Comm ID: Officer Cho Sprinks
Subject: Patrol Report
Date: 13.06.818 20:00-22:00 SMT
Location: New York, Pennsylvania, California, Colorado
After Action Report:
I started my patrol at 20:20, initial objective was to escort the Democritus class LPI-Recruitment.Office during its first voyage and test patterns. After initial system operational tests were concluded in the vicinity of Norfolk Shipyard at 20:35, we moved on to Pennsylvania, testing the gate jump compatibility as well as sensory equipment in the Badlands and Pennsylvania asteroid fields.
At 20:40 I received an anonymous message over private comms that a contraband transport has been spotted at Philadelphia Station, hauling Synthetic Marijuana and just entering the lane to Betlehem Station. I immediately left Eerie and doubled up to manage to intercept the smuggler. Sadly, I was a tad too late: When I arrived at Betlehem Station, the smuggler already had commenced the automated docking routine and the control station was unable to abort it. Nevertheless I managed to get a quick, but thorough cargo scan and proper log of the contraband and quickly informed the station security to interdict the cargo when the ship was being unloaded so it couldn't reach the local dealers.
Simultaneously, the Zoner gunboat "Zoner.02" showed up and gave me some intel on the suspect after I informed him about the smuggler.
I chose to wait a bit in orbit to see if the smuggler would leave the station again, and my instincts were correct: At 20:47 he finally docked off and I immediately ordered him to stop and open communications with me. Sadly, me citing the law and explaining his faults didn't impress him much and I only received two very short comms as a answer throughout the whole conversation.I explained the complications that would follow his incooperative behaviour and fined him 4 million credits for hauling 650 units of Synthetic Marijuana, especially because he already had them dropped off. Still not much of a reaction. I even offered him to cut the fine in half if he would honorably swear to cease smuggling operations in the future. Still no reaction. I gave him verbal warnings that I would give warning shots if he refuses to comply.
Finally, at 21:02 I disabled his shields to force a reaction. No use. I did it again. No use. I followed up with shooting some armor plates off, still no reaction. As he still didn't react at all, I decided at 21:05 to file the vessel and pilot in the Liberty fugitive list.
As Betlehem station is zoner territory and his vessel was still in the direct docking path, I handed over the authority to handle the vessel to Zoner.02, who gave some final warnings and then activated the failsafe ejection mechanism: Destroying the vessel. He assured me they would search the wreckage for the lifepod and hand it over to the LPI once found. He continued to clean up the station's proximity from debris and I had to excuse myself, as I received an emergency comm from a trader in California, who reported 4 Liberty rogues interdicting traffic along the Mojave - New York Jumpgate tradelane: 2 VHF, 1 Bomber and 1 Gunship.
On my way there I stumbled upon yet another rogue, Lusty.Wench along the Philadelphia-New York Jumpgate Lane at 21:15. Once I discharged from the trade lane to interrogate him about his reasons for disrupting the lane generator, he immediately fled into the asteroid field. I decided he wasn't worth the pursuit and continued to California.
However, after jumping to New York, I immediately stumbled upon the next rogue, Wolf_3...flying a Civilian Roc class bomber and hunting local security patrols. Again, I only greeted him and was about start the interrogation when he also used cruise engines to flee into the Badlands. Again, I had to abort pursuit, obviously.
I arrived in California at 21:20 and did a full patrol of all trade lanes. There was no sign of any pirates whatsoever, so I left the system at 21:30 and continued patrol in Colorado. Again, I didn't find any sinister ongoings, so I decided to end patrol and return to Fort Bush for debriefing.
On my way back on the tradelane between Planet Denver and the NY Jumpgate, my scanners picked up two readings just before entering the Silverton Field at 21:40. I decided to turn around and check these signals out. And in fact, I could discern visual proof of a firefight about 12k from the lane. Upon closing, it quickly became apparent that a police officer was fighting a Rogue named Palacha here, and he immediately asked me for assistance in keeping the rogue at bay. Not that Ofc. Tyme needed the assistance, he did pretty well on his own. Though the rogue tried to run several time upon my appearance, and as Ofc. Tyme was missing cruise disruptors, I made sure the rogue wouldn't escape the police force, but stayed clear of the fight as per Tyme's request. Well, apparently the rogue pilot got a bit insane in there and just started fleeing from us using his thrusters. Straight towards the sun, which was about 30-40k away. Tyme and me obviously were aware of the dangerous radiation, but the Sabre pilot decided to rather commit suicide, being grilled by the sun at 21:45, than being taken into custody by us. Odd.
After we were done there, we returned to Fort Bush, where I ended my patrol at 21:55 after sipping some coffe with Ofc. Tyme, cheering the highly successful patrol both of us had finished.