[-Norbert-]

If the UEF could get their hands on a pegasus, there's a good chance they might find out how to circumvent the stealth abilities and thus render both the pegasus and it's vasudan equivalent pretty much useless.
Thus I don't think it would be a good idea to say that the SOC gave the UEF some of those fighters willingly.

[Aesaar]

"We allowed a number of Pegasus hulls to fall into their hands intact last year in preparation for an eventuality like this one. The strike element fighters are identical to those craft, down to the serial numbers on individual components. If debris from lost strike elements is recovered on-scene, we can explain it away as components from those ships or fabricated duplicates. Same goes for any Maxim rounds their forensics may collect."

From Conversations from War in Heaven.

[MatthTheGeek]

They fell in the hands of Kostadin, not of the Feds.

[qwadtep]

And Kostadin is pretending to be allied with the UEF. I'm sure there was an abundance of stealth fighter parts on the Agincourt, as well.

[Aesaar]

They fell in the hands of Kostadin, not of the Feds.

"Their" seems to refer to the UEF to me.

Unless you want to tell me SOC was worried about Kostadin forensics collecting Maxim rounds.

[Mars]

It turns out that simply having access to a stealth technology doesn't mean you can automatically circumvent it (see real life)

[-Norbert-]

Hence the "good chance" and the lack of "for sure" in my post.

[Mars]

No offense intended. The fact is though, we know that they had an entire wing to examine. It does not seem to have yielded effective countermeasures.

[CT27]

If you were in Steele's shoes, what would your mood be like at the end of Tenebra?

[Luis Dias]

Now that's a good question, CT. I'd guess that he would have two major moods. First, he would be extremely concerned about the events on Tenebra. The Vasudan massacre, the assassination, the perfect attack on the Carthage and the sniping effort at the Jupiter station are signs that the enemy got a lot smarter. Not only smarter, but manipulative. He knows that the lack of obedience from Lopez was seen and exploited. He knows it because he had also seen it. However, he still has the pace and a lot of new firepower. He is focused on the endgame on Earth.

And he may well be able to guess why Laporte stole what she stole in that defense-tower mission.

This is all we can safely speculate. If we sacrifice "safety", we can further speculate why was he so dead on in his Batman gambit with the Wargods? Why had he been so precise and clairvoyant so far? If you notice, you'll see that only the Fedayeen were able to emulate the kind of wider manipulation that Steele pulled off. But the Fedayeen have a shivan-corpse-super computer. Steele is also Nagari sensitive, aware of it and disciplined; The GTI has had ample access to dead Shivans during both great wars. You do the math.

[QuakeIV]

Now that's a good question, CT. I'd guess that he would have two major moods. First, he would be extremely concerned about the events on Tenebra. The Vasudan massacre, the assassination, the perfect attack on the Carthage and the sniping effort at the Jupiter station are signs that the enemy got a lot smarter. Not only smarter, but manipulative. He knows that the lack of obedience from Lopez was seen and exploited. He knows it because he had also seen it. However, he still has the pace and a lot of new firepower. He is focused on the endgame on Earth.

And he may well be able to guess why Laporte stole what she stole in that defense-tower mission.

This is all we can safely speculate. If we sacrifice "safety", we can further speculate why was he so dead on in his Batman gambit with the Wargods? Why had he been so precise and clairvoyant so far? If you notice, you'll see that only the Fedayeen were able to emulate the kind of wider manipulation that Steele pulled off. But the Fedayeen have a shivan-corpse-super computer. Steele is also Nagari sensitive, aware of it and disciplined; The GTI has had ample access to dead Shivans during both great wars. You do the math.

[An4ximandros]

 That man faced the Shivans in Capella and he came back changed...

 I can see it now: "We're all Steele."

[Luis Dias]

Remember. Vassago Dirge is also considered BP canon. The pilot did have an encounter with the nagari network, much like Laporte had in UT. I'd place a percentage of more than 10% that BP writers would think it would be cool if this pilot was Steele himself. I only place it to 10% because it is somewhat convoluted, an unnecessary exageration in trying "to fit it all together". But this is a team that finds funny to have the theme of Deus Ex in the intro because it invokes Icarus and then cue to the Indus falling to the sun, so I guess it could be possible.

[Phantom Hoover]

I think what we know of Steele's service record in the SSI makes him being the VD pilot a long shot at best.

[QuakeIV]

The GTVA still knew pretty well what was going on there.

[qwadtep]

I think what we know of Steele's service record in the SSI makes him being the VD pilot a long shot at best.

