Asteroid Blues - VIRD Team 1 Field Report

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Lieutenant Colonel de L’Arbre – VIRD Team 1 – POSOC Forward Operating Base Sianfiarge


VIRD Team 1 has been operational in the sector for 23 days (NeoTerra standard.) We've been tasked with identifying and establishing contact with the non-aligned elements (NAEs) operating in the sector.  Because of Team 1’s previous experience liaising with NAEs during the Japanese Secession, and again during the Kurage conflict on Dawn, PanOceania Special Operations Command felt our team was uniquely qualified for the role.


Enclosed is a summary of our findings:


Japanese Secessionist Army (JSA): Special Operation Command's communications with the JSA during Kurage were channeled through a Japanese-controlled corporate front, Tasaka Strategic Consulting, which was was plugged directly into the intelligence, recon, counter-intel and clandestine warfare efforts of the Japanese Secessionist Government.  However, our attempts to establish contact in this theater haven’t generated any results.  We’ve confirmed that the corporation still exists (the funding they received through Hexahedron shell corporations during Kurage has certainly kept them in business.)  We speculate that the heavy casualties they suffered during the Yu Jing incursion around Kurage has forced them to temporarily withdraw from field operations.  It is not yet clear if the Secessionist Government has secured an alternate contractor in the interim, and whether they plan any joint combat operations with PanOceania forces during this time.  I advise we abandon backchannel communication, and pursue open dialog via broadband Diplomatic Channels.


Druze Bayram Security (DBS): The DBS were heavily invested in the Kurage campaign.  While we’ve detected their combat teams present in this sector, they’ve avoided or rejected our attempts to make contact.  We attempted to coerce dialog by interdicting one of their smuggled arms shipments, hoping to use it to trigger negotiations, with plans to return the shipment as a sign of good faith.  Rather than negotiate however, DBS staged an op against us, trying to reclaim their arms through force.  Team 1 succeeded in annihilating the DBS incursion team in self-defense, also securing 4 prisoners during the skirmish.  Unfortunately, they all succeeded in killing themselves via wetware implants before we could put any neurological restraints in place.  Our advisers suggest that further punitive action may encourage them to negotiate, but with recent upheavals in their leadership structure, there’s no guarantee they won’t simply escalate their attacks against PanOceania-held targets instead.  DBS is a wildcard, and we can detect no figure of central leadership willing to negotiate with PanOceania.

The Free Company of the Star (StarCo): StarCo represents a unique challenge.  While apparently free-lance, both their operational ethos and their close ties to the Nomad conglomerates mean that StarCo tends to do whatever their Nomad handlers want them to.  During Kurage, they proved unreliable to the Japanese Secessionist Leadership, tending to align more closely with Nomad objectives.  This seems highly likely to be a pattern we can expect to see continue in the Human Edge.  In an attempt to make contact, we staged an operation to spring one of their Data Manipulation specialists from local lockup.  That operation was successful, and we’ve delivered her to a safehouse while we negotiate pickup by StarCo.

Dahshat: At present, I advise against negotiation/collaboration with Dahshat.  Preliminary surveillance indicates a large contingent of Helot freelancers in their organization.  We’re still filtering the results through Hexahedron, O-12 and Blue Sea databases, but we have identified at least six Helots with active ties to the Libertos Paramilitary group on Varuna.  If any armed crisis escalates in the region, I strongly advise authorizing field operations against Dahshat.  Taking any of these Helots alive would be invaluable for our counter-terror efforts on Varuna, particularly in identifying the off-world funding channels that are keeping the Libertos armed and active.

Foreign Company (ForCo): Foreign Company’s priorities are, as of yet, unknown.  At present, their operational priority seems to be VIP escort and high-profile protection assignments.  Their corporate negotiator mentioned they’re finalizing contracts in the area (longest contract duration: 6 weeks, NeoTerra standard) so we should expect them to become a committed regional player.  At present, we’re liaising through their established client channels, using one of their client encrypts in order to establish dialog.  Has the Hexahedron discussed the possibility of leveraging/coercing Valkyrie, as well as ForCo’s large contingent of PanO veterans?  If possible, we may be able to secure partnership (or at least non-aggression) from ForCo by promising expanded Aristeia broadcast rights.  Another suggestion is to offer them exclusive contracts, with non-compete clauses, to protect PanOceanian personnel and corporate holdings.


Spiral Company (Spiral): It’s confirmed that Spiral has already been operating in the region for the past 3 months, with contracts focused entirely on anti-Shasvaastii investigation and interdiction.  They’ve staged at least 4 highly publicized raids in that time period, supposedly against Shas cells and/or Sepsitorized targets.  However, our own intel indicates that the Combined Army presence, even at highest estimate, is nowhere near pervasive enough to justify the kind of escalation and field operations we’re seeing from Spiral.  It’s strongly implied that they have an ulterior motive for launching their operations in the area, potentially in tandem with the remnants of Triumvirate High Command.  We recommend that the Hexahedron investigate immediately. 


Conclusion:

Based on our intel efforts, I believe that Non-Aligned Mercenary Companies will play a minimal role in the sector.  Their individual power is negligible, and they’re utterly devoid of central leadership.  Additionally, given how critical mercenary support was to the Japanese defensive efforts in Kurage, the lack of mercenary support renders the Japanese Secessionist holdings extremely vulnerable to external assault.  Given the staging of multiple Banners of the Yu Jing Army in the sector, and the increase in perimeter foot patrols by Yu Jing military and security personnel, I believe a massive Yu Jing offensive is simply a matter of time.  Team 1’s operationally ready, and will keep you apprised of any developments.


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