“Well, look at that. Ain’t they orderly, working their way around the belt like that. Nothing to do but round up a few harmless belters and make sure they’re not harboring anything dangerous. They must be getting irresistably bored, too.”

“Captain?”

“Chief, what I need you to do is rig things back aft so we can get maybe half a grav out of the secondary chemical thrusters. That should make us look like a freighter – well, no, it won’t make us look like a freighter to anyone who’s paying attention, but it might to a bunch of bored Vonnies not expecting anything else. We’re going to mosey along to this facility, well ahead of them – just another merchie, going about their business, fat, dumb, and happy, and pull up alongside for transshipment.

“And then we’re going to bag ourselves a light cruiser.”

– bridge log of the Cunning Swine, Interstellar Interceders FK, Ódeln (Vanguard Reaches)

FROM: CS RAZORWING (TASK FORCE SP-132)
TO: FIELD FLEET SPINWARD COMMAND (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)

*** EXPEDITE
*** EYES ONLY FERVENT SPAN
*** AFTER ACTION REPORT

INFORMATIONAL:

1. ARRIVED IN DORANZER (CORDAI GAP) SYSTEM IN PURSUIT OF ENEMY VESSELS PER PREVIOUS ORDERS. TASK FORCE HAS BEEN REINFORCED BY THE ADDITION OF TWO (2) NSANG DESTROYER-CLASS VESSELS UNDER ORDERS TO ASSIST CONCLAVE FORCES.

2. UPON ARRIVAL, SYSTEM SERVICE BUOY AND STARGATE-LOCAL REFUELING PLATFORM WERE FOUND TO HAVE BEEN DESTROYED, WITH ADDITIONAL UNIDENTIFIED WRECKAGE LOCATED WITHIN THE TANEL STARGATE EMERGENCE ZONE.

3. SYSTEM SURVEY CONDUCTED. LONGSCAN UNAVAILABLE DUE TO NON-RESPONSIVENESS, PRESUMED DESTRUCTION, OF PRE-SEEDED SENSOR PLATFORMS. SHORTSCAN INDICATED MULTIPLE VESSELS UNDER THRUST, WHOSE EMISSIONS PROFILES MATCHED REPUBLIC WARCRAFT, ACTIVE AT APPROXIMATELY FOUR (4) LIGHT-MINUTES RANGE, PROCEEDING ON BRACHISTOCHRONE TRAJECTORY FROM TANEL STARGATE FOR ZERO/ZERO INTERCEPT WITH DORANZER III (GAS GIANT). THIS DESIGNATED TARGET PITHRIN.

4. TASK FORCE ASSUMED SIMILAR TRAJECTORY AT FLANK ACCEL. PASSING ENGAGEMENT WITH TARGET PITHRIN AT 1.2 LIGHT MINUTES RANGE PERMITTED CHARACTERIZATION OF REPUBLIC WARCRAFT AS THREE HARRIER-CLASS DESTROYERS, THREE FUEL TANKERS, AND PRIZE LINER CIRCUMSTELLAR WANDERER. IN THE COURSE OF THE PASSING ENGAGEMENT, ONE (1) TANKER WAS DESTROYED AND MODERATE DAMAGE INFLICTED UPON ONE (1) DESTROYER. TASK FORCE SUFFERED LIGHT DAMAGE TO CS BLOODCLAW AND ONE (1) NSANG VESSEL.

5. TASK FORCE ENGAGED GRAVITATIONAL SLINGSHOT AROUND DORANZER III, OFFLOADING AKVS DURING PERIAPSIS TO SERVE AS LOCAL DEFENSE FOR DORANZER III AUTOMATED FUEL-MINING AND SERVICE PLATFORMS. SLINGSHOT MANEUVER PLACED TASK FORCE ON HIGH-VELOCITY CLOSING MANEUVER WITH TARGET PITHRIN. SUBSEQUENT ENGAGEMENT COMMENCED AT RANGE 1.7 LIGHT-MINUTES AND TERMINATED AT RANGE 0.3 LIGHT-MINUTES WITH COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF ALL REPUBLIC WARCRAFT. PRIZES TAKEN: ONE (1) REPUBLIC TANKER, SUBSEQUENTLY SCUTTLED; PRIZE LINER CIRCUMSTELLAR WANDERER, MODERATELY DAMAGED. TASK FORCE SUFFERED LOSS OF PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED NSANG DESTROYER, MODERATE DAMAGE TO CS BLOODCLAW, LIGHT DAMAGE TO SECOND NSANG DESTROYER AND CS RAZORWING.

6. DETAILED STATUS OF RETAKEN CIRCUMSTELLAR WANDERER FOLLOWS UNDER SEPARATE COVER. PRIZE VESSELS MAKING FOR NAVAL DEPOT AT KALDER (GODS’ FORGE), ESCORTED BY SECOND NSANG DESTROYER AND CS BLOODCLAW.

7. IMMEDIATELY (PER LIGHT-CONE) SUBSEQUENT TO BATTLE, METRIC EXIT DISTORTION DETECTED, LOCUS SUGGESTING COREWARD STARGATE (LORANZER). SIGNAL TOO WEAK TO ESTABLISH PROPER STARFALL CHARACTERISTICS [DATA APPENDED]. AFTER RECOVERY OF AKVS AND FIELD REPAIRS ARE COMPLETE, ENTERING QIRAF ASSEMBLY SPACE IN PURSUIT OF SUSPECTED SECOND REPUBLIC TASK FORCE, UNDER CONCLAVE WAR AUTHORITY. TASK FORCE NOW CONSISTS OF CS RAZORWING, CS NIGHTFANG, AND ALLIED NSANG DESTROYER.

8. FROM ANALYSIS, IT IS APPARENT THAT PLUNDER OF FUEL AND SUPPLY FACILITIES IS AN ENEMY PRIORITY. FURTHER, HOSTILE STARSHIPS CLEARLY PRESENT IN UNANTICIPATED FORCE. REQUEST IMMEDIATE DISPATCH OF REINFORCEMENTS TO INTERCEPT AT LORANZER (CORDAI GAP) SYSTEM.

9. AUTHENTICATION: FIST WOLF FAITH NIGHTFALL ICHOR BLADE / 0x1137DED89A11232B

CAPT AÍC FIDARAN, CS RAZORWING

From: Quoril Vitremarvis, COO

To: Rodivine 0xD3EDB441, Spinward Security Supervisor
Subject: Security issues?

Do we have any in the compromised territories?

From: Rodivine 0xD3EDB441, Spinward Security Supervisor
To: Quoril Vitremarvis, COO
Subject: Security issues?

Not on the main lines, at least not yet.

Whatever happens, we have got
Postsophont sysadmins, and they have not.

– from the Bright Shadow, ICC, corporate e-mail archive