In trying to protect innocent miners, local security forces and independent bounty hunters bit off more than they could chew in the belts of Iota Persei 1 today. Even though the pirates were eventually put on the defensive and had to flee, the victory was paid for with heavy losses by the defenders. When the exhaust trails finally evaporated and the debris cleared, observers tallied more than a dozen destroyed Federal Security ships. Almost as many independent combatants were lost.
The battle doesn't seem to have originated in a planned operation by security forces. Iota Persei is well known for its rich asteroid mining zones ringing a number of gas giants in the system and the fleets of ships extracting ore around the clock. Many of these are independent refinery ships that aren't well protected. While Federal Security tries to keep the main resource extraction sites as well policed as possible, pirate incursions are common. So are bounty hunters looking for marauders to take down. The pirates mostly operate in small wings of Cobras or Vipers and will get picked off by hunters which often use similar ships which are usually better armed, however.
Reports indicate the present shootout started along these well known lines but took a turn for the worse when the small group of pirates suddenly got reinforcements; among them a heavily armed Anaconda. The bounty hunters apparently also called in friends and then got joined by a number of Federal Security patrol boats arriving from nearby Walker City. According to reports, the pirates turned out to be in the majority in the end, with nearly twice as many ships as the law. Things quickly got out of hand with most miners in the area dodging stray missiles while firing up their FTL drives to run for safer pastures.
In the light of this sudden escalation of violence, many residents of this formerly rather quiet, out of the way system are beginning to worry about the pirate threat. So far, inquiries with Iota Persei Purple General Ltd and the local government have not been answered officially. Sources close to the security forces are suggesting that those in charge are now mulling a hefty increase in local bounties, though. That this will attract enough bounty hunters to fend off the danger seems doubtful. This attack shows a surprising manpower increase in local pirate forces and could indicate that Iota Persei has a substantial outlaw problem on their hands.
Commander Richard Brannigan
Regulus Observer | Interstellar Press
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