Reporting Officer: Commander Yeggito Kebok Date of Sortie: 25-Nov-823 AS Location Origin: Omicron Mu, Outer Rim Encryption Level: LOCKED
Parties Involved:
Order: Commander Yeggito Kebok
Civilian (AP Manufacturing) Contacts:
APM-Metalicus
APM-Insight
Core Contacts:
Core| "Needle"
Summary:
A high density of contacts out of Dabradau Station's sensors in Omicron Delta led the the scrambling of a VHF out of Taba. Once it was determined that these were Core ships, and they were heading to Lost, the mission was planned to identify the Core assets, and their approach to Iridium mining. To avoid detection, the cloak-equipped Bastet was used, and the mining field approached from above. Report Photo #1
The field was identified, visual contacts with the ships were made, and the cloak was engaged. Report Photo #2
Due to a cloak malfunction, visual obscuration was lost, but the Core did not engage. Report Photo #3
Scans were taken of the three craft:
The VHF, Needle, was utilizing four (4) ARCHANGEL main guns, and two Warrans. He was the only one to break the Core radio silence during the interaction.
The Miner, the APM-Metalicus, was a Bretonian freighter, though only utilizing two (2) mining arrays. A four-point mining array setup is twice as efficient when equally spaced. This shows that this operation is new to them, as their mining vessel was quite novice
The Transport, APM-Insight, was a standard Bison. Scans did not reveal armor, likely to maximize transport space.
The vessels were kept at a safe distance, and followed back into Delta. The tracking was terminated, and return to Taba was initiated. Report Image #4
Conclusions:
The Core, and the primary guild, are taking Iridium mining seriously. As opposed to a single miner working with a freighter, there are dedicated assets with an Escort. While it was only a single VHF at this time, they will likely increase their numbers after this encounter. Their route out of Lost took them through Delta, and then what looked like to Kappa.
Please let me know if there are any questions/concerns.