=LSF= Operational Data Network

[Soul Reaper]

COMM ID: Captain Ryan Xanthias
TARGET ID: Channel
SUBJECT: Intel Report
ENCRYPTION: High
PRIORITY: High

Xanthias here,

Intel suggested events happening in Natio Octavarium space, specifically Kansas, so I went in to investigate and learned from a Octavarium citizen that there was something happening within the Turtle Creek Nebula. It took me a while to navigate in the nebula but fortunately I didn't have to go in too deep. The Octavarium defense forces, the Vagrant Raiders seemed to have found a small base that was constructed by Interspace Commerce, they were discussing the base's location being against Octavarium's Ministry of Intelligence's protocols, which had piqued my interest. After some discussion, they decided to tear down the station, which they did with the battleship Metropolis.

But that isn't the real reason of this report. After the dust had settled, I asked the intelligence officer callsigned Superstition who had said his name was Escher for a moment, to speak. We went deeper into the Nebula and switched to an encrypted channel, I'm uploading the logs right now.

=LSF=Vigil: Superstition, if this area could be cleared, I'd like to have a word.
VR-|Superstition: As expected.
VR-|Superstition: it's Escher, by the way.
=LSF=Vigil: Very well.
VR-|Superstition: it's F1, just outside the cloud.
VR-|Superstition: Quiet, Kane.
=LSF=Vigil: I'd rather it be in the cloud.
VR-|Superstition: Fair enough.
VR-|Superstition: you can hear why I want it moved a bit further though.
VR-|Superstition: over this way should do.
VR-|Superstition: Right then. This should be sufficient.
=LSF=Vigil: This seems to be far enough...agent, I believe is the term you use as well.
VR-|Superstition: Aye, I believe so.
=LSF=Vigil: Good.
=LSF=Vigil: I've probably guessed correctly that you are indeed in the higher echelons of NO's intelligence..division?
VR-|Superstition: I'm the one running it, yes.
=LSF=Vigil: Ah, even better.
=LSF=Vigil: So, considering you have the notable experience in our line of work.
=LSF=Vigil: I'll skip past the whole subtle threats of Liberty's power and the such.
VR-|Superstition: Appreciated.
=LSF=Vigil: Why exactly is this field under your Agency's direct control.
=LSF=Vigil: Other than it's already obvious properties.
VR-|Superstition: Hm. Curiously phrased.
=LSF=Vigil: As I promised, I'm skipping the bull.
VR-|Superstition: Not a lot to say. It's not on the standard 'plane', it's completely unmapped, and there's a history of people disappearing her.
VR-|Superstition: here
VR-|Superstition: Having an intelligence group take control of it is the best way to keep the civilians out.
=LSF=Vigil: Disappearing, people disappear in clouds all the time, lose their way, get destroyed by pirates.
VR-|Superstition: There seems to be more to it here.
=LSF=Vigil: You'll need to elaborate on the disappearing part.
VR-|Superstition: Even the wrecks are almost never found.
=LSF=Vigil: So there -are- wrecks of ships that have been..lost.
VR-|Superstition: There's only one that remains, and I haven't gotten anything conclusive out of it.
VR-|Superstition: the others I've found were old NTF ships dating back to the battle over Junction
VR-|Superstition: amazed they managed to drift this far without falling into a gravity well
=LSF=Vigil: And I presume that too didn't have much information?
=LSF=Vigil: This cloud does seen unusually dense..even my hardware is limited severely.
VR-|Superstition: We just went straight for salvage on those, since they bore obvious signs of battle damage
VR-|Superstition: including the telltale marks of Liberty plasma cannons
VR-|Superstition: the markings and specific qualities of the damage made their demise quite clear.
=LSF=Vigil: Yes I'm aware of those...casualties.
=LSF=Vigil: Though you said there were some ships that were simply..never found?
VR-|Superstition: Aye. Explorers chasing rumors.
=LSF=Vigil: Rumors.
=LSF=Vigil: Just how many ships exactly haven't been found ?
VR-|Superstition: Since our arrival, only one or two; we locked the cloud down pretty quickly.
VR-|Superstition: prior to that, your best bet would be asking around at Freeport 4, that's where most of them launched from I'd expect.
VR-|Superstition: of course, if you don't find the wreck and you don't know who's missing, it's hard to count.
=LSF=Vigil: I already know of the "rumors", though, we never actually knew that ships were -actually- disappearing.
VR-|Superstition: Of course, life on a new colony is hard.
VR-|Superstition: it's entirely possible the ones that went missing actually just ran off
=LSF=Vigil: I see.
=LSF=Vigil: But...you're not entirely convinced are you?
VR-|Superstition: You know the job. One has to be open to all possibilities.
=LSF=Vigil: That's the only answer I needed.
=LSF=Vigil: You'll be hearing from us soon.
VR-|Superstition: As would be expected.
VR-|Superstition: Anything else?
=LSF=Vigil: Negative, I have a report to make.
VR-|Superstition: Of course. Safe flying.
=LSF=Vigil: I bid you a fair day...Director, I believe?
VR-|Superstition: Taskmaster will serve. I still hold my old title from the primary Raider wing.
=LSF=Vigil: Very well.

This person also claims to be the Taskmaster of the Ministry of Intelligence, a rank that seems to be equivalent to our Director though we don't have any specific data on their hierarchy. As for the field, we had always known about it though we apparently never actually had an agent on site. Even with my ship's specific hardware, I wasn't able to get -any- conclusive readings more than 10 clicks off, which is direct combat range anyway, scanner strength went down to near zero and inter-sector comms were non-existant, the place is an electronic black hole. I've went through our old archives as well as Naval databases and I can confirm operations within the cloud and some confirmed kills however not all of them account for ships that have completely disappeared according to the Taskmaster. There really are ships which even if destroyed, their wrecks were never found and were never heard from again, I don't think the Taskmaster is lying, though that's always a parameter.

Either way, I recommend that an operation be authorized by Directorate to go check this Nebula out and get conclusive scans, perhaps in cooperation with Octarvian's Intelligence Agency. I'd also like to volunteer for this operation.

Xanthias out.

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