Hey guys,

Jeez feels like ages since I've talked to you. Wasn't it, like, when we tried moving the Metropolis to Dublin? I dunno, memory is a bit fuzzy.

Anyways, this isn't a reminiscence fest, I've got some hot new info that you may enjoy. You guys remember the Panic Attack? That Pitbull that may or may not have disappeared off the face of Sirius once things got a bit rocky? Well I may have had it for the last 8 or so years. Yea, I know, kinda rude that I booked it with some friends without even leaving an IOU, but hey, times were tough.

So hey, funny story, it kind of got blown the hell up the other day. Not my fault, I haven't even had it for the last few months. Handed it off to a friend once I pissed off a certain group of people that may or may not have influence all over Sirius. But turns out they pissed off someone even worse and they turned the ship into a twisted husk. Pretty messy, but none of us have the means to fix it.

But I mean hey if you guys want this thing back you can have it. Don't think of it like thievery, just, extended borrowing. Without permission. And no insurance. Yea.

I'll stick it on one of Ames' mooring points somehow. Bring a tow cable, one of the engines, uh, exploded.

Peace!

Good day, Ms. Yamakawa.

My name is Harold Kane. I am the Adjutant of the Fourth Octavarium Fleet, the military force that exists as the direct successor to the Vagrant Raiders. Prior to my position as Adjutant, I was the head Taskmaster of the Fleet, and before that, the Overlord of the Third Vagrant Fleet and a Taskmaster of the First Vagrant Fleet.

Despite my decade of tenure with this organization, I'm afraid I don't remember your name. That being said, I don't remember many things, but you have correctly identified the class, designation, and original ownership of the vessel formerly designated VTS Panic Attack, as well as a relatively-classified event that I remember somewhat more clearly than I remember who you are. I will assume that my still-mildly-corrupted memory is foggy, and that you were at some point a member of the Vagrant Raiders, and that you do indeed have the Panic Attack in your possession.

First and foremost, while technically speaking, any sane organization would consider some of their rather expensive equipment going missing during a time of internal strife to be grand theft, and likely treason, I am feeling charitable on the grounds that for all intents and purposes we had marked down the Panic Attack as destroyed with remains and black box missing many years ago. Your willingness to relinquish what remains of it unto our fleet is also both much appreciated and very much something that works in your favour. I will consider this a series of happy accidents.

That being said, I am curious as to how this sequence of events played out. We assumed that VTS Panic Attack was destroyed at some point after the dissolution of one of the Vagrant Fleets. Clearly this was not the case, but beyond that, all I can assume is that you served aboard the vessel during its... release from our service. I would like to know more about that and the events surrounding it.

In other words, who are you, and where did you get one of my ships?

How entertaining and how verifiable your tale is will be directly correlated to how Natio Octavarium decides to handle this situation, and as to whether or not we offer you a job.

Regards,
Adjutant Harold Kane
Fourth Octavarium Fleet

I guess you want my life story then? Yikes, alright, I'll give you the cliffnotes.

Basically I was a crew member on it. Just a nobody you know, don't expect the bigwigs to know the people who watch the engines all day. Kinda served on it faithfully for some time. Then you guys started losing your minds. Everyone moves to Dublin, some guys wanna stay and raise hell in Liberty, just too much to keep up with. I talked to some other guys and working on our own was a better idea than dealing with that bs. So we just, like, left, you know?

I guess this is one of those "haha stole it!" situations that half of Sirius finds itself in. But like I said, extended borrowing without permission. Sounds better. The Rogues that I rolled with after thought it was pretty funny at least.

Ms. Yamakawa,

That is quite a bit more than "haha, stole it". That is "haha, committed treason, staged mutiny, went AWOL, stole it". Nevertheless, the timeline you've drawn up here corresponds to events that happened during the reign of the Second Vagrant Fleet, the same fleet that we have decided was not actually representative of the goals of the Vagrant Raiders. This is incredibly good news for you, as "treason" to them is "expertly-committed sabotage" to us.

Now, the Rogues knowing about the heritage of the ship is a problem. We will most likely need to give it a fresh coat of paint and a new Octavarian registration in order to make sure that they don't realize it's that VTS Panic Attack too quickly. That being said, we can relegate the ship to doing things that align with their interests anyways. It would likely be safer that way.

As promised, you and your crew are more than welcome to sign on with the Octavarium Mercantile Guild and may even keep the Panic Attack as your own vessel if you do so. You would enjoy the same freedoms and privileges that any other Guild members would, including the rights to receive and refuse contracts at your leisure and the privilege to receive bonuses for Guild-sponsored contracts. Regardless, as former members of the Vagrant Raiders, you and your crew are welcome to claim Octavarian citizenship or residency at any time. You may be nearly a decade removed, but you are still family.

With warm regards,
Adjutant Harold Kane
Fourth Octavarium Fleet

Well Mister Kane I don't think you'll have to worry about the Rogues. I mean the ship never flew under their colors, and my Greyhound has been collecting dust on Alcatraz for, jesus, 3 years now? Anyways, the transponder was clean. I kinda messed that up a few months ago though. So I guess it being "clean" doesn't matter now.

But I mean for now, Ryo and I kinda enjoy doing our thing without having to worry about "superiors" or "citizenship" or whatever. Next time I get shot at I might curse myself for not taking your offer. But, like, freelancering isn't so bad. I also don't know how you would feel about the various jobs I find myself tied up in. Though I do appreciate you not wanting to rip our throats out.

Also when you pick up the ship, ignore that Kusarian writing all over the place. And we couldn't clear the databanks on account of it being, dead, so ignore...literally everything that's logged.

Good luck!

Ms. Yamakawa,

We would never rip your throats out. We are much more civilized than that. We would just ensure that no one would ever find so much as a ripped-out throat. Fortunately, you're not on our naughty list.

You're always welcome to berth at Canberra Star City in Tau-44 if you need. The offer for a home and stable line of employment stands separate from that. Any of your crew is more than welcome to use the public facilities aboard the station at any time, and if they ever decide to get out of the freelancing business, they know where to find us.

Feel free to give us a ring if you need anything, Raider Yamakawa.

Godspeed,
Adjutant Harold Kane
Fourth Octavarium Fleet