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ECM RESOLUTE

A recent addition to the Osedax inventory, the Type 6 RRV is designed as a robust, inexpensive, maneuverable, and moderately well-armed expeditionary craft. The Type 6 has had a limited run so far, with supply being restricted by a titanium shortage, but sales figures suggest that Osedax may make the Type 6 a flagship product once supply chain issues are resolved. This is of especial concern to competitors, as Osedax has primarily restricted itself to fulfilling contracts at their shipyards in recent years. The Europa Coalition's Central Trade Commission (CTC) has received several complaints, but is unlikely to prohibit expansion of the Type 6's production run.


The Resolute has the following primary features:

- ~40 km/h top speed
- Moonpool
- CCTV array
- limited threat detection systems


The Resolute has the following armaments:

- 3-burst pulse laser array
- ventral chaingun
- dorsal hardpoint
- electric discharge pads


Steve Zhi, concept art and inspiration for the ECM Resolute (https://twitter.com/SteveZhi)


"Resolute to control, come in."

No response. Highly irregular. The tower should have signaled them well before they entered the traffic pattern. That was 30 minutes ago. Devin Sparks, the radio monitor held to his ear with one hand, peered through the forward CCTV array. He could see light in the control tower's windows, but no sign of movement. Sparks keyed the microphone and tried again.

"Noctae station," he said, "this is Victor 6 Julia requesting clearance to approach docking port 1A, please acknowledge."

Static again.

The hatch opened and Lola Parsons slid down the ladder, her boots hitting the floor with a dull thud. The ETO shook her head.

"Antenna diagnostics check out," she said. "They should be receiving us loud and clear."

The midshipmen at the guns exchanged worried glances. Sparks swore under his breath. Noctae was a small outpost on the frontier of Coalition territory. Out this far, an unresponsive control tower usually meant mutiny or a raid, and they were not equipped to handle either situation.

"ECNet?" asked Sparks.

"No response," said Parsons. "Not even a diagnostic ping. Guessing they disconnected the transmitter."

"Victor 6 Julia, come in Victor 6 Julia, this is Noctae actual, over."

The sudden buzz in his ear made Sparks jump, and he immediately fumbled to respond.

"Noctae control," he said, "this is Resolute actual. We read you. Repeating request..."

"Proceed to port 7 Echo for docking," said the voice on the other end.

"Noctae control," said Sparks, "please say again, did you say 7 Echo?"

"Proceed to port 7 Echo for docking."

Sparks gave ETO Parsons a confused look. She shrugged her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" asked midshipman Harper.

"It's an auxiliary port," ETO Parsons mumbled, "doesn't even connect with the main station. What the h--- are they sending us there for?"

"Is there a problem?" said the voice on the radio.

"Control," said Sparks, transferring the radio connection to room speakers so the rest of the bridge crew could hear, "I think there's been a mistake. We've got a cargo of medical supplies for the habitation medical facilities, which can't be accessed at..."

"Proceed to port 7 Echo for docking."

"Copy," said Sparks, "proceeding to 7 Echo. Resolute out."

Sparks activated the navigation console and set a course towards docking platform 7, docking port E. As the engines hummed to life and began to maneuver the Osedax Type 6 past Noctae and into the dark of the abyssal passage beyond, Sparks reactivated the CCTV array. He gazed for a while before stepping away, a look of confusion on his face.

"What is it?" asked Parsons.

"Probably nothing," said Sparks. Then, after a brief pause, he added: "Reactor won't manage itself, Parsons."

Noctae Platform 7 was a collection of cubes clinging to the icy crags of the tunnel for dear life. A lone searchlight pierced the darkness to illuminate their approach, lazily tracking the Resolute as Sparks maneuvered it into docking position. Docking was complicated by the Resolute's dorsal maneuvering plane, which had to be lowered in order to dock with 7E. Sparks grimaced as the Port side of the Resolute screeched against the ice. Why on earth had the tower redirected them to a shuttle annex?

"Harper, Koury," said Sparks as soon as the docking port registered a positive seal, "Arm up."

"Trouble, Captain?" asked Koury.

"I don't know," said Sparks, "but this stinks. I want to be ready for a fight."

The midshipmen started for the aft compartment where the weapons were stored. Sparks consulted the CCTV array. Dull white light poured out of the docking platform's observation windows. In the dim illumination he could see movement, but little else. He stepped back from the viewer and checked his revolver. Two empty cartridges, spent to put down an unruly exotic pet that someone had stowed away in the cargo hold. He pulled the two empties out and reloaded the weapon before joining Harper and Koury.

The platform was exactly what Sparks had been expecting: a narrow hallway of reinforced bulkheads and shock-proof glass, leading to a metal gate behind which stood row after row of shelves. They were greeted by a medical doctor and a handful of other medical personnel. None of them were armed.

"Who's in charge here?" asked Sparks.

"I am," said the doctor, stepping forward. "Deliver your supplies and go."

"Hold on," said Sparks. "I'm gonna need to file a report when I connect to ECNet again, so you owe me an explanation."

The doctor hesitated. He stared past Sparks at the wall behind him. Sparks risked a glance over his shoulder. It was just a blank wall.

"Deliver your supplies and go," said a voice from his headset.

"I copy," said Sparks, "who is this?"

"I am in charge here," said the voice. "Deliver your supplies. Is there a problem?"

Sparks went white as a sheet. The voice had changed mid-sentence from an unknown voice to the voice that had directed them to platform 7.

"Koury, Harper," he said, "go get the shipment."

As they descended into the sub, Sparks turned to the doctor and said: "I'll make sure everything is in order."

Then he grasped the ladder and slid all the way down through the engineering deck to the command deck, slamming into Harper in his reckless descent. The two fell to the floor, but Sparks was up almost immediately. He rushed to the navigation terminal and slammed the docking lever down. The top hatch closed with a thud, but the docking clamps didn't disengage. He scrambled to the periscope closest the bridge hatch, his pulse pounding in his ears. The dorsal chaingun swung up and vomited fire into docking port 7E. There was a load groan of metal, and the docking port sheered off the platform. The Resolute shook violently and began to list to starboard.

"The control plane," Sparks shouted into his headset, "now!"

There was a mechanical whirring from somewhere above, and the auto-stabilizer kicked in. The resolute slowly swung back to level.

Sparks rushed to the helm and began plotting a course back up the tunnel and towards the nearest outpost. As they passed the control tower, Sparks chanced a look through the CCTV array. He saw what he had seen before navigating to 7E: a lone figure, standing at the observation window and staring into the black abyss of Europa.