Intelligence Mission Reports

[GrueZilla]

Gallic Excursion

Major Thomas Ashdown and I managed to enter Gallia unnoticed in our fighter craft recently to do a little reconnaissance work regarding how to plan a strike and where it could be launched from. We began in the Languedoc system, and were able to fly relatively close to their trade lane system without detection. It may be that they did not detect us, or that they are simply not worried with unidentified fighter craft. This arrogance may be something we can exploit.

We approached the Gallic jump gate to the Dauphine system, but it was guarded by a Valor-class battleship, and an approach would therefore be far too risky. Instead, Major Ashdown took me toward a jumphole into Dauphine, and on the way we documented a Gallic Brigand asteroid base in 2E/F known as Narbonne Base. It doesn't appear capable to house a strike force, but the Brigands here could certainly be useful for gathering fairly up-to-date intelligence of Navy movements.

We then entered the hole to Dauphine, emerging in some sort of cloud covering part of the southern region of the system. Emerging from this cloud, we located what must be the corresponding jump gate from the one in the Launguedoc system. It too was guarded by a Valor. We are clearly going to have our movements restricted to jump holes only. There will be no sneaking through the gates.

The Major then led me to the Provence jumphole from Dauphine, where we again emerged in some sort of cloud. There is a small planet here (the outline of which can be barely seen in the right side of this photo) extremely close to the jump hole. If we are to bring any large vessels, extreme caution is advised using this route.

In the Provence system we encountered two bases that could be of more use than Narbonne. The first was a Unione Corse based called Monaco Base. Just from first glance, Monaco looks much more capable of helping to house an actual strike force while it is prepared. I would certainly advise developing stronger relationships with the Unione Corse, and it is likely they could be easily motivated by profit.

The second base in Provence was a Gallic Junker base, Monte Carlo Freeport. I am unsure, however, whether these Gallic Junkers, who for so long served the Gallic Crown as spies, would be at all willing to assist in its destruction. Monaco still looks like our best bet.

It is at this point that the Major and I received word that the Gallic Police had become aware of our presence, and that we could not take the same route back that we used to get in. Instead, we entered an asteroid field in the Provence system where we found a jumphole to Corse, a system that is entirely desolate except for a single, small Unione Corse outpost. From Corse we were able to get back to Languedoc, but officers were waiting for us there. We split up and eventually shook them, the Major making it to Orkney in a matter of moments and I some time later, when I lost the Police gunboat that was chasing me.

We learned from this trip that Gallia is certainly not invincible, having evaded detection for the majority of our visit, and that the local dissenters seem to have facilities capable of helping us. Stronger relations with any Gallic unlawfuls should probably be pursued.

Yamada Soujiro, Second Lieutenant in the Black Guard