TO: Kusari Naval Forces High Command

Esteemed Admirals,

I feel it is my duty to inform you of a worrying occurrence that happened across the Shikoku and Kyushu systems earlier this evening. Kiyohime was close to finishing her repairs at Kure shipyard when we received an anonymous tip of a Corsair battlecruiser prowling Shikoku. We launched early and rendezvoused with fellow destroyer Yahagi. Tracking down the battlecruiser, the CNS Knossos, did not prove difficult. It had intercepted a Chrysanthemum gunboat on the tradelanes by the name of the Hoshihokori; a gunboat we have had our own experiences with taking down. Upon the gunboat's destruction via the battlecruiser's twin mortars, it began to ran towards the Kyushu jumphole. Both Kiyohime and Yahagi set off in pursuit. Kiyohime had offered to duel the battlecruiser honourably, however it stated its intention was, curiously, solely to hunt Chrysanthemums, and continued to run. It would fall under our own guns after we caught it after jumping through the Kyushu jumphole with no damage to our own vessel. While this individual encounter ended with a decisive victory for the Kusari Naval Forces, it concerns me that Corsairs seem to have the bravery to operate in Kusari space.

Additionally, We did a sweep near the Hoshihokori's point of destruction, however we did not find any escape pods to capture for interrogation.

On the subject of the Gen'an, I had a most interesting chance conversation with Hakkera-sama, governor of Honshu. She brought to my attention that the Gen'an potentially have a sympathiser in a transport by the name of Saki Kawano. I would advise we keep an eye on such a freighter, but do not openly bring them in for interrogation. They could perhaps serve as a useful intelligence asset. The govorner stated that she plans to make a full report in greater detail tomorrow. That is all for my report.

In the Name of the Emperor,
Matsuda Ichika, Captain of the Imperial Kusari Navy.
'Takeda'-class Destroyer IKN Kiyohime

Haikei Captain Matsuda of the IKN-Kiyohime,

The Admiralty passed down your message to Rear Admiral Orochi Kojima of the IKN-Akagi, the flagship of a taskforce originally part of the Nagasaki battlegroup but currently tasked with tactical response duties. Unfortunately, Kojima-sama is pre-occupied and only left me some details to work with.
Please allow me a humble introduction before I continue with the matter at hand:
Lieutenant-Commander Mizui Naruhito, at your service.

The scenario described truly is a peculiar one, which Kojima-sama described as "a grave misunderstanding" and "yet potentially dangerous to civil traffic and infrastructure". To specify, Corsair vessels are widely ignored, so long as they remain to be fighter crafts and resist their pitiful urges to rob every civilian their scanners can pick up. We assumed the Corsair 'Empire' understood this message, judging from the absence of heavy raider forces over the past months.
It appears their internal communications are more lackluster than previously thought of and this particular warship forgot where their place is - which is not within the borders of the Kusari Empire. They doomed themselves through their own foolishness.

The Admiralty, as a consequence, reached out to the Hamamatsu command over a heightened alert status on our Sigma borders. Let us hope this was just an individual case. Do not hesitate to destroy any trespassing foreign warship, regardless of affiliation. Should more Corsair warships be sighted, the Admiralty will hand the case to the Defense Ministry. From our information, some of the Corsair Elders are keen on upholding stable diplomatic ties to the Kusari Empire. Something tells me if the Defense Ministry was to complain, Corsair Captains with similar attitude to the Knossos Captain will get into some serious troubles, as their society is even less tolerant to disobedience.

In regards to the individual reported by Governor Hakkera, we will eagerly await her detailed report, despite the aftertaste of confirming once again that some of our politicians are too stubborn and keep insisting on space faring as if it was without any risks.

Douzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.
Santo Kaisa Mizui Naruhito
IKN-Akagi

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