COMM ID:Admiral Alan Polstari TARGET ID:Liberty Navy Reporting Center SUBJECT:Smuggler Operations and Freeport 12 ENCRYPTION:Medium PRIORITY:Medium
Greetings.
While on a standard supply run aboard the [LN]-LLS-Fort.Wayne in support of Long Island Station last evening, Lieutenant Wazowski reported contact with a pair of bombastic smugglers. Leading the way appears to have been Mister Tordai, with whom this command should be well acquainted by now, carrying illicit Xenos Relics aboard his vessel. The LNS-Miasma attempted to disrupt the incoming vessels to prevent their mooring, but the LC-Fortune's.Fancy once again forced its way past and into the landing pattern at Manhattan. When the LC-Fortune's.Fancy reemerged the captain of the LNS-Miasma attempted to detain the vessel, but Mister Tordai refused to cooperate and initiated his escape efforts supported by the LC-Halite.
I quickly responded by hot launching from Manhattan as soon as I received word from Lieutenant Wazowski and contacted the captain of the LNS-Miasma to assess the situation. I made my way towards Rochester Station where I intercepted the LC-Halite attempting to evade the Miasma. After disrupting the Halite I attempted to solve the issue diplomatically and without violence as I asked both sides to clarify what the situation was. After the Miasma's captain gave his report the Halite made another break for it and I was forced to pursue the vessel.
Had it not been for the timely arrival of Nicole Bradley of the 5th Fleet and Officer Paul Morgan of the LPI's 1st Division then this criminal may have eluded justice. Thankfully, though with much difficulty, we tracked down the LC-Halite as it attempted to escape into Galileo. I must commend Officer Morgan's persistence here, as it was through his efforts we were able to pin the vessel long enough for Miss Bradley to arrive and begin the engagement before it could leave Liberty proper. Meanwhile I had looped through Kepler into Galileo to cut off any possible attempt at retreat, a fortuitous move as the LC-Halite managed to jump via gate into Galileo with Morgan and Bradley in pursuit. I cut the lane and engaged as well, and Bradley and I kept up the fire as Morgan circled to provide the cut off to any escape attempt. The criminal worked his way north and attempted to dock with the modular facility Freeport 12, and we were forced to activate the station's automated defense systems in order to prevent this from happening. Officer Morgan would eventually lose his vessel to these defenses, though his person was left relatively unharmed.
It was shortly after this point that things grew in complication as the LC-Fortune's.Fancy arrived on the scene. Brazenly and on open comms Mister Tordai declared his intention to dock with Freeport 12 in order to retrieve Xenos Relics and ordered his compatriot to keep our attention until the station's defenses deactivate and he could proceed. Lacking the firepower to deal with the heavily armored transports, Bradley and I kept our pursuit on target; we did register that the Fortune's Fancy received clearance to dock on the station before our pursuit took us away from there. The Halite egressed back towards Liberty and into the New York system, where at long last we pinned the vessel once more and Bradley landed the killing blow.
There are a few points left to deal with at this time. The first is a fuller investigation into Freeport 12. Clearly this station appears to host both criminal activity and illicit goods and should be dealt with accordingly. Second, the antics of Mister Tordai and his associates needs to be brought to an end. With near impunity and an open contempt for law and order he and his fellows regularly violate our laws on contraband smuggling and next to nothing has been done to prevent his operations within Liberty space. I think that we have documented enough incidents with him that any judge would sanction the revocation of his rights to operate here. I believe that we should pursue such sanctions at the earliest opportunity.
