.:j:. JUNKER CONGRESS MESSAGE DUMP

[Rudo]

****Incoming Transmission****
****To: The Caveat Emperor****
****From: Jack Crow****
Captain Bishop,

Yanagi has fallen under attack again and I'm afraid your skill is required. A rogue Corsair ID'd Cruiser with Corsair IFF attacked without warning or provocation. The name of the vessel is "EL KRACKEN" (that's right, a corsair named el kracken) He later stated that Yanagi space was "his space" I must sadly admit that I was not able to defeat him in my gunboat.

To all members of the Junker Congress. This vessel has declared open hostilities to the Junker Congress and should be considered very dangerous. It should also be considered KOS in Yanagi space.

Crow out.

****End Transmission****

COMM ID: Cpt. Hannibal Bishop
SOURCE: Stateroom of the Caveat Emptor, Kreuzberg perimeter

Captain Crow;

My sympathies for the loss of your vessel. I hope you are unhurt and that your crew found their escape pods in time. I will seek out this rogue Corsair and exact Junker retribution -- that station is ours; it is far more than a staging point for a few privateers. It's a trade hub, a colony, and an anchor point for Junkers that has been paid for in credits and blood.

I've heard he's run afoul of the wrong people already and paid a dire price, but I'll see if I can tear a piece off what's left of him. The example must be set.

--

Junkers;

The Caveat Emptor's recent yard time in Puerto Rico brought all systems back to optimal parameters. While nanotech armor and structural repair systems do a fine job of patching the ship on the fly, they don't fix fuel lines or internal systems.

Systems damaged and repaired:

- Starboard engine had to be taken offline for the journey, due to fuel containment failure.
- Environment control sensors were damaged, causing hazardous fluctuations in air pressure and oxygen content.
- Minor damage to the power core shielding. No radiation leaks detected.

We also got to lay to rest a Junker who'd lost his life in defense of our kind. Jack Alberts, Second Engineer aboard the Caveat Emptor, died when his compartment was breached in an exchange of weapons fire with Das Wilde gunboat Abschnitt.

Too rarely do we get to give a proper funeral to Junkers who die in the defense of our people, our homes, and our way of life. They are often simply lost; adrift forever in the wastes, incinerated in the destruction of their ships, or killed in captivity by our enemies. So when we get the opportunity to say goodbye to one of our defenders, we seize it.

Alberts was far from the first crewman lost since the christening of the Caveat Emptor. But he was the first we got to give a decent burial.



We brought the Emptor to the edge of the Rift for the service, where I said a few brief words on his life and the importance of his work leading up to his untimely end.



With that, his casket was set adrift where he will be part of Puerto Rico so long as there are Junkers.



As I said, Jack Alberts was one Junker among thousands. Many Junkers die in combat every year, despite the non-combative leanings of our society. In that regard, his death was nothing special. However, we are a fraternity. Together, we gather our power and allegiances. Together, we carved out our corner of the universe and now work to expand our influence. And together, we must honor those that pay for our progress with their lives.

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