactly what the away team encountered as they approached and landed at the Balac Pontli airfield.

The second was Scout-Engineer Voss’s personal log, documenting events at the airfield from the moment the contact team departed the Cutter until the present day.

Both files were intact.

Both were current.

And both promised answers to what had happened to the missing Scout team.

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Recovered Data Files

• Cutter Descent and Landing Log — See linked archive
• Scout-Engineer Harlan Voss Personal Log — See linked archive

"We should get some Tea ready for Voss, sounds like he needs it." Chaala sighs after reading the logs. "I think he'll be a resource as long as we're going after the rest of his crew. I don't know how he'd respond if we tried to send him elsewhere. We'll see what we have when everyone's together. I'm inclined to make contact with him and prepare to bring the cutter to us. If that's not a good option, I suspect we can get our people to the cutter without them being stopped, but that's not my preferred option."

Victor read through the logs and then looked at the Captain, "Captain, what do you think has happened to the rest of the crew? With the amount of ship activity, I think they have taken some of them outside the planet. Though I am not sure."

"They missed check in number 1, so whatever happened involved local forces. Well, local factions, we don't know if there was force involved. It's possible that one or more of them was taken off planet, but if so then we're likely dealing with Niparoo and that's beyond the scope of our mission. We need to rescue anyone still on planet and get them back to Pautho. If we find out that some of them went off planet, we report that because we'd have no chance of making a recovery on our own."

Chaala pauses, "It's possible that we'll get different orders once we recover Dominicus or Halsson recovers, but until then, let's stay laser focused on achieving what we can and acknowledge that something bigger than two Scout crews and a handful of Ironhands are going to resolve is happening."

Virel studies the log entries in silence for a long moment before speaking.

"I do not think Voss is going anywhere willingly," he says at last. "Not unless we can rescue the rest of his crew first."

He turns toward Chaala and Victor.

"Unfortunately, we have very few details about what happened to the rest of the crew. Something clearly occurred shortly after landing, but beyond that it is speculation. For now, I recommend we assume they are alive and still on the planet and proceed as though this is a rescue mission for all of them until proven otherwise."

"As for contact, I wonder whether direct communication is the wrong first move. If we can append to his local logs, or leave something in a place only he would find, we reduce the chance of interception and avoid forcing an immediate response. He may not notice it at once, but that may be preferable to anyone else noticing it first. We should let him know friendlies are present but I would be cautious about asking more until we understand the situation on the ground more fully."

Another short pause.

"I agree we should wait for the others but I am afraid any real extraction plan will not be straight forward."

"Nothing about this mission has been straight forward. Not since the first recruiting contacts. I don't see why the meat of it will be any different." Chaala sighs. "I think you're right to a point. We assume that the crew is alive and not at liberty. If they had any significant freedom they would have found a way to signal Voss somehow. I think at least one of the free traders knows something. You might think about how best to approach them. As for contacting Voss, I think we wait for night when it's comparitively quiet at the airport and make contact then. I don't think he'll want to leave Marinagua, but I think he'd accept orders to let us take the Cutter to get help. Travelling to orbit, where he can check on the ship he cared for, is likely within his sense of sticking to his orders."

"Once Voyager is back and we have all the options, of course."

All the crew are busy with the data as the Azure Voyager come up from the surface of Marinagua when

The Harrier’s computer continued indexing the recovered Cutter files while Chaala, Virel, and Dr. Shone reviewed the logs scrolling across the screen.

Suddenly the audio feed flickered.

A brief burst of static cut through the steady hum of the computer speakers.

Then voices.

Shone frowned slightly and glanced down at the console. It is an external microphone array from the Cutter. The signal stabilized. Wind could be heard first—soft and steady across the open tarmac. Then the sound of metal containers being set down against the Cutter’s hull. Another voice followed, deep and resonant, filtered slightly through the Cutter’s exterior pickup.

Scout-Engineer Harlan Voss.

"…I appreciate the food, Ziyótl. I really do."

A pause. Another voice answered—lower, deliberate, the Galanglic halting but carefully chosen. It appears to be Alejian

"Yes. Food good for strength. Imperial Scout must keep strength."

The faint sounds of movement followed—containers opening, utensils scraping lightly. Two other figures could be heard occasionally in the background, speaking softly among themselves in Alejia as they arranged the meal. Voss spoke again.

"You’ve been very generous. I mean that. But I need to ask again…" He hesitated slightly before continuing. "My Captain. Captain Dominicus. And the others. What is their condition?"

A pause, the wind moved softly across the microphone. Then the Alejia answered.

"They are safe." Another pause, as if searching for the correct phrasing. "They are not prisoners."

Voss exhaled quietly.

"You say that every time."

"Yes," The Alejian speaker replies calmly. "Because it truth."

The faint sounds of eating followed—utensils touching metal containers. Voss returned to the question, as he had so many times before.

"Then when will they be released?"

The Alejian speaker answered slowly. "They are… guests." The word sounded practiced. "Guests under protection of the people."

Voss shifted slightly; the microphone picked up the movement. "With respect, that sounds like detention."

"No," The Alejian speaker said firmly. "Not detention."

A pause followed. "Imperial Scouts came during time of broken memory." He searched for the right words. "Old fires still remembered. Many tribes do not trust ships from the sky."

Voss replied quietly. "But you do."

"Yes." The Alejian speaker calm voice replies. "But others must see this also." Wind brushed across the pickup again. "If Imperial Scouts go free too fast, some tribes think trick." a pause, "Think invasion." Another pause. "So they stay as honored guests until council speak."

Voss leaned slightly closer to the Cutter hull; his voice sounded nearer the pickup. "They’re not harmed?"

"No harm."

"They’re fed?"

"Yes."

"They’re safe?"

"Yes."

Voss exhaled again, the sound long and tired. "Then please tell them something for me."

The Alejian speaker waited. "What message?"

Voss’s voice softened. "Tell Captain Dominicus the Cutter is secure." A brief pause. "And tell her I’m still here."

The wind shifted across the tarmac. The Alejian speaker answered quietly. "I will tell her."

The meal continued for a few moments in relative silence. Then Alejian spoke again. "Imperial Scout should eat more.....You grow thin."

Voss gave a small laugh. "I’m an engineer. We’re supposed to look like this."

The servants began gathering the empty containers. Metal lids clicked closed. Before leaving, The Alejian speaker added one final comment. "Captain Dominicus strong leader." A pause, then "She speaks well in council."

Voss froze slightly. Then he asked carefully: "So… she is speaking for us?"

"Yes." The Alejian speaker's voice carried quiet certainty. "She speaks for the Imperial Scouts."

Footsteps began to fade across the tarmac. Then the audio feed returned to the sound of wind and distant movement.

On the Harrier, the computer quietly continued recording.

Victor saved the audio recording and then looked at the captain, "Well, that is good news, Captain, if the local was telling the truth. It means that the entire crew of the Harrier is alive and planetside. However, I don't understand what Niparoo's game is here."

"I am sure that's a very complicated question, and I suspect any answer should be more nuanced than 'power,' but that may be what it boils down to. They're starting with soft power, being the primary access to offworld resources for many planets. The same reason that the Imperium owns a piece of every major bulk carrier. If they aim to be more we haven't seen it yet, but you can be sure that someone wants them to be."