Laptev System, Teatime
The reports from the Battle over Sydhafen had been disappointing. Although the Imperial fleet had thoroughly routed the rogue Chaos squadron, the battle had been harder fought than it should have been, proving that the Thunder-Class Destroyers were simply not up to the task, in comparison to the smaller Storm-Class frigates which had done a magnificent job.
As such, the Imperium needed a new design for its primary ships of the line, and fast. Avery Johnson had directed officers from the Directorate to link up with Imaginariumese personnel for a top secret mission, and so her chosen mission leader, one Colonel Berauscht, was on the surface of Laptev in a small cafe in Ironholm.
Juice&Naps™ Branch 105, Rudi-Dutschke-Straße, Ironholm
Colonel Berauscht sat at the table, sipping at a mango smoothie. He was a felidaen, looking like a humanoid lynx, dressed in the black uniform of the Directorate, and he sprawled languidly across his chair. Not because he was in any way arrogant or brash, but simply because he was permanently in a state of mild inebriation or intoxication of one form or other. The attractive human waitress stopped by and asked if he wanted anything, to which he simply shook his tufty-eared head in silence. Neither of them gave the other so much as a second glance, because inter-species relations are considered weird, unnatural, and biologically impossible in the Argent Imperium, you dirty basement dwellers.
He took another sip, glancing at the Imagniariumese officer across the table from him.
"So, comrade," he said in rough Imaginariumese, "we are decided. We are to lead a crack squadron into this FB-Verse, and then search out and find the IJN Fury of Saigo, and hopefully it's AI, Mnemosyne, then fetch it all up and come skipping back home. Is good, da?"