Natio Octavarium Internal Affairs

[Capt. Henry Morgan]

Incoming Transmission from Canberra Star City
Victoria, Natio Octavarium
19. July 825 A.S.

To: Natio Octavarium Internal Affairs
CC: Octavarium Intelligence Commission
Priority: Normal
Topic: Report of Hostile Encounter

Message Contents:

Good day!

Today, we were hauling a load of unregistered weapons from Detroit through Kusari space. Yes, I know the risks of carrying such sensitive cargo through the lanes. I weighed the risks and decided, with the Kusari authorities distracted in the Sigmas with the sourest krauts they could find, there was a possibility that I could slip through undetected.

Sadly, it seems that they managed to reserve at least some forces for the home front. As I reached the lane terminus at New Tokyo, I was immediately set upon by a rather ill-tempered, but thankfully dishonest, police officer. He demanded that I stop and drop the goods under pain of destruction. Fortunately, I was able talk myself out of the problem.

I explained the lack of a valid end-user licence by explaining that I was carrying the guns to an Octavarium holding facility for later transfer to the Leeds Resistance. The best lies always do contain a bit of truth. Either they bought my story, or just decided they didn't want any part of the issue. For a three million credit bribe for "safe passage", we were sent on our way. As the profit margin on these guns is much, much higher than that, I'd say we got off easy.

I've CC'd this message to the OIC because I have visual proof that a bribe was solicited by, and paid to, KSP officer Tamiya Dachiko. You may be able to use it as leverage for later endeavors.

Attached File: OMG/DS.COMMLOG.DM>OMG-8250719

Captain John Riley, NO-Dreaded.Skies
Natio Octavarium

Transmission End

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Natio Octavarium
Faction Information and Status • Recruitment
Faction Feedback • Internal Affairs

[Thexare]

Routing through node10.omg.no...
Connection established.

| Message Received |

Morris here, got something to pass up the chain. Kane, Delacroix, have a look. Had a chat with one of those Auxesia people. Fascinating info.

Attachment found.

