SENDER:Oliver Manz, Sicherheitschef RECIPIENT:Schifffahrtsbürokapitäne LOCATION:Planet New Berlin, New Berlin System SUBJECT:Kusari route risk assessment update ENCRYPTION:High
Guten tag, mein damen und herren.
Before I had a chance to make another scouting run, the kapitan of the Basti contacted me for escort duties. I suggested that we attempt the Kusari route, and he agreed. Therefore, we proceeded to Zurich first, and took molybdenum from the depot there to Yukawa.
On our way to Zurich, we encountered a pirate transport coming from the Cologne jump gate trade lane. This individual (vessel = Masquerade) seemed to be very self-assured, but did not seek a direct engagement. Instead, its kapitan asked after the pirate group HRZ, perhaps in order to seek them out. Basti's kapitan decided to give him a general outline about their objective and disposition, as this is quickly becoming common knowledge in any case. That seemed to satisfy the pirate, who proceeded into the Omegas. As a Kruger transport arrived soon after that, I was implored to jump into Omega-7 and confirm that it was empty, which I did.
The rest of our first leg went uneventfully. This is in part due to the complete destruction of the KSP waystation (Shirosato). Not much debris was left in the area, as I presume the station was mostly evacuated beforehand, and clean-up operators of the nearby Osaka site were temporarily employed. Upon refilling with hydrocarbons, the Basti was accosted by a Kusari intelligence vessel in Honshu orbit, which seemed to simply appear from under the plane. However, this individual seemed to just want their presence known, and once that was accomplished, we were allowed to get underway.
Therefore, my updated assessment is that Honshu is unlikely to be the target of further hostilities in the near future. The attack was certainly a precision strike by the Corsairs, and having accomplished their objective, they have moved on. While escorts are still advised, they would be better employed in the first leg of the route, when proceeding through Stuttgart and Cologne. Additionally, the Bretonian route seems to become more dangerous by the week. With the gold mining operations temporarily on hold (see attached report), I recommend that Bretonia be avoided in the near future, or at the very least be entered with a strong escort when passing through the Omegas.