This week was interesting, sir. I made some mistakes and learned from them. After returning to New Tokyo from Sigma-17, I began my patrol, very quickly encountering a trader with a ship name of Woejaru. A scan revealed he was a freelancer and carrying slaves, as shown here and here. Whilst I was sure that slaves are contraband - after all, we are a republic - I was also sure last time that Okinawa was Kusari space, so instead of making another mistake, I decided to confirm with the Kusari laws. However, I had some difficulty in accessing it, so we had traveled far by the time I challenged the trader, as shown here.
He ignored all of my requests, and so I opened fire. After that, he said he would pay the fine, and headed back to Planet Mirua, in Okinawa. When I arrived, I spotted a Blood Dragon on the radar, but he was moving away fast, and I knew I could do nothing here. I recorded it anyway, here. After waiting there a little while, his friend P7ACD1 showed up, a member of Universal shipping, as shown here.
It seems they are both slavers, and I was attacked - you can see my damage here. I requested backup, and the KDS-Takao and the Jaaku-Na responded. Just as they arrived, the ship P7ACD1 seems to have collided with the planetary atmosphere, as you can see here, and the Woejaru left the area, leaving us with not much to do.
We returned to New Tokyo, while I was taught a little more about the political relations between the KNF and other organisations that affect our patrol routes and our authority. I realise I need to be careful to only patrol in Kusari space, though I can pursue targets up to the limit of Kusari’s Zone of Influence.
I continued patrolling to Kyushu, where I encountered two traders under attack by a Blood Dragon gunboat, as I recorded here and here. Once again, I requested backup, knowing I could not do much against a gunboat on my own. One of the trader’s ships was destroyed, and I was barely holding out. Thankfully, the KDS-Takao returned to help, and the fight was turned to our favour. However, I was unwise in my maneuverings, and my ship was destroyed. After taking care of the Dragon, as shown here, I was picked up by the KDS-Takao and taken to New Tokyo to recover.
I learned a lot of things in a short time. The most important lesson, I believe, is not to hesitate because I fear making mistakes. This leads to lost, or enslaved, lives.
I do have one request, though, sir. As I am often patrolling on my own, and I have seen time and again that many of our enemies use much larger ships that my Chimaera can handle, I would like to be able to fly something bigger. I understand it requires more rank and responsibility than I currently possess - could I be instructed in what I should work towards to achieve this?
二等海尉の新谷海、
鎖海軍。
Nito Kaii Shintani Kai,
Kusari Naval Forces.