Spoiler

[21.07.2018 06:12:46] A/)-Pezhetairos: Hello there.
[21.07.2018 06:12:50] NO-Overscan: Evenin'
[21.07.2018 06:13:04] NO-Overscan: What brings you all up here?
[21.07.2018 06:13:22] A/)-Pezhetairos: Up? I thought this was south.
[21.07.2018 06:13:33] NO-Overscan: Depends on where you started, I guess
[21.07.2018 06:13:41] A/)-Pezhetairos: Cortez.
[21.07.2018 06:13:59] NO-Overscan: I think you got turned around somewhere, buddy. This is Tau. That's north.
[21.07.2018 06:14:07] A/)-Pezhetairos: Probably.
[21.07.2018 06:14:34] A/)-Pezhetairos: See, this is why I don't like these Marlins. Their navigation is about as shoddy as my natural compass.
[21.07.2018 06:14:48] NO-Overscan: So where were you *trying* to go?
[21.07.2018 06:14:56] A/)-Pezhetairos: "Which direction is the sun?" To which I respond "Over there."
[21.07.2018 06:15:14] A/)-Pezhetairos: Oh nowhere in particular. I just kind of went out for a stroll, really.
[21.07.2018 06:15:39] NO-Overscan: Fair enough. Well, if you need to refuel, Canberra's open. It's in, uh... sec...
[21.07.2018 06:15:49] NO-Overscan: Sector 2F.
[21.07.2018 06:15:49] A/)-Pezhetairos: I know where it is.
[21.07.2018 06:16:03] A/)-Pezhetairos: Though I appreciate the direction.
[21.07.2018 06:16:03] NO-Overscan: ... ah, yeah, I heard Escher grumbling about a tour bus.
[21.07.2018 06:16:18] A/)-Pezhetairos: Oh jeez. Busses?
[21.07.2018 06:16:36] A/)-Pezhetairos: If I wanted to be sat next to a bunch of sweaty people, I'd own a sauna, thanks.
[21.07.2018 06:16:37] NO-Overscan: I think he was talking about that battlecruiser you lot have been using. Something about windows.
[21.07.2018 06:16:56] A/)-Pezhetairos: Well it's not my ship. Too big and flashy for me.
[21.07.2018 06:17:35] NO-Overscan: Yeah, I prefer 'em simple and functional
[21.07.2018 06:17:58] A/)-Pezhetairos: Sleek and nimble, my dude. All about that profile.
[21.07.2018 06:18:24] NO-Overscan: I'm used to big. Used to work as a gunner on a Bullmastiff. And on a Condor. And on an Ahoudori. That one was a pain.
[21.07.2018 06:18:25] A/)-Pezhetairos: If this thing wasn't such a piece of garbage, maybe I'd like it more.
[21.07.2018 06:18:33] A/)-Pezhetairos: But whoever designed the interior of this cockpit can suck it.
[21.07.2018 06:18:48] A/)-Pezhetairos: What even /is/ leg room?!
[21.07.2018 06:19:17] NO-Overscan: Yeah, AP didn't exactly design for luxury, from what I hear
[21.07.2018 06:19:31] A/)-Pezhetairos: Efficiency and cost effective production.
[21.07.2018 06:19:46] A/)-Pezhetairos: It wasn't about comfort, but effectiveness. They at least did that right.
[21.07.2018 06:19:51] A/)-Pezhetairos: To an extent.
[21.07.2018 06:20:06] NO-Overscan: Yeah, I've had to chase off a few Mantas before. Right pains in the ass.
[21.07.2018 06:20:16] A/)-Pezhetairos: There's a lot of flaws in the design that can easily be rectified with the right fine tuning, and the Marlin is just a slightly
[21.07.2018 06:20:20] A/)-Pezhetairos: heavier Manta overall.
[21.07.2018 06:21:05] NO-Overscan: The Natio runs a bunch of Raven's Talons and Bayonets. Weird mix, but it seems to work adequately
[21.07.2018 06:21:13] A/)-Pezhetairos: Hah.
[21.07.2018 06:21:16] A/)-Pezhetairos: Weird mix?
[21.07.2018 06:21:25] NO-Overscan: Fighters have never really been my thing, so whatever.
[21.07.2018 06:21:43] NO-Overscan: I like having a few more feet of metal between me and the prick shooting at me.
[21.07.2018 06:21:56] A/)-Pezhetairos: Wraiths. Prosecutors. Marlins. Templars. Falchions. Liches. Sabres.
[21.07.2018 06:22:03] A/)-Pezhetairos: I think at one point we had a Gallic Gunboat.
[21.07.2018 06:22:08] A/)-Pezhetairos: But that kind of blew up.
[21.07.2018 06:22:12] NO-Overscan: Yeah, the Natio's tried to standardize a bit more, just for maintenance
[21.07.2018 06:22:34] NO-Overscan: Of course, a Lich fundamentally is just a Sabre with extra bits, really
[21.07.2018 06:22:47] A/)-Pezhetairos: Atmospheric performance increase.
[21.07.2018 06:22:51] Characters of a player who was killed in a PvP fight must not return into the same system for 2 hours. Check the server rules on the forums for the exceptions to this.
[21.07.2018 06:22:56] A/)-Pezhetairos: That's a big plus on recovery missions.
[21.07.2018 06:23:01] NO-Overscan: Yeah, not really a concern for us usually
[21.07.2018 06:23:12] A/)-Pezhetairos: Well we're everywhere if we need to be.
[21.07.2018 06:23:16] NO-Overscan: Got a couple Voyagers if we really *need* to do something planetside
[21.07.2018 06:23:32] NO-Overscan: but, eh. Kansas went south, so to speak, and we're just gonna stick with space habitats probably
[21.07.2018 06:23:48] NO-Overscan: All the good planets are taken. What's left is miserable rocks like Borneo.
[21.07.2018 06:23:49] A/)-Pezhetairos: The weather on Wichita isn't exactly the most hospitable.
[21.07.2018 06:24:21] NO-Overscan: It's really just the tide.
[21.07.2018 06:24:25] NO-Overscan: You ever spent a week underwater?
[21.07.2018 06:24:47] A/)-Pezhetairos: Yes, specifically in the submersible facility we had constructed with airlocks in the event of flooding.
[21.07.2018 06:24:51] A/)-Pezhetairos: It was neat.
[21.07.2018 06:25:19] NO-Overscan: Yeah, see, I like having room to stretch my legs a bit. The facilities we had there were a bit... small.
[21.07.2018 06:25:45] NO-Overscan: And eventually I kinda wanted to kill the rest of the people living there.
[21.07.2018 06:26:02] A/)-Pezhetairos: Maybe one day you guys might consider going back to check out our little bunker there. It used to be our main headquarters.
[21.07.2018 06:26:08] A/)-Pezhetairos: Nothing more than an observation base now.
[21.07.2018 06:26:23] NO-Overscan: Might be worth a shot. I've heard Escher talking about wanting to investigate an old Commission outpost.
