System Admiral Hanshaw
System Admiral Hanshaw is a man appearing to be in his fifties. However, he displays the strangely precise movements of someone who is much older and holding onto youth through decades of anagathic treatment. He wears a void-colored cloak with a skull-shaped brooch. When you seat yourself, he tosses you a bag that clinks with the distinctive ceramic sound of credit chips. He waves you to open it immediately, and it contains thirty chips. Each one is in the denomination of fifty thousand credits. "This is the very limit of my budget. It's close to fair for the material value of what you brought us, but the intelligence value is hard to compensate for. You gentlemen are heroes, though, and you're going to find your way greased so long as you play along. We have a lot of under-the-table ways of showing our appreciation."
The system admiral pins Jackson down by the bar toward the end of the evening. "You did the right think hitting that crash-revive button. They were all going to wake up anyway, might as well get it done fast and kill a bunch of them off. They're pinned down out there now, of course. Their engines are all pre-scream, from what we could tell. Bastards just went to sleep instead of trying to fix them. So they can't get out of the system, but we can't attack that damn big rock of theirs either, not with the hardware we have on hand. They're going to raid the planet pretty soon, and we can't defend the whole thing. I'm sure you boys have plenty to do - this little soiree is probably putting a lot more on your plate than appetizers - but if you're going to play ball then I can make sure you get some little presents here and there. There are going to be some pretty big intelligence reports coming across my desk. Could be some of them might end up on yours. You let me know if you ever need any favors, and if you come across something hot you bring it to me. Keep the channels open. We're all in this together, after all."
Jackson: "Sir, even though I'm in the Reserves now, you know you can count on me to help where I can. The only thing I'd ask from you is any assistance you can render us in acquiring a Frigate or a larger Free Merchant. Now that we're Public Enemy #1 with the Chittik, we're going to need a ship that can handle itself in combat. We may also need some dependable people to help us man that large a ship, so if you know of any reliable ex-Navy folks up for recruiting, I'm all ears. As far as what's going on now, I have very good knowledge of their Command and Security sub-systems. If I can be of assistance with helping your engineers in trying to hack or spoof their systems before or during any invasion, I'm happy to do it. If there are any smaller, discreet missions we can run for you while we're in-system, to help defeat the enemy during this time of crisis, let me know. We're not soldiers but we do have a unique skill set. I can't speak for all of us but anything that makes it harder for the Chittik to hunt us down and kill us is a plus."
"We're going to be leaning on the State to make more ships available to systems out on the fringe. Once I have some more vessels at my disposal, I'll be in a position to help you out when and where it's warranted. That's part of what you and your boys are supposed to be making a case for when you get back in the core. Quid pro quo. Staff are easier. We can get plenty of staff if the cause is good."
