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[Fleainator]

-Log entry #1, date unspecified.-

It's been a week since I escaped from Shemjaza. Upon being released from medical for some fractured ribs and a psychological evaluation, my superiors have advised me to start keeping a journal of sorts as a way of coping with the stress of the previous week's experiences.

Back to my escape from Elohim, "escape" isn't really the word I would use. The fact remains that I survived capture at the hands of the APOC clan in the heart of their territory, but it wasn't earned in and of itself. The -=WLB=- Absolute Justice had been set to sneak into Elohim and deliver a hit and run strike using its new experimental cloaking system, and to deploy a pair of Defiant-class commando ships to attempt to rescue me. Instead, I was picked up just outside of the Elohim jumpgate, and having been thwarted in my final attempt on Zero's life, I advised that any attempts at sneaking a battleship into combat range with their frigate would likely be foiled before the target was reached. So instead of making one more attempt to kill those twisted killers, I was able to return to Kusari space, and quietly deliver a small chip to the -=WLB=- Intelligence head.

While in New Tokyo, I also took the moment to pay my respects to the men who fought beside me. I've already forgotten the name of the Kusari officer who'd led the fighting in the higher levels of the prison, as well as the name of the Corsair who shot Zero's doppelganger from behind and allowed me to claim my life back. Before the battle, An-Suko had asked me to see to the safety of his crew, but upon leaving, there was no trace of them. I used some good scotch at the mass grave of the ID tags I was able to find after the fighting ended. The scotch was extremely old, and was excellent from its aroma to its aftertaste. I left the grave and decided to head to Colorado to visit that Tavern that opened up a few months ago on Tanya's Base. After doing some rooting around, I requested of WLB Command that I be allowed to investigate the fate of An-Suko's ship and crew. The request was granted with limitations set in place to keep my risk of capture to a minimum.

The down time has been nice enough, but I've always dealt with these emotional downs best when I'm working.

-End of entry-

[Fleainator]

-Log entry #17, date unspecified.-

It's been two weeks since I started my investigation. The battleship Absolution was available for the search op., so I docked there and took command of the cruiser. Rations are starting to run low on board, and I'm getting a case of cabin fever.

I've still not found anything new in my search for An-Suko's freighter or his crew. I had a lead in one of the Tau systems, but the trail went cold in Omicron Alpha, which is also where I was driven off by overwhelming Corsair forces. Dropped a full flight that came out to kill me, but then took off once the shields started running low, and another 3 flights of high-end ships showed up on my scanners.

Booked it for Genesis. I decided to search for the ship while I was there, but found nothing to suggest it was or had recently been in the system. Warded off some Junkers who decided to try and take some of the superconductors I picked up from a wreck three systems back. I need to get out of this ship. I wanted to pick some rations up from one of the stations, but it would seem most of them out here are in a similar situation. There's an awful lot of trade lane traffic this far out from the House systems. Too much, even. I sent an inquiry to WLB Intelligence, for any basic information to explain the change. It could be nothing, but to ignore it could prove dangerous. There's nothing worse than being caught off guard.

...

I've decided to head for Vulcan. I've done some trading with them, so I imagine I'll be able to set down there for a few days and get some rations, ammo, and maybe even some information.

I should probably start dating these entries for later reference, but I just don't- *Comm alarm* ...nothing's on radar. *sigh* The rest of this entry will have to wait for another time.

-End of entry-

[Fleainator]

-Start of message-
Log entry #18 - <SYSTEM NOTE>: 4 months since entry #17

*heavy breathing*

...let's see... oh, come on! This thing should still be- Ah, there.

*clears throat*

Audio log, number.... ah.... eighteen, right. Lieutenant Fleainator.

I just woke up inside the cockpit of my VHF-type Hunter, which was apparently jury-rigged with a simple cryogenics system. Though I'm not sure how I ended up here, I remember being in the Vulcan system, with my fighter docked within the battleship Absolution. We were low on supplies, and I was recording a log when something attacked us.

According to my ship's internal computer, I've been asleep and adrift for four months. There's visible plasma scars on my Hunter's hull, and one of my primary engines is critically damaged. I dumped a camera probe and took a more thorough look at the damage. My cloaking system is shot beyond repair, and only three of my ship's guns seem to be in operable condition. I don't know where I am, but the automated system log states that the ship was launched from the Absolution on autopilot, with the cyro system already engaged. The brief video data recorded by one of the external cameras shows the Absolution in a state of cascading system failure, with explosions rocking the ship deck by deck...

There are several other ships in the footage, too. Unfortunately, the feed data is of poor quality and partially corrupted, probably due to the damage my ship took. Because of that, I can't even tell whether the ships are fighters or light cruisers.

I... don't know what to do. I'm deep in wild space, and though my long-range comm grid appears to be intact, my hails to WLB Command have gone unanswered. I have emergency rations, a water and air recycling system, and a stable reactor on the ship, but the nav system is having trouble calibrating my position due to more corrupted data. If I can figure out where I am, I just might be able to make it back into civilized space.

I only hope someone gets this message, which is why I'm broadcasting this unencrypted.

Is anybody out there?

-End of entry-
-End of message-

[Fleainator]

-Log entry #19-

It's been a week, but someone finally found me. From Vulcan, my ship had apparently drifted somewhat close to the Genesis system. My message was received and traced by a team of Junkers who at first threatened to kill me and take my ship. Two days after being found, and talking and bribing the Junkers into taking my ship to the nearest Freeport, I was able to stretch my legs and recenter myself. After some lengthly repairs and part replacements, I made my way to Kusari space, with my inquiries to -=WLB=- Command remaining unanswered. Concerned, I headed for Kyushu first.

When I arrived in Kyushu, I... it was terrible. I found several battleship hulks, stripped to the frames, in decaying orbits around the system's star. The Kusari Naval Forces in the area had nothing to say to me about it, at all. Back in New Tokyo, I found that the -=WLB=- Central Command Offices were abandoned. This... complete disappearance is almost... haunting.

I'm continuing to search the holonet for any signs of -=WLB=- activity. However, it looks like I may have to head... there. -=WLB=- Command had a contingency plan in place just in case the whole navy ever needed to disappear. My accounts are still valid, so I'm going to swap out these temporary parts on my ship and head out tomorrow. I just hope that they're there, safe...

-End of entry-