Crayter Military Reporting Facility

[Emeric Leon]

<COMBAT REPORT 001>
<OUTCOME: DEFEAT>
<PILOT ID: Warrant Officer E. Leon; New Hope Rearguard, Planet Pecos>
<TRANSMISSION SOURCE: Carrier Hades, system Tau039>

WO Leon, with an after-action report on events that occured today in system Tau029. I launched from the Hades to rendevouz with the Colonial Mover transport Taxidiotis at Freeport 6 for another escort mission. As we made preparations to leave, a group of Kusari Naval Forces vessels converged on our location. We had only been at the Freeport for a total of perhaps five minutes, implying some sort of early warning system, or perhaps spies on Freeport Six. The initial vessels that intercepted us: a Komainu battlecruiser, an unmarked KNS Kusari destroyer, and KNF pilot Junko Sanada. Miss Elaine managed to sneak a distress call past their detection, and while attempting to talk our way out of this confrontation we awaited backup.

For approximately half an hour we were pinned in the Freeport Six no-fire-zone, with the conversation deteriorating by the minute when Colonial ships began to converge on the station. They surrounded the KNF, but the Kusari forces refused to withdraw. A tense standoff ensued, with both sides trading insults and postering. As the transport could still not leave the station safely, we were unable to exfiltrate at that time.

Over the course of the next fifteen minutes more Colonial vessels arrived, and the KNF finally began receiving backup of their own. In the end we were outgunned almost two to one; the KNF had multiple capital ships* with snubfighter** escort. As we attempted to withdraw, cruise disruptors were fired into our group and one of the KNF battleship commanders opened fire with little to no warning; the rest of their fleet following suit soon after.

Our battleship support was destroyed almost immediately, with the rest of our fighters being picked off one-by-one. Our bomber wing managed to heavily damage one of the battleships*** before being downed. I myself somehow avoided the avenging snubfighter escort long enough to crashland in one of the bays on Freeport Six, and to my knowledge mine was the only ship still flying of our forces at the end of the battle. My RIO survived the crash and we made rudimentary repairs before limping back to Carrier Hades.

The transport Taxidiotis was destroyed in cold-blood while floating just off of the freeport, with a disparaging comment from one of the capital commanders about Miss Elaine's manners.

It is noteworthy that elements of the Nomad race witnessed this battle, as my scanners registered a Nomad contact on scope during the fighting (see final guncam). They did not make any move to interfere.

End of report.

<ATTACHMENTS>
Rendevouz at FP6: *
Surrounded: * *
Start of Engagement: *
CR Forces Scattering/Destruction of CIS Drone: *

*: Two Kusari Battleships, one Komainu Battlecruiser, and one Kusari Destroyer.
**: Three very-heavy fighters, including one of which that could have been a Kempeitei ship; Seiji Raidensamuk, Freelancer IFF, Kempeitei ID.
***: FOF tagged IKN-Akizuki; ~40% hull integrity with zero/unused nanobots remaining.