[21.07.2018 06:26:42] NO-Overscan: Honestly, though, I figured he'd have just bombed the thing on our way out.
[21.07.2018 06:27:16] A/)-Pezhetairos: Just don't be surprised if you see people in color-divided armor shooting at each other with dummy weapons in some places.
[21.07.2018 06:27:41] NO-Overscan: Yeah, that's pretty normal. I've been through training with the Fleet before, mostly boarder-repulsion
[21.07.2018 06:28:09] A/)-Pezhetairos: War games. Teams are set up and assigned tasks and opposing tasks. Last team standing gets awards at a big ceremony.
[21.07.2018 06:28:23] A/)-Pezhetairos: It's an annual thing.
[21.07.2018 06:28:39] NO-Overscan: We should probably get something like that going too, once everything here's actually functional.
[21.07.2018 06:28:56] A/)-Pezhetairos: I don't recommend using live rounds.
[21.07.2018 06:29:00] A/)-Pezhetairos: We did that the first year.
[21.07.2018 06:29:04] A/)-Pezhetairos: Things happened.
[21.07.2018 06:29:51] NO-Overscan: I see.
[21.07.2018 06:30:13] NO-Overscan: I... don't think we would've considered it, but I'll pass it along.
[21.07.2018 06:30:14] A/)-Pezhetairos: Some of the brass saw it as weening out the weak through live combat trials, but others felt that was a bit too similar to the-
[21.07.2018 06:30:16] A/)-Pezhetairos: Core.
[21.07.2018 06:30:33] NO-Overscan: Yeah? Haven't heard much out of those guys. Think they're Rome or something, but that's it. What's their deal?
[21.07.2018 06:31:22] A/)-Pezhetairos: Well as far as the Sector is concerned, they're lawbringers in the Omicrons trying to colonize the place and make it a paradise
[21.07.2018 06:31:46] A/)-Pezhetairos: The reality is slave labor, human experimentation, and the production and marketing of Nomad-related technologies to the -
[21.07.2018 06:31:54] A/)-Pezhetairos: highest bidder, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
[21.07.2018 06:31:57] A/)-Pezhetairos: They're brutal.
[21.07.2018 06:32:22] NO-Overscan: So, business as usual out in the Omicrons. Nice.
[21.07.2018 06:32:34] A/)-Pezhetairos: Our founder used to be their leader once upon a time and stole a bunch of data.
[21.07.2018 06:32:43] A/)-Pezhetairos: She'd probably be able to tell you more.
[21.07.2018 06:32:46] A/)-Pezhetairos: I just work here, man.
[21.07.2018 06:33:08] NO-Overscan: Yeah, line grunts don't really get to hear much
[21.07.2018 06:33:22] NO-Overscan: I'm Kyle, I'm with the Octavarium Mercantile Guild nowadays
[21.07.2018 06:33:56] A/)-Pezhetairos: Paladin Yancy Ganes, at your service.
[21.07.2018 06:34:26] A/)-Pezhetairos: Ex-Liberty Navy radar operator on a Dreadnought that these guys uh... Took.
[21.07.2018 06:34:35] NO-Overscan: Oh, that's a nice change.
[21.07.2018 06:34:41] NO-Overscan: It's usually Osirises that get stolen.
[21.07.2018 06:35:11] A/)-Pezhetairos: It was pretty insane. I thought we were dead when they had us surrounded in Bretonia, but then the Auxesians come in out of -
[21.07.2018 06:35:20] A/)-Pezhetairos: nowhere and blindside the Navy, and we slipped away.
[21.07.2018 06:35:38] A/)-Pezhetairos: They even managed to trick their disruptor guy into wasting his charge so we could escape.
[21.07.2018 06:35:51] A/)-Pezhetairos: Then we lost 'em in the Omegas.
[21.07.2018 06:36:04] NO-Overscan: Wouldn't have thought the Navy was cleared to chase that far.
[21.07.2018 06:36:28] A/)-Pezhetairos: Bretonia caught wind of what was going on and jumped in to help. Once we hit Omega-9, they sent mercs after us to sweep the -
[21.07.2018 06:36:33] A/)-Pezhetairos: cloud. They wanted their property back.
[21.07.2018 06:37:06] A/)-Pezhetairos: We ended up getting locked out of the power generators remotely by the Navy, and then the Corsairs found us.
[21.07.2018 06:37:11] A/)-Pezhetairos: So it was nearly the end there.
[21.07.2018 06:37:42] NO-Overscan: the way this is going, I'm expecting a Hessian raid next.
[21.07.2018 06:37:51] A/)-Pezhetairos: The guys who helped spring us from the Navy convoy sacrificed a Destroyer they somehow had gotten from the Rogues.
[21.07.2018 06:38:11] A/)-Pezhetairos: We ended up in the Omicrons, then we ended up back in the Omegas with the Reapers of Sirius for a bit.
[21.07.2018 06:38:30] A/)-Pezhetairos: Then back in the Omicrons on the front line against The Core when they were doing that thing they do.
[21.07.2018 06:38:32] NO-Overscan: Hm. Weird power surge there...
[21.07.2018 06:38:40] A/)-Pezhetairos: You know, kill everyone that opposes them.
[21.07.2018 06:38:50] NO-Overscan: Speaking of killing everyone that opposes them, I gotta ask
[21.07.2018 06:38:59] NO-Overscan: what the hell's going on with the Order these days
[21.07.2018 06:39:07] NO-Overscan: I seem to remember them *not* being into empire building
[21.07.2018 06:39:32] A/)-Pezhetairos: They're presumed to be compromised following several unusual missions into alien-controlled territory.
[21.07.2018 06:39:41] A/)-Pezhetairos: So it's best not to associate with them.
[21.07.2018 06:40:04] A/)-Pezhetairos: Have they done something recently?
[21.07.2018 06:40:27] NO-Overscan: Nothing recently, but we hear bits and pieces. Mostly from third parties.
[21.07.2018 06:40:42] A/)-Pezhetairos: We've been at odds with them for a rather long time.
[21.07.2018 06:40:51] A/)-Pezhetairos: It's funny. We started off as rather beneficial friends.
[21.07.2018 06:41:16] A/)-Pezhetairos: I remember we had to run security for a meeting between the Keeper and the Grand Admiral in Inverness once upon a time.
[21.07.2018 06:41:26] A/)-Pezhetairos: The next day, all hell broke loose.
[21.07.2018 06:41:36] NO-Overscan: Yeah? What'd Mikey do?
[21.07.2018 06:42:01] A/)-Pezhetairos: Turned hostile after invasive scans of our flagship that was causing damage to the medical equipment onboard.
