Terminal Rendezvous Maneuver Plan

The Terminal Rendezvous Maneuver Plan is referenced during the covert approach toward the Daban Urnud as the guidance for how the final contact is to be made. In discussion led by Lio, it is described—in effect—as a plan whose expected outcome is that only the people and their space suits will reach the ship, with larger tools and structures abandoned before contact.

Context and first mention

The plan is invoked while the cell is already in orbit under cover of the Cold Black Mirror. It surfaces as the group debates objectives and risks; Lio notes that those who reviewed the plan would know that most equipment will not accompany the team to the target. This frames expectations for a lean, person‑only terminal phase.

Purpose and scope (as understood so far)

• Define the terminal phase of the rendezvous with the Daban Urnud.
• Emphasize that only suited personnel are intended to proceed to the hull; expendable and conspicuous assemblies are to be left behind.
• Implicitly align tactics with minimizing optical, thermal, and radar signatures during the close‑in approach.

Associated maneuvers observed

While the text does not enumerate the plan’s steps, the approach that follows is consistent with its stated intent: - Refinement of orbital elements using a sextant, followed by a precisely timed tether cut to synchronize the team’s path with the ship. - Casting off the Mirror to clear line of sight only at very short range, maintaining concealment until then. - Final, quiet approach in matte‑black suits; on cue, grapnels are fired to the rubble shield's wire mesh and lines are managed to absorb remaining relative motion. - With assistance from small thrusters carried by Valers, momentum is bled off and a firm holdfast is established on the exterior.

Status

The terminal phase is underway. After releasing the Mirror and executing the closing maneuver, the team secures direct purchase on the Daban Urnud’s rubble shield and holds fast on the exterior. Further details of subsequent steps have not been described.

Relationships

• Referenced and applied by Lio while coordinating the covert approach.
• Executed in the context of a stealth operation conducted under the Cold Black Mirror to mask the approach to the Daban Urnud.