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==ZXD/8467 ENCRYPTION DETECTED==
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Ref.: ZN 096.287.556
Class.: SECRET
From: Count Avon Kawling
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My esteemed High Consulate,
Before I begin my report of our second mission I have a small update on my Vargr colleagues. I have discovered that the computer boff whom I previously referred to as Vargr #2 is called Dead-Eye Gaspode. Unfortunately the name of Vargr #1 is still unknown to me. Whenever I broach the subject he merely growls at me in a rather aggressive manner. He is either angry at my persistent efforts or this growling is actually his name. Until I find something that I can either pronounce or spell I shall continue referring to him as Vargr #1

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Our most recent mission took us to the Bowman system. There had been some pirate activity in that system and we were tasked with meeting the civilian trader Empress Mirvana, under the command of Cpt. Lomax, and escorting it through the system. The Imperium had no idea who was responsible for the attacks and ideally wanted us to capture some of the pirates in order to discover this information.

We met the Empress Mirvana at the rendezvous point without any problems. Vargr #1 was able to fly our ship so close to the trader that we would have shown up as a single ship on any sensor scans. It was a remarkable feat of skill and only confirms what we have long suspected about the piloting skills of the Vargr. In this way when the pirate ship did appear we were able to attack it with complete surprise.

I must say I was very impressed with how well my colleagues pulled together as a team when we engaged the pirate vessel. With the exception of Col. Crosshairs, whose talents are more suited to individual combat and who spent the entire time waiting for us to subdue the pirate craft and board it, each of my colleagues executed their duties with competence, confidence and bravery. Lt.Cmd. Nelson proved himself to be an able commander, which was somewhat of a surprise to me as he has not been born into the ruling class of Solamani society. If the riff-raff of their society is capable of producing commanders like Lt.Cmd. Nelson then I can begin to understand why our wars with the Imperium have always been so difficult.

The pertinent fact of our encounter with the pirates is that they were using a Zhodani craft. However, Your Excellency has nothing to fear as no Zhodani were responsible for the piracy. A rogue Solamani Colonel by the name of Schaffer was behind the attacks. He somehow acquired one of our craft during the last war. After we had disabled the pirate craft, thanks to some fine gunnery on the part of Dead-Eye Gaspode, my colleagues boarded the craft to see what they could discover. I choose to remain behind in order that I might surreptitiously contact the craft in case there were any Zhodani on board. Fortunately this wasn't the case, although I did detect the presence of a psionic mind, but it clearly wasn't Zhodani. My colleagues were able to download a journal from the computer which revealed the full extend of Col. Schaffer's activities.

He is nothing more than a good old fashioned warmonger. His use of the Zhodani craft was an attempt to renew the hostilities between our two species. His recent exploration of the XXX-XXX system had uncovered a number of Ancient artefacts that are psionic in origin. These devices somehow meld with the operating systems of the vessel and allowed Col. Schaffer to fully operate the craft psionically over vast distances. Even more interestingly these devices appear to be almost indestructible. I am sure Your Excellency would like more information on these artefacts and I shall do what I can to gather more information.

We retrieved the artefact from the pirate craft but I was unable to get any time to study it. Rest assured that I will find some time soon. We also discovered that Col. Schaffer has two bases, one on an asteroid in the Bowman system, and the other at the location where he found the artefacts in the XXX-XXX system. I suspect that our next assignment will be to destroy these bases of operations, in which case I will need to study the artefact to understand its link with Col. Schaffer. I shall submit my findings in my next report.

Your loyal servant,
Count Avon Kawling

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