[21.07.2018 06:42:18] A/)-Pezhetairos: Accused us of being the aggressors, working with The Core, demanded the execution of all our leaders and their children.
[21.07.2018 06:42:26] NO-Overscan: Yeah, that sounds like Mike
[21.07.2018 06:42:32] A/)-Pezhetairos: So then we stole one of his battleships.
[21.07.2018 06:42:37] A/)-Pezhetairos: And then another.
[21.07.2018 06:42:41] A/)-Pezhetairos: And then a Battlecruiser.
[21.07.2018 06:42:53] A/)-Pezhetairos: Tit for tat.
[21.07.2018 06:43:11] NO-Overscan: A reasonable response.
[21.07.2018 06:43:31] A/)-Pezhetairos: They've continued a crusade against us, turned the Crayterians on us and the locals in the Independent worlds.
[21.07.2018 06:43:41] A/)-Pezhetairos: We've just retaliated with brutal efficiency as usual.
[21.07.2018 06:43:43] NO-Overscan: Seems easy enough.
[21.07.2018 06:44:00] A/)-Pezhetairos: It is if you're careful about it.
[21.07.2018 06:44:03] NO-Overscan: You tell Crayter to shoot, and they will. Then when they're done they'll check their target.
[21.07.2018 06:44:22] A/)-Pezhetairos: When The Order attacked Freeport 11, they didn't have any means of countering our defensive wing.
[21.07.2018 06:44:45] A/)-Pezhetairos: We single-handedly held off their fleet on several occasions, blasting off heavy weapons from their warships.
[21.07.2018 06:44:49] A/)-Pezhetairos: Bombers are fun.
[21.07.2018 06:45:08] NO-Overscan: Yeah, we've been getting Alcor Squadron rolling for just that
[21.07.2018 06:45:18] A/)-Pezhetairos: The plan was not to kill them but to pacify them. We didn't have the firepower to kill them in a reasonable timeframe.
[21.07.2018 06:45:23] A/)-Pezhetairos: So we crippled them every time.
[21.07.2018 06:45:39] A/)-Pezhetairos: When they got backup from the Corsairs, the defense fell apart.
[21.07.2018 06:45:55] A/)-Pezhetairos: Even with superior training we can't handle overwhelming numbers like that.
[21.07.2018 06:46:14] NO-Overscan: Yeah, I've dealt with the Corsairs a bit on some of my old jobs.
[21.07.2018 06:46:22] A/)-Pezhetairos: They're a pain in the ass, right?
[21.07.2018 06:46:34] NO-Overscan: They just don't stop. Not a one seems to be aware of the possibility that they're going to die.
[21.07.2018 06:46:46] A/)-Pezhetairos: They don't really care.
[21.07.2018 06:46:56] A/)-Pezhetairos: A lot of them think they're invincible.
[21.07.2018 06:47:18] A/)-Pezhetairos: Their technology is crude but extremely lethal nonetheless.
[21.07.2018 06:47:35] NO-Overscan: Yeah, that's the thing. You don't survive the Omicrons and Omegas for generations with crap gear.
[21.07.2018 06:47:57] A/)-Pezhetairos: It was never built for efficiency though.
[21.07.2018 06:48:03] A/)-Pezhetairos: Raw power, every single gun they have.
[21.07.2018 06:48:15] A/)-Pezhetairos: They hit hard, they take a lot of juice.
[21.07.2018 06:48:27] A/)-Pezhetairos: It's barbaric in a way.
[21.07.2018 06:48:49] NO-Overscan: Simple, direct. Easy to pump out and easy to train for. Point gun. Shoot.
[21.07.2018 06:49:19] A/)-Pezhetairos: Hope to whatever gods they worship that their dispersion cannon managed to land on the first shot and doesn't have to recharge.
[21.07.2018 06:49:34] A/)-Pezhetairos: Or that their screaming-metal-deathtrap of a ship doesn't fall apart underneath them.
[21.07.2018 06:49:36] NO-Overscan: That's a newer development, never had to deal with that one.
[21.07.2018 06:49:44] A/)-Pezhetairos: It's basically a giant shotgun.
[21.07.2018 06:50:04] A/)-Pezhetairos: Hits harder than your standard Tachyon Razor would.
[21.07.2018 06:50:10] A/)-Pezhetairos: But extremely short range.
[21.07.2018 06:50:31] NO-Overscan: Makes sense. Probably designed specifically to crack open transports.
[21.07.2018 06:50:34] A/)-Pezhetairos: You've got to be right up in someone's face or shooting a big enough target for each dispersion projectile to impact.
[21.07.2018 06:51:01] A/)-Pezhetairos: That's probably the idea, yeah.
[21.07.2018 06:51:09] A/)-Pezhetairos: Either way, they're deadly in capable hands.
[21.07.2018 06:51:23] A/)-Pezhetairos: I've seen Corsairs blast several AI drones to pieces with just a couple of volleys.
[21.07.2018 06:51:41] A/)-Pezhetairos: Just for fun, too.
[21.07.2018 06:51:54] A/)-Pezhetairos: They were outnumbered seven to two and were just blasting these bots left and right.
[21.07.2018 06:51:57] A/)-Pezhetairos: Didn't even care
[21.07.2018 06:52:09] NO-Overscan: What's this batch of AI like, anyway?
[21.07.2018 06:52:19] A/)-Pezhetairos: Depends on the batch you're talking about.
[21.07.2018 06:52:25] A/)-Pezhetairos: There's a couple of active hives currently.
[21.07.2018 06:52:33] A/)-Pezhetairos: And some independent units seeking asylum from both of them.
[21.07.2018 06:53:21] NO-Overscan: This is why I stay out of the Omicrons, I swear
[21.07.2018 06:53:35] A/)-Pezhetairos: Well I can say that neither are particularly good in any way.
[21.07.2018 06:53:37] NO-Overscan: last time I ran into autonomous AI, it was trying to puree people for... who the hell knows what reason
[21.07.2018 06:54:06] A/)-Pezhetairos: One stands out for appearing to be dysfunctional. Their hive frequently tries to make contact with the Nomads, unsuccessfully.
[21.07.2018 06:54:10] A/)-Pezhetairos: And are usually shot because of it.
[21.07.2018 06:54:41] A/)-Pezhetairos: The other is more self-focused than any other hive has ever been. Primarily focused on expansion and defense of what they have.
[21.07.2018 06:54:46] A/)-Pezhetairos: Not too fond of outsiders in any way.
[21.07.2018 06:54:48] NO-Overscan: Y'know, most AI learns from mistakes. There's gotta be some overriding directive there.
