To Sullivan, commander of the Exodus.

[Username removed]

Good tidings to you.

I am colonel Redfire, from Freelancer Escorts&Repairs.

You may remember me, the one who brought the badly damaged Dromedary from Leeds, you escorted us to Freeport 4.

I wish to offer you my thanks, and the thanks on behalf of FL-ER for that.

Now, you complained about a lack of action? I may have a proposal to you.

Some people who I will not name yet for safety reasons wish to make a trip to the Nomad systems, should you accept, more details will be made available.

Your ship seems more than capable of handling itself out there.

There will be credits involved of course, so what do you say?

Redfire out.

[Fish]

Incoming transmission...

Sender: J. Sullivan
Origin: Zoner Colony ship "Exodus", Cortez-system
Encryption: Very High

Decrypting..

Priority: Medium
Subject:N/A

Howdy Redfa'r,

Since you's talkin' about enterin' Nomad space, I'm not going to sugarcoat this, this is also very confidential so I ask that you do not let anyone not directly involved know about this: A while ago I was ambushed by a damn Nomad gunship squad including a capital warship in the Omicrons. I managed to destroy half o' their group, but after that my shields were already down and it did not take much to further damage my ship, hell they even came close to destroyin' it so I had no choice but to run. I'll send you that day's logs if you wish to see 'em.

I'd like you to elaborate on the mission as well, ain't fixin't go into a battle when I ain't even got a plan.

Now look, I am more than willin' to help you and your men and women if the circumstances are in our favour - if I can get clearance and whatnot, but you should not overestimate the capabilities of my ship. She's outdated, and outfitted for defense against capital ships - something I do not expect to see in the Omcrons unless I see some Order boys. If there are any light craft like fighters or bombers, y'alls gon' have to deal with 'em.

Hope to hear back from ya soon.

-trasmission ends-

[Username removed]

Greetings again.

Glad to hear you are willing.

More about the operation:

Yesterday, me and the warship Lagia encountered a new breed of Nomads: something my scanner identified as a "Nomad Predator".

This happened in Omega 3.

From what readings I could get on it, it appears to be a much more aggressive, ferocious type of Nomad.

We talked about it within our organization and it is clear to us that the Nomads are evolving.

Now that we know they have that ability, I want to know just how fast they do it.

I want to know whether this Nomad Predator is the only new type of breed, or if there are more, and if so, how many are already out there? How much have they spread already and what threat do they pose to us?

Yesterday we only had to deal with a single specimen which we didn't even have to fight, because it fled once I got close to it, but if my elementary school has taught me anything, it's that creatures defined as "predators" are dangerous.

I want to find out exactly how dangerous they are, and how to effectively protect ourselves from them should they start appearing more often within the colonies.

This is intended to be a recon mission deep into Nomad space, fighting is not part of the plan, but considering where are are going, it will be unavoidable.

Redfire out.

[Fish]

Incoming transmission...

Sender: J. Sullivan
Origin: Zoner Colony ship "Exodus", Cortez-system
Encryption: Very High

Decrypting..

Priority: Medium
Subject: N/A

Howdy,

From what ye's sayin' it sounds t'me like we're goin' to collect a specimen. Correct me if I'm wrong. You should be reminded, carryin' their remains is considered a crime in all houses, and in any independent systems you will surely be the center of attention if someone happ'ns to find it onboard. For this reason, I refuse to carry any of the stuff onboard my ship, that part's gon' be y'alls problem.

Clearance has been granted, notify me when you are ready, we will have to meet in Cortez. Please also send me a detailed map of the route we will be usin'. As you may already know, my ship ain't allowed in any house space unless their respective high command grants access, so I will have to contact authorities if we will be passin' through any house space. I'll let ya know how that comes along.

Be advised, jump holes may cause trouble with my ship, she doesn't always fit completely which causes a prolonged stay in hyperspace.(//get stuck > reconnect > try again) Do not fret if this happens, It's happened lots in the 20-odd years I been flyin' her.

Hope to speak soon.

-Transmission ends-

[Username removed]

Greetings again.

Don't worry, you don't need to carry anything.

We can use your firepower should you come along.

For confidentiality reasons, we will avoid House space.

The route IS going to be hazardous, whether we go via the Taus and sneak past the Outcasts, or go via the Omegas, depending on who else is coming, we could decide which route we take when we are all in Cortez.

There is a high chance we will encounter hostiles along the way but they should not be a problem for a Zoner.

Any more questions?

Redfire out.

[Fish]

Incoming transmission...

Sender: J. Sullivan
Origin: Zoner Colony ship "Exodus", Cortez-system
Encryption: Very High

Decrypting..

Priority: Medium
Subject: N/A

Howdy,

Alright, no more questions. I'm readyin' the ship now. I'll be waitin' at Oceana Shippin' Platform.

-Transmission ends-

---