I would be obliged by your assistance. I am the freelancer Nishimura Kaoru, once an ally against the regime in Kusari.
Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience of bothering you out of the blue like this. I am sending this on behalf of an old friend of yours who cannot afford to risk communication on an insecure channel at the moment, as her presence must not be known.
You were already allied with your friend when you helped to liberate her - and, by coincident, myself - from a regime prison transport.
I am sorry for being so unclear; much has happened since then, and you are one of the last old contacts your friend has been able to find. If it is not too much trouble, she would like to arrange a meeting with you to catch up. Would you be interested?
Any assistance you could provide me would be appreciated.
*Transmission Feed Detected!*
*Communicator Identity: Ozei Ruousha*
*Signal Origination: New London, Bretonia*
*Subject: Re: A Meet-up Request*
Konnichiwa there, stranger! I hope this message finds you well.
I will admit, it has been a few years since anyone has reached out to me directly via private communication channels. I find it a little odd that the first one to do so would be someone I have yet to meet, although you do have my attention. You are speaking of the Ichihara, are you not?
While I personally have no problems discussing things via private messaging, I understand that many folk these days are paranoid about security. I guess the Lane Hackers are no longer the only pros at slipping into private communication feeds?
Anyways, if you would like to arrange a meeting, I could see about accommodating such a thing! I am curious though, of how this old friend of mine learned of me still being around. There is but one possibility I can think of how any old friends of mine could hear of my return to space life - Perhaps you could drop a hint as to how you found my private line?
It would also be great if you could give me a general area of the Border World region you are in, since that is where I read this signal as having come from. The Taus? Omegas? Sigmas? Or, do you refer to one of the Independent Worlds near Liberty (Some folks mix the two)? I would say it will be hard to investigate a lead on potentially chatting up an old friend (and possibly a new one?) without a better idea of where you are! I figure, once you provide me with a general region, I can triangulate your more precise location.
I will say this: You mentioned that you were also once an ally against the regime of Kusari. Funny you should mention that - To tell a bit about myself, I find my stance towards the warring factions of Sirius as more.. Neutral, I guess you could call it. I still tend to keep my skill with ship weaponry sharpened via simulations and friendly sparring, but truthfully, I am tried of fighting all of the time, and thus I currently consider myself rather Zoner-like in my current factional stances (Even though I am not truly a Zoner, myself).
Anyways! If you could let me know how you found my number, and where your general location is, that'd be appreciated. Alternatively, I am currently in Bretonia, and I could possibly meet you somewhere around here or nearby.
Your assistance is appreciated. This is Nishimura Kaoru.
I apologize for not being more specific. Yes, she heard about your floating... enterprise, Goddess knows where. I believe she said that it is some sort of gambling house, though I am not with her at the moment to confirm that.
Currently, I am resting in the Sigmas, but I am not the one whose location needs to be taken into consideration. Your friend is still out in the far Edge Worlds, on the far edges of the Omicrons. Unfortunately, as you know, there are few places farther from Bretonia. She can make the journey in, of course - there is hardly another blockade runner like her in the Colonies - or you can go out that way, or you can meet in the middle, whichever is more convenient. I am sorry for the trouble.
My comments on fighting will be reserved so as to allow your friend to speak for both of us. Where once I was the more martial of us, now she is.
I appreciate your assistance, and your patience.
---
Nishimura Kaoru,
somewhere near Luxury Liner Hawaii
*Transmission Feed Detected!*
*Communicator Identity: Ozei Ruousha*
*Signal Origination: New London, Bretonia*
*Subject: Re: A Meet-up Request*
Many thanks for the additional information, Kind-Kaoru!
Hai - Yes, the floating enterprise as you call it, is known as The Celtic Dragon Inn. While it is true that we have a few slot and poker machines for gamblers, our primary reason for existence is to offer a blend of Kusarian and Bretonian cuisine to those interested. Real food - None of that Synthetic Paste or Gel, here.
But, I digress! You mentioned the Sigmas and the Omicrons. I should mention before we continue, that I shall be bringing the Inn with me, although I myself shall be accompanying our Geisha in my Cormorant-Class Pelican. I bring this up, because I do not currently feel comfortable with endangering my crew with the many dangers of the Omicrons. That being said, I do believe that we can make the trip up to the Sigmas, as that region of space is usually fairly quiet, despite the recent murmurs of war I keep seeing floating around the Neural Net.
Would Sigma-15 be ideal for you and your acquaintance? Specifically, in the vicinity of Freeport 8? Zoner bases are usually the best places to hook up with those you are unfamiliar with; you never know how others' transponders are tuned with the Identify: Friend or Foe application.
Alternatively, if both of your ships' transponders are fine with the locals in Munich, we could meet up at Ingolstadt Station. Thanks to the local dark storm lingering within the system, it seems that the trade lanes out towards Nuremberg are on the fritz. As a result, I would imagine that the area is relatively quiet.
If either of those locations work for you, Kind-Kaoru, let me know! If not, we can hammer out an alternative point of convergence. In any case, I am currently running some diagnostics and maintenance on our Geisha - We should be heading through the Omegas in about five hours, give or take. Once we hit Rheinland space, we will likely hunker down on Planet Stuttgart and await your next transmission.
As always, your assistance is appreciated. This is Nishimura Kaoru.
This works for your friend. She is inbound from the far Omicrons toward Munich now. I cannot say how long it will take, as the run past the Nomad Worlds is always risky and time-consuming, but I will inform you when she is near.
Please treat us kindly.
---
Nishimura Kaoru,
somewhere near Luxury Liner Hawaii
*Transmission Feed Detected!*
*Communicator Identity: Ozei Ruousha*
*Signal Origination: New London, Bretonia*
*Subject: Re: A Meet-up Request*
Ahh, excellent! I look forward to meeting with you both.
I am still stuck here in New London currently, as we had a bit of an unexpected maintenance issue pop up. While nothing major, I prefer to ensure that my ships are 100% safe to operate. We ought to be leaving within... Perhaps, three hours from now. I apologize for the delay, but they say that good things come to those who wait!
Hopefully, said wait shall not be too much longer!
As always, your assistance is appreciated. This is Nishimura Kaoru.
Your friend made good time, and arrived in the Sigmas more quickly than expected. She will be waiting for you at Ingolstadt at 2230 SMT. I will not be able to join her today, as I must continue preparations for a difficult task that the next few weeks have set before us. You should recognize her when you see her.
*Transmission Feed Detected!*
*Communicator Identity: Ozei Ruousha*
*Signal Origination: New Berlin, Rheinland*
*Subject: Re: A Meet-up Request*
We have just left Bretonia and are en route to Munich! I apologize for the delay. We have arrived in New Berlin and should be in Munich shortly.
Looking forward to meeting you, and seeing my old friend. See you soon!
May your glass be perpetually full,
~Ozei Ruousha
***STATUS UPDATE - 23:10 Universal Sirian Time***
We have arrived at Ingolstadt Station and are hanging around outside now! If we are unable to truly meet up in space at this time, we shall at least be in the vicinity for a later time.