[21.07.2018 06:54:55] A/)-Pezhetairos: That's what we've been thinking.
[21.07.2018 06:55:11] A/)-Pezhetairos: I've never seen an AI so persistent on trying to befriend something that physically cannot communicate with it.
[21.07.2018 06:55:54] A/)-Pezhetairos: If anything the AI should be finding attempted contact annoying and harmful.
[21.07.2018 06:55:59] A/)-Pezhetairos: Like the others did.
[21.07.2018 06:57:02] A/)-Pezhetairos: I'm no scientist, but I'm pretty sure robots don't have neural pathways for them to communicate with telepathic creatures.
[21.07.2018 06:57:18] NO-Overscan: Yeah, no, that doesn't usually work.
[21.07.2018 06:57:24] NO-Overscan: They'd need some kind of... intermediary.
[21.07.2018 06:57:44] A/)-Pezhetairos: Usually, but we caught them with interpreters from two different known cults.
[21.07.2018 06:57:54] A/)-Pezhetairos: Both meetings ended the same way with disinterest in cooperation.
[21.07.2018 06:58:04] NO-Overscan: ... *two* cults now? This gets better and better.
[21.07.2018 06:58:16] A/)-Pezhetairos: Hell, these AI were stupid enough to announce that they were trying to befriend the Nomads outside of the freeport
[21.07.2018 06:58:22] NO-Overscan: Starting to think the sleeper ships should'v ebeen pointed in a different direction.
[21.07.2018 06:58:24] A/)-Pezhetairos: Yeah. The Oracles and the Commune.
[21.07.2018 06:58:40] A/)-Pezhetairos: Believe it or not, The Oracles aren't as bad as they seem.
[21.07.2018 06:58:53] Death: GMG|So.Jung- was put out of action by a hostile vessel.
[21.07.2018 06:58:54] A/)-Pezhetairos: They're still bad for all intents and purposes but they have their uses.
[21.07.2018 06:59:00] NO-Overscan: oh?
[21.07.2018 06:59:12] A/)-Pezhetairos: Anything is better than a bunch of trigger-happy goons on Cardamine praying to their gods of destruction.
[21.07.2018 06:59:23] A/)-Pezhetairos: The Commune is just the return of the Samarran Raiders.
[21.07.2018 06:59:30] A/)-Pezhetairos: Annoying cockroaches.
[21.07.2018 06:59:33] NO-Overscan: Yeah, I heard about those pricks.
[21.07.2018 06:59:53] A/)-Pezhetairos: We've taken care of their holdouts several times in the last couple of years
[21.07.2018 07:00:18] A/)-Pezhetairos: Anyway, The Oracles aren't interested in the same kind of stuff as the Commune.
[21.07.2018 07:00:23] NO-Overscan: Good, last thing we need is more drugged-up murderthugs
[21.07.2018 07:00:37] A/)-Pezhetairos: They're not interested in indoctrinating the sector or helping the Nomads kill people.
[21.07.2018 07:00:50] A/)-Pezhetairos: They just want everyone to be at peace. Imagine like... Nomad monks.
[21.07.2018 07:00:58] A/)-Pezhetairos: Really crazy, weird monks.
[21.07.2018 07:01:01] NO-Overscan: ... the f*ck
[21.07.2018 07:01:16] A/)-Pezhetairos: Yeah I don't get it, either.
[21.07.2018 07:01:35] A/)-Pezhetairos: Honestly when I saw their Battleship I just assumed they were another handful of nutjobs on drugs.
[21.07.2018 07:01:47] A/)-Pezhetairos: But since that thing is long gone, they've been pretty helpful.
[21.07.2018 07:02:05] A/)-Pezhetairos: They've given us tips of potential Nomad and Commune combined attacks and locations to intercept them.
[21.07.2018 07:02:19] A/)-Pezhetairos: As well as technological samples.
[21.07.2018 07:02:20] NO-Overscan: Interesting. Someone from the Commission passed by one of them a few weeks back up at the Freeport
[21.07.2018 07:02:29] NO-Overscan: Good to know they're probably not something to worry about.
[21.07.2018 07:02:48] A/)-Pezhetairos: They'd probably be helpful if ever you need to talk your way out of an alien encounter.
[21.07.2018 07:02:59] A/)-Pezhetairos: They're pretty good at conveying messages to them.
[21.07.2018 07:03:06] A/)-Pezhetairos: Though I should mention there has been incidents.
[21.07.2018 07:03:15] NO-Overscan: Oh?
[21.07.2018 07:03:29] A/)-Pezhetairos: A couple of their members weren't too happy with their leadership approaching us to make peace.
[21.07.2018 07:03:40] A/)-Pezhetairos: We had one of their Destroyers open fire on us during a skirmish in Kappa with the Commune.
[21.07.2018 07:03:58] A/)-Pezhetairos: It was put down and they gave us some rather fancy stuff in reparation for the damages.
[21.07.2018 07:04:18] A/)-Pezhetairos: Another incident was when one of their higher up members stole something from an equipment trade-off between us and ran.
[21.07.2018 07:04:29] A/)-Pezhetairos: Very, very unfortunate.
[21.07.2018 07:05:02] NO-Overscan: I assume there was violence.
[21.07.2018 07:05:06] A/)-Pezhetairos: They may have some ideals of peace but at the end of the day, they're still unpredictable cultists.
[21.07.2018 07:05:40] A/)-Pezhetairos: You never know how they might act or react to the way you're thinking or how you're behaving.
[21.07.2018 07:05:47] NO-Overscan: Well, better than just another group otu to murder everyone, I guess
[21.07.2018 07:06:10] A/)-Pezhetairos: For now, but not everyone stays peaceful forever. Sooner or later somebody is going to cross a line with them.
[21.07.2018 07:06:30] A/)-Pezhetairos: And considering the ongoing feud between the cults, it's not surprising if it happens internally.
[21.07.2018 07:06:40] NO-Overscan: That's the hope, at least.
[21.07.2018 07:07:05] A/)-Pezhetairos: Mhm.
[21.07.2018 07:07:41] A/)-Pezhetairos: I should probably keep moving. I'm supposed to be wandering around nonchalantly collecting intel.
[21.07.2018 07:07:49] A/)-Pezhetairos: See you later.
[21.07.2018 07:07:53] NO-Overscan: Heh. Yeah, I've got work to do too
[21.07.2018 07:08:04] NO-Overscan: Always more supplies.
[21.07.2018 07:08:20] A/)-Pezhetairos: That's why I couldn't work in the Logistics division.
[21.07.2018 07:08:27] A/)-Pezhetairos: Too repetitive.
[21.07.2018 07:08:35] NO-Overscan: Eh, less bloody.

