We were making good progress on Operation [REDACTED] before we received a priority transmission from Commander [REDACTED]. For an unknown reason, HQ prematurely ended our operation and we were ordered to return to Hiroshima immediatly.
My frustration is highly quantifiable as of this entry as HQ refuse to provide any reason on this inexplicable, arbitrary decision. On top of that, my previous vessel, a Takeda class destroyer, is now in permanent drydock and I have been reassigned to command an Ashikaga class Gunboat with half of my crew missing.
I do not know the motivations behind these decisions, nor why HQ is extremely silent these days, but I will find out.
Yesterday, with what is left of the original crew we left Hiroshima with our new vessel, the Ashikaga class gunboat KPT-Yougekiki.50.
It didn't take long for problems to show up.
As we arrived in New Tokyo from Hiroshima, our scanners indicated the presence of enemy signatures in the area. We figured out what it was pretty quickly as our equipment was unable to get a reading on it: it was a Nomad. However the small craft only led us to a bigger fish.
On our way, we encountered a Naval Forces patrol led by the [KNF]KDS-Okinoshima and [KNF]KDS-Shimotsuki. We decided to join our forces and it proved to be a good call. The Nomad entity led us to an Order warship bearing the callsign Order|CV-Sanity. Although uncooperative at first, once surrounded by our forces the commander of the Order vessel became quite a talkative one and I very much would have appreciated interrogating him.
Alas, nothing went as expected. As we were about to escort the vessel to a more secure location, we received a distress call from an IMG Convoy. Outcasts forces had entered the Kyushu system and we had no choice but to let the warship go in order to secure this important trade link between Kusari and the Taus. As we arrived on scene, we encountered three pirate vessels, and one of them was a well known troublemaker in our registries.
Tutashkhia. He came with one of his known associates, Richard-Fernandes, but also with a new gunboat lackey callsign Kuchenratte~*~Goldanne. An ALG trade vessel was being bullied by these men and thankfully our swift answer has allowed us to save the ship and its crew without severe damage, but some of the escorts were shot down and their pods rescued.
Death: Tutashkhia was put out of action by IMG|Java.Two (Gun).
Death: IMG|Naughty.Tea.Sipper was put out of action by Richard-Fernandes (Gun).
Death: IMG|Hit.Rock.Bottom[R] was put out of action by Kuchenratte~*~Goldanne (Gun).
As the hostiles realised they were being overwhelmed, they set course for the Tau-23 system and the battle continued there. I would not have liked to be them as shortly after our entry in the system there were IMG forces all over the place.
One of the Outcast ships seemed very adamant on destroying us but failed as expected. One of them also proved to be honorless, although that as well was expected.
Death: HDO-Catalyst was put out of action by KPT-Yougekiki.50 (Gun).
Death: IMG|Naughty.Tea.Sipper was put out of action by Richard-Fernandes (Gun).
Death: IMG|Hit.Rock.Bottom[R] was put out of action by Kuchenratte~*~Goldanne (Gun).
Traffic control alert: Kuchenratte~*~Goldanne has requested to dock
We then returned to Kusari space, only to encounter yet another warship in the Kyushu system, a Blood Dragon one this time, callsign Saito.Dosan. As it was a cruiser, we decided to let the Naval Forces handle it and returned to Hiroshima.
For our first day back in Kusari, it was pretty eventful. For an unknown reason I am unable to submit my reports through the previous protocols and HQ is still unresponsive to our transmissions. I will store these reports in my personal terminal for the time being.
823 A.S. - Date Unknown "Uragirimono!" shouted Kasumi. Crewmen on the bridge stared at her, still unaware of the major event. "So this is why we had no communications with HQ."
Kasumi stood up, staring back at her crewmen. "Agent Fujimoto, ship comms."
She took a deep breath. What Kasumi was about to announce had the potential to bring chaos aboard the Yugekiki-50, but a good commander has to have faith in her crew. "All crew, this your acting Commander, Senior Agent Mizuko speaking. Today, our lives have been changed forever."
She paused, staring at her XO. "HQ has betrayed us. Our silent operation in the Omicrons has caused a large delay in the delivery of a critical transmission. We're ordered to regroup and side with Imperial forces in the Kyushu system."
The situation on the bridge was tense. The crew had no idea what Kasumi's decision was and the situation had the potential to become explosive any second. "I feel ashamed by this decision. We have lost so much under the poor guidance of the Imperial regime, but yet HQ ask us to trust those who brought Kusari on its knees once more. I refuse to be part of this. I refuse to be a pawn of this masquerade. For those of you who wish to obey this order, make yourself known immediatly and you may freely leave. You will not be stopped. For those of you who wish to remain under my command, then know you are welcome."
Kasumi glanced at her bridge officers. There was nothing but a killing silence. "I stand by your side, Kuma." said the XO, saluting afterwards. "Hai." chained the Communications officer. "Engineering stands with you." resolutely said the Chief Engineer.
"Then united we shall remain. Agent Fujimoto, send a transmission on the Panda channel. Tell everyone to meet us in Hiroshima. Full speed ahead." "Setting course for Hiroshima, maximum speed!" "We are taking back our ship."
A disaster. That's what happened. It is no wonder HQ was silent if they were preparing the defection of the entire Kempeitai Agency.
But now is not the time for doubts. The Naval Forces are starting to realize what just happened after HQ cleared the entire main building on New Tokyo in the span of an evening. I need to get my crew and their families somewhere safe before the hunt begins. Very soon, an internal vendetta will begin to hunt those who chose a different side to ensure some sensitive secrets are buried forever.
This situation also explains why HQ ordered us to put the Harima in dry dock and reassigned us to smaller crafts. I believe their objective was to take control of the Harima and use it for the Imperial campaign. Thankfully we have been able to reach Kure Shipyard before word of the defection reached the base.
Unfortunately, we had to leave the Yugekiki 50 behind. These events have led me not to trust our former HQ and I personally planted a virus in the ship's mainframe prior to our departure. This should ensure potential malwares are wiped along with any sensitive information we may have gathered.
We were able to take control of the Harima without anyone getting in our way. We've managed to make contact with most of the original crew and we're now headed to the Honshu system to pick up the last few missing crewmembers. I just hope we'll be able to reach the Sigmas before word of HQ's defection reach Naval assets in the system.
I'm unsure what that makes us now. Do we even still belong in Kusari? These events are the exact opposite of everything we've ever worked towards. Instead of making Kusari a better place, we are now slowly bleeding it dry.
My first objective is to secure my crew and their families. We've been able to recover those that have not yet been captured or executed by the traitors, but the real issue at hand is to find a safe location where they'll be able to live without fear. Kusari is obviously out of question.
As we cannot access our official Kempeitai funds due to the certificate revocation, I had no choice but to activate the shadow account used for our operations in the Omicrons and withdraw everything in Sirius Credit Cards. It's a risky move as all Panda operatives had access to this account and there is a slight chance the traitors or the new establishment will be made aware of what we've done.
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