INCOMING TRANSMISSION
COMM ID: Commissar-Lieutenant Konstantin Petrovin
LOCATION: Zvezdny Gorodok, Omega-52 System
Privet, Tovarischi.
I was on my way back from escort duty for the CPW-Trotsky; it had last stopped in the Texas system so I had quite a distance to cover before I was back in friendly space. Along the way I felt like tossing a few barbs at the Rheinland Military in Hamburg; as usual they failed to put up a spirited defense.
Everything was uneventful until I arrived in Omega-5, on our doorstep. Right outside of the Omega-7 jumphole I ran into an Order pilot by the callsign "Alpha-7" and a "Zweifel". Simply by the sensor return and the manner in which "Zweifel" spoke, I understood immediately that this was an infected pilot of "Die Wilde" as our Rheinland tovarischi call them. I missed most of their conversation, arriving in time to watch them start swapping blows. Alpha Seven told me to stand by, so I took up position to support when needed; this pilot wasn't going anywhere, and I felt like humoring our tovarisch-ally.
Eventually, Tovarisch Lieutenant Sasha Orlov and Tovarisch Udo Keisinger of the Red Hessian Army arrived on the scene. I informed them of the situation and established a perimeter so that no "unwanted guests" intruded on our little show. A Bounty Hunter Destroyer and a Bowex freighter both appeared before rapidly vacating the premises, even without an order or request. I never knew the Bounty Hunter's Guild was so considerate!
Unfortunately the fight took a turn for the worse; Alpha Seven was outclassed ever so slightly by the Wild pilot. I hadn't seen Tovarisch Orlov in action before, so I thought I would use the opportunity to learn more about this one. She showed a great desire to prevent the death of an allied pilot, and I granted her permission to join in the fight at her leisure. She did, but... what happened was rather odd. Instead of necessarily helping the Order pilot, the first nuclear mine she dropped somehow found its way into Alpha Seven's intake ramp. Orlov was also lacking a cruise disruptor, and the moment Alpha Seven had ejected, the Wild turned about and began cruising. I was still holding a perimeter and was just barely in range for a disruptor shot, but he was already too far away for us to catch him before the bastard clawed his way through the Omega-55 jump hole.
Disappointing... I had Alpha Seven's escape pod recovered and returned to a friendly base before setting course for home. Not a good first impression; I suppose I should have known better than to entrust such a target with an unknown variable like Orlov, but the situation seemed to have been in hand until that mine...
Bah. We recovered Alpha Seven, and sent that snake scurrying home. It could have been worse.