| End of message |

[Capt. Henry Morgan]

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From: Bdr. Kevin Riley, 4OF

Location: Curacao Resort Spaceport, Planet Curacao, Cortez

To: NO Internal Affairs

Subject: After Action Report

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Bombardier Riley here,

I recently acquired an Osprey Mk.II from our friends among the Zoners, and was on my way down to my assigned post in Cortez. As soon as I arrived in orbit, I encountered a Kusari fighter IDing as Enyalius|Aoi. The pilot identified themselves as a member of the Kusari Naval Forces and demanded that I cut my engines for a contraband scan. I identified myself, and told them they were out of their jurisdiction. I found the whole thing odd, though, so I complied with the scan long enough to conduct a scan of my own. My search turned up the signature of a Nomad power cell. The pilot then told me I was carrying illegal cargo (I wasn't, my hold was empty), and proceeded to threaten me. I again told them they were out of their jurisdiction and ordered them to withdraw.

The Kusari fighter failed to comply and opened fire on me, leaving me no choice but to respond in kind. I was able to drive them off after five or six minutes. The Osprey has proved itself a fine machine. I must confess that I'm confused by this whole affair, though. I still have no idea why a Kusari fighter with strange tech was so far from home, nor why they engaged me so readily. I'm including my comm log in this message in hopes that somebody further up the chain of command has some idea what's going on.

