Intercepted Transmission - Sliptail

Public information cable by Rasaan and Rupeean News, a generally well-regarded Fennec news broadcaster with a history of pro-Emperor but non-propagandistic spin. The byline reads 'Kalaraan Val Sara Aeisi'

====
A military study of a classified type, believed to be researching novel applications for Lwyd Rift technology, was lost yesterday with no casualties.
The destroyer Sliptail, launched 3 years ago in the aftermath of the Adriaapoli Reconquest, was seen in Kaab Bandir making multiple intra-system subspace jumps and favouring planetary bodies as destinations. The Sliptail was seen to accelerate away from its emergence point after each jump, often but not always to regroup with her attendant fleet.
One civil operator approached out network with declassified data which shows the destroyer increased speed following each jump. On multiple occasions, Sliptail went to sustained flank acceleration in order to regroup with her fleet. The operator declined to speculate on the motive or reason for the wartime acceleration curve.
Sliptail was lost after making a tactical Lwyd Rift jump targeting the major gas giant in-system, on a course which almost intersected the primary star Kaab. Sliptail emerged off-course and dangerously close to the star on a suborbital trajectory.
Immediate rescue efforts were begun by both the military vessels nearby and the an Auxilia logistics craft operated by Puurfirs Gases, a helium-harvesting contractor. All hands were recovered with no fatalities and few substantial injuries.
There is confusion over the people responsible for saving the Sliptail's crew. Naval dispatches made public by NavInt have indicated that the captain offered a prompt and orderly mass evacuation of the ship and prioritised the safety of serving personnel at all times. However, logs indicate that the vessel's damage control officer took over all bridge operations. The captain is understood to have abandoned his post shortly after the primary heat sinks were dumped and shortly before the remaining atmosphere was jettisoned.
Reete Val Sel Puurfirs, an Auxilia pilot who contributed to the evacuation efforts, is mentioned in the NavInt report as showing significant personal courage for his efforts in supporting the evacuation of the destroyer. Reete has so far declined to make contact with the press.
(Attached - false-colour radar footage of destroyer Sliptail approaching Kaab solar corona and breaking up)
The devolvement of novel 'blinkships' for military purposes has been of considerable interest to naval strategists since the beginning of the Terran War, despite insurmountable issues with flying without rift nodes.
Civilian theorists have taken the Sliptail Disaster as yet further proof that a tactical repositioning drive is fundamentally incompatible with Lwyd Rift technology. A number of carefully but directly worded articles reason that the use of such a drive within the heliosphere will only ever lead the drive to be captured by the gravity well, with catastrophic results.
This station does not consider itself an authority on experimental technology and has nothing to add to this debate.
Representatives from NavInt have confirmed that they are not treating the matter as an act of sabotage or enemy action, and are happy to confirm that no permanent casualties were sustained relating to the loss of the Sliptail. No other information has been released. It is likely that the full story of the Sliptail's fate will not be known until at least the war's end.
====