Diary Entry - The Obsidian Moon

Another cycle, another mountain of reports to wade through. The Raptor proposal is… persistent. It keeps popping up as advertisement, on my holgram. Those gleaming holos of the ship, tearing through asteroid fields like a metallic predator. Impressive, I’ll grant them that. But impressive doesn’t pay the bills, and it certainly doesn’t guarantee the safe passage of my cargo. I've spent the better part of the last cycle re-analyzing the specs. They’re calling them heavy frigates, and that’s putting it lightly. These are damned near cruisers in terms of firepower, but with the agility of a frigate. The weapons arrays are tempting; multiple rail cannons, the heavy point defense turrets… it's a scary package. The question is, is it necessary? I have five pilots, who could even boost these heavy frigates capability. They have experience. Otherwise, their pay is wasted.

Diary Entry - The Obsidian Moon

Going over past logs. The reports detail the pirates' own small frigates, nimble and packing a punch. We’re not facing opportunistic scavengers. It’s organized violence. Therefore, my initial reaction at the heavy frigates was they were overkill, but now...

The Raptors cost a fortune, that’s the biggest negative. Fuel consumption is atrocious, crew requirements are triple, and the maintenance costs are eye-watering. Deploying even one of these into a sector eats into our profits considerably. I can see why I was hesitant. The initial outlay for five... we'll make myself blanch. But that's just the surface. They don't just cost money. They take up space in the docks, they require specialized repair crews... so many logistical headaches. The Ravens, while vulnerable, are easy to replace, their maintenance is comparatively simple. We can keep a larger number of them operational at any given time. Should I buy more Ravens, or Five Raptors?

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Diary Entry - The Obsidian Moon

I've been cross-referencing the Raptor’s capabilities against known pirate tactics. The heavy rail cannons are designed to shred armor, the heavy point defense turrets will make short work of anything smaller, even if it has armor. My concern shifted from ‘Is it necessary?’ to ‘Is it enough?’ The thing is, the Raptors aren't just about fighting. They're about deterrence. Just seeing those ships in a convoy should give most raiders pause. I've even spoken to some former Star Navy officers who’ve seen the Raptor in combat exercises. Their accounts are… well, they’re almost enthusiastic. They call them “apex predators.”

The positives are stacking up. The advanced sensor array, the point-defense capabilities, the heavy armor plating … we’re talking about a ship that can take a beating and still deliver. It's a fleet not reliant on my Phoenix. Their speed, while not the same as a Ravens, is good enough to respond to distress calls or break off from engagements efficiently. And the crew, I need to hire more, no doubt. They will time to be trained. It goes without saying, the psychological effect on our cargo ship crews, knowing they’re protected by something that could tear the bad guys apart single-handedly, is significant.

Diary Entry - The Obsidian Moon

I've reviewed all the logistics reports one last time. This isn't a cheap decision, not even close. However, I have enough credits saved. It will put a strain on the budget for at least two cycles. But the alternative… the alternative is losing my entire fleet and my life.

I’ve sent the requisition. Five Raptors. It's done. May the Stars be kind, because with these ships, we are going to make our own kind of luck. The Raptor is no longer a proposal. They’re our Claws.