FILE ATTACHMENT: 4OF/KR.COMMLOG.CTZ-8250724

Spoiler

[25.07.2018 02:59:50] Enyalius|Aoi: Cut your engines NO-F-Kevin:Riley I am with the Kusari Naval Forces, I am about to scan your cargo for contraband.
[25.07.2018 03:00:06] NO-F-Kevin:Riley: Like hell. This isn't Kusari space. Take a hike.
[25.07.2018 03:00:22] NO-F-Kevin:Riley: Enyalius|Aoi, this is Kevin Riley of the Fourth Octavarium fleet.
[25.07.2018 03:00:43] Enyalius|Aoi: Well NO-F-Kevin:Riley It seems you have illegal Cargo, It is my duty to bring you to justice, Prepare to be spaced.
[25.07.2018 03:01:04] Enyalius|Aoi: Any final words?
[25.07.2018 03:01:04] NO-F-Kevin:Riley: You're welcome to try, but this isn't your space. Bugger off before I turn you to scrap.
<COMBAT COMMENCED>
[25.07.2018 03:07:01] Enyalius|Aoi: You earned your freedom.
[25.07.2018 03:07:08] NO-F-Kevin:Riley: What was all that about?
[25.07.2018 03:07:09] Enyalius|Aoi: For now.
[25.07.2018 03:07:17] Enyalius|Aoi: Honor has to be tested.
[25.07.2018 03:07:33] Enyalius|Aoi: "Purity has been shown."
[25.07.2018 03:07:39] NO-F-Kevin:Riley: That what you call that? Wars have started over less than that.
[25.07.2018 03:08:06] Enyalius|Aoi: Indeed, Wars are a part of life.

This report is certified accurate to the best of my knowledge.

Bombardier Kevin Riley
Fourth Octavarium Fleet

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Natio Octavarium
Faction Information and Status • Recruitment
Faction Feedback • Internal Affairs

[Thexare]

[ Incoming Transmission ]

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Identification: Victor Delacroix
Affiliation: Octavarium Intelligence Commission

To: Minister Harold Kane

Subject: YERSINIA Update
Encryption: ADS Blackout Protocol v3.22-CX
Location: You probably know.

---

We were able to finally make the handoff to Holiday's people. OXS Twilight Zone has been relocated to a secure location within the Makassar, with a tap into the Limelight-TCE array to evade detection.

Attachment Found: commlog OXS Twilight Zone 72518

Spoiler

[26.07.2018 00:51:00] NO-I-Twilight.Zone: The locals didn't cause any problems, I hope.
[26.07.2018 00:51:27] [MFE]Med.Force.Two: Coyle: Not at all. Thank you for letting us here.
[26.07.2018 00:51:48] NO-I-Twilight.Zone: It's not a problem. We're planning to have Canberra relatively open, but I wanted to address this matter first.
[26.07.2018 00:52:13] NO-Wishmaster: Johnston: Greetings.
[26.07.2018 00:52:22] NO-I-Twilight.Zone: I trust you with this more than I trust some others.
[26.07.2018 00:52:40] NO-I-Twilight.Zone: Wishmaster. Any issues getting replacement parts out here?
[26.07.2018 00:53:11] [MFE]Med.Force.Two: Johnston: For us, yes. It's nice not having something shooting at us out here.
[26.07.2018 00:53:20] [MFE]Med.Force.Two: Our transponder has been a problem
[26.07.2018 00:53:36] NO-I-Twilight.Zone: Right, in position for cargo transfer.
[26.07.2018 00:53:45] NO-Wishmaster: Anthony: No, all good. Junkers call me about military salvage operation. I still have rough coordinates for Texas, if somebody
[26.07.2018 00:53:56] NO-Wishmaster: want go with me, that drive could take freighter
[26.07.2018 00:54:09] [MFE]Med.Force.Two: Did you need anything from us? It's the least we can do.
[26.07.2018 00:54:32] NO-I-Twilight.Zone: Currently, there's no specific needs I know of, but you could check with the crew working on Canberra
[26.07.2018 00:54:58] NO-I-Twilight.Zone: there may have been some injuries that I hadn't heard about. It's mostly Aquila and other civilians there, not Commission.
[26.07.2018 00:55:02] [MFE]Med.Force.Two: I sure will. Doc runs a trade ship so he would be well suited
[26.07.2018 00:55:15] [MFE]Med.Force.Two: Injuries? We can handle that.
[26.07.2018 00:55:20] NO-I-Twilight.Zone: And of course, you're welcome on Canberra any time.
[26.07.2018 00:55:36] [MFE]Med.Force.Two: Thank you. If you don't mind, we would like to moor here.
[26.07.2018 00:55:47] NO-I-Twilight.Zone: You're cleared. I need to resecure these drone parts.

Minister Victor Delacroix
Octavarium Intelligence Commission

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[ Transmission Ended ]

[Kazinsal]

[ Incoming Transmission ]

---

Identification: Taskmaster Harold Kane
Affiliation: Natio Octavarium, Fourth Fleet

To: Taskmaster Escher; Octavarium Intelligence Commission Agents

Subject: What is this
Encryption: VERY
Location: Melbourne Station, Tau-44

---

Escher, Agents.

What is this and how did it drift this close without us knowing?

Attachment found: Image

Kane

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[ Transmission Ended ]

[Thexare]

[ Incoming Transmission ]

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Identification: Victor Delacroix
Affiliation: Octavarium Intelligence Commission

To: Minister Harold Kane

Subject: New Spacedock
Encryption: ADS Blackout Protocol v3.22-CX
Location: You probably know.