If the Fedayeen can do it, the GTI can surely write up a false identity for Steele. Though with all the check your six, they come in through dreams stuff, I'm tempted to associate him with Kappa 3.

[Phantom Hoover]

I think Steele's history is too high-profile for him to have spent the SSI as a grunt. If they wanted a fake identity why have him flying as a decorated SOC ace who transferred to a command post the year after the incursion, when the VD pilot must have spent ages having their brain picked by GTVI?

[NGTM-1R]

If the Fedayeen can do it, the GTI can surely write up a false identity for Steele.

The man commanded a battlegroup before the war. Faking a background for a flag-rank officer is a recipe for disaster and exposure both.

[Phantom Hoover]

Wait, which war?

[qwadtep]

The war in Sol. Techroom:

Name: Chiwetel Steele.

DOB: 13/07/2340

Education: Tertiary. Studied Bachelor of Battlefield Psychology at 3rd GTVA Officer Academy: Capella. Graduated in Class Number 45 on 5/5/2361. Attended GTVA Space War College to complete Master of Strategic Studies in 2380. Completed an influential treatise regarding the application and design of Allied Destroyers post-Nebula Campaign.

Rank: Admiral. Was fast tracked after exemplary performance during the VEGADEX series of fleet exercises post-Shivan Incursion. Changed occupational specialties in late 2367 after being reclassified Aviation Class: 4 during Operation Astute - 2367.

Alliance Occupational Specialty: Principle Warfare Officer. (AOS-1a)

Postings: 47th Cutthroats - Pilot (2363-2364), 66th Black Knights - Wing Commander (2364-2367), 99th Skulls - Unknown. Presumably pilot (2367-2367) |Undertook Change in Occupational Specialty to AOS-1a| GTCv Bretagne - Executive Officer (2368-2374), GTCv Naxos - Commanding Officer (2375-2379), GTD Aeneas - Executive Officer (2381-2384), GTD Atreus - Commanding Officer (2384-Present), 15th Terran Battlegroup (2384-Present)

Performance Evaluation (Comment Excerpt): Submitted by Admiral Armanjani - Commander GTVA 4th Fleet: [Steele's] highly aggressive and precise nature makes him an interesting corvette skipper within the fleet. He often plays on the psychology of his adversaries, implementing careful ambushes structured around feigned retreats that would earn him the praise of Genghis Khan. The Commodore's aggressive battlefield manner could be attributed to his fighter squadron background, however, he is yet to learn the art of restraint in regards to the pros and cons of overwhelming aggression during the engagement.

Decorations:

NTF Campaign Victory Star (2366)

Epsilon Pegasi Liberation Medal (2366)

Nebula Campaign Victory Star (2367)

Medal of Valor (2367). Citation: Lieutenant Commander Chiwetel Steele distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry, exemplary leadership and determination during Operation Astute, whilst serving as a Wing Commander with the 99th Special Operations Squadron, 23 March 2367. Whilst carrying out interdiction of Shivan supplies along the MSR, Lieutenant Commander Steele's wing encountered heavy Shivan resistance prior to engaging the mission target. Lieutenant Commander Steele maneuvered his wing into a flanking position and eliminated the bulk of Shivan resistance in a charge towards the target convoy. As the 99th engaged the target, Persevering despite tremendous pain from a combat injury, he continued to engage, providing cover for the attacking pilots. Lieutenant Commander Steele's actions saved the lives of the pilots on the sortie, and directly contributed to the success of the mission.
Allied Defence Citation (2367)

Conclusion: One of the youngest Fleet Admirals in the GTVA, Admiral Chiwetel Steele is a gifted strategist who appears to both despise and revel in the art of war. Tactical acumen combined with a deep understanding of the human psyche makes Steele a highly successful, if unorthodox commander. Personal contact with the Admiral leaves an impression of a well-spoken, mannered but distant personality, with a cool demeanour that gives many of his colleagues unease.

His command of the Atreus has been controversial, and he is often accused of 'mistaking his ship's subspace maneuverability for that of a fighter'. Though his reputation for insanity may be an uncharitable assessment of his command style, he is well known for pushing his ship and crew beyond GTVA regulation parameters. His crew rotations are 33% more frequent than most other destroyers in the fleet. Last audit suggested an increase in measurable fatigue among officers and crew serving on the Atreus, but with a proportional increase in combat effectiveness.

On that note, something's definitely up with this "Operation Astute." The 99th Skulls do not get sent on mere convoy raids. I have a feeling that Steele may have been contacted by the Shivans, too, but in direct contrast to Laporte he's desperately trying to lock them out instead of accepting them.