Operation Spirit Wolf
21 Oct 2021Iridium Nova
Today saw the conclusion of Operation Spirit Wolf, a coordinated effort to dismantle the pirate gang responsible for the outbreak. Yes, quite a bit of an escalation from where I left off yesterday. Here's the rundown:Early this morning, Hattori agents identified and tagged several important gang leaders and their liasons in the neighboring systems. I, along with several unknown other commanders, were handed a list of targets. My list included several of these individuals, as well as a shopping list of items and networks for me to access. Fortunately, many of these targets were located together, making quick strikes easier. With lightning raids executed by all of the agents, we were able to shut down the hostile operation before they knew what happened.
As it turned out, I found one of the ringleaders attempting to infiltrate a surface settlement where two plague ships were waiting for authorization to land on an Earthlike world, where the disease would have spread like wildfire. These ships were desperate to find a port to land at, hoping against the odds that someone would have a miracle cure for them. I took him out, but not before he could disable the defenses. One of the plague ships decided to land in the field near the settlement once it saw that the defenses were down and I had to rush back to my ship to deal with it. The other ship tried to play by the rules and waited patiently for authorization, the poor souls. But they took off and low waked when I started firing on their sister ship. Shooting a landed ship is easy, and with pack hounds, it's possible to get a nice spread, especially with flammable materials in the environment. I carpet bombed the hell out of that ship and the area around it, since I saw a few plague bearers on foot near the ship. Fortunately the area was largely unpopulated, save for the settlement, and most of its population was killed in the firefight. I called in one of our hospital ships to tend to the remainder but I don't think they are going to forgive me for wrecking the joint. I did what I had to.
Tracking down the runner wasn't too hard. They were making for a distant fleet carrier, probably figuring that nobody would come looking for them if they were far from the system drop point. But that meant they were still in supercruise when I went looking for them. It was a simple matter to interdict them, but their pleading made murdering them more difficult. It's for the greater good, but it still feels wrong. I don't know why it's bothering me so much these days. It's not like this is anywhere near my first morally dubious kill. Shrugging it off like I always do, I was able to continue with the op, and "returned" the stolen items and the network access we needed to finally put the freeze on the Cartel's disease operation.
Upon returning to the monastery, I was informed that the other operatives were also successful, and that the last remaining infected had been quarantined. The two stages of the disease are fairly different. The first stage can be cured with the right medicines (which we now have in sufficient supply), but the second stage, aka the plague stage, is incurable and terminal. The victims slowly succumb to an agonizing illness which eventually kills them. The current best practice is simple euthanasia, putting them into a restful sleep before termination, avoiding the prolonged suffering associated with the plague stage.
With the outbreak now under control, the Hattoris are reorganizing and planning future operations. I'm not sure how much of that I will have a part in, but they consider me a trusted ally at this point so I will always have a safe haven as long as they have a presence here. I feel I still have much to learn at the dojo here, and still have much to think about regarding recent events.