---

My best guess, and I need Aquila to inspect it to corroborate, is that it's coated with a similar material to the asteroids of the Makassar field. That's a small station, it would blend in easily with the local asteroids on passive gravimetric scans without the use of a high-power penetrating scan, of the sort that we don't constantly run because of power usage.

I'll recommend Talon take a look. Congress ever get back to us about those CSVs?

Minister Victor Delacroix
Octavarium Intelligence Commission

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[ Transmission Ended ]

[Saronsen]

[ Incoming Transmission ]

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Identification: Saronsen Illat, Fourth Fleet Specialist
Intended recipients: Melbourne Operations
Subject: Construction supplies
Encryption: Average

Visual Feed Unavailable

Noticed that Melbourne wasn't receiving the supplies needed for it's currently pending construction. Dropped off something around 7000 hull segments to help move it along. Hope I didn't jam the storage too fully.

I'll probably get more later.

---

[ Transmission Ended ]

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User was banned for: https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthrea...tid=202684
Time left: (Permanent)

[Capt. Henry Morgan]

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Sender: Bdr. Kevin Riley, 4OF

Location: Osprey Mk.II "Carina Imperatrix", Baffin, TAZ-held territory

Recipient: NO Internal Affairs

Priority: Urgent

Subject: Possible Coup in the Crayter Military

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Bombardier Riley here,

Earlier today, I was on patrol in the Baffin and Coronado systems. The patrol itself was uneventful, but while in Coronado, I decided to put into port on Crayter's Sabah Shipyard to stretch my legs and maybe find some fresh tea. The dockers were a bit cooler to me than usual, but they were still professional, and gave me everything I needed. While I was there, though, this message came across all the screens on the station, including the one on my ship, as it was connected to the station network at the time. The Carina Imperatrix's computer saved a copy automatically. I'm attaching it to this message:

To: Allies of Crayter Republic | From: Zack Xander

I'm not sure exactly what happened, but it smells like a coup to me. As soon as this came in, the entire station was in an uproar. I decided that it was a good time to leave for home before the somebody decided to put the station on lockdown. I'm on my way back to 44 now. I'll report for debriefing as soon as I've landed on Melbourne.

This report is certified accurate to the best of my knowledge.

Bombardier Kevin Riley
Fourth Octavarium Fleet

---

Natio Octavarium
Faction Information and Status • Recruitment
Faction Feedback • Internal Affairs

[Kazinsal]

[ Incoming Transmission ]

---

Identification: Taskmaster Harold Kane
Affiliation: Natio Octavarium, Fourth Fleet

To: Internal Affairs

Subject: RE: Possible Coup in the Crayter Military
Encryption: High
Location: Melbourne Station, Tau-44

---

Uh.

Oops.

My bad.

---

[ Transmission Ended ]

[Kazinsal]

[ Incoming Transmission ]

---

Identification: Taskmaster Harold Kane
Affiliation: Natio Octavarium, Fourth Fleet

To: Internal Affairs
Visibility: Fleet and Intelligence Only

Subject: A big party
Encryption: High
Location: Melbourne Station, Tau-44

---

Tau-44 was busy today. Very busy.

We're going to need to establish some policy wherein people keep their shooting outside of the Makassar field. Frankly, I don't give a damn if the Maltese blow up some Liberty spooks in our system -- honestly, it's nice of them to free us from the task -- but starting next to Canberra and then baiting them 10+ K away from the station is a bit close for comfort.

We're also going to need to establish a policy about keeping god damned foreign warships outside of the Makassar field. I don't mind the occasional social call from Leviathan or Jonathan Kalh, but two Auxesian flagships and later the Amenhotep right next to Canberra? That's a bit much.

In case our lives needed to be any more of a collective "walks into a bar" joke, today's count of excitement included no less than a half dozen Natio pilots, civilian and fleet, variously over the course of five hours, an Amalfi fighter that came in to mop up two Agency 404 LSF spooks, two Corse pilots, one of whom was put out of action by aforementioned Amalfi fighter when they got a bit too close and touchy, two Auxesian flagships (the Bullhead-class Eidolon Wraith and the Osiris-class Andraste), the Amenhotep, two Ouroboros ships, an Ando bomber, at one point a god damned Ando Togo, a THP Gallic fighter, two SIS agents, a couple Junkers, a couple freelancers, Erich fuckmothering Klugmann, and a researcher that almost got blown to smithereens and caused a three-way standoff because of its blue and glowy cargo before they decided to go with the Auxesian flag and leave the system together.

In summary, we've probably at least slightly soured our relationship with the Auxesians and Liberty, though I'm not particularly sure I care about the latter, had two intelligence agencies at our doorstep, almost got in multiple fights, ignored an Amalfi fighter blowing a couple LSF agents to smithereens in our space, probably scared a number of our civilians half to death, possibly got a line on more fresh Gallic wine, and more or less assuredly got us in deeper with the SIS.

I'm trying real hard to not start smoking again.

Real hard.

Kane

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[ Transmission Ended ]