Johnathan Sanders: Thoughts of a guide.

[AeternusDoleo]

Stagnation.

Perhaps it is odd to feel this way. But it feels as if I'm staring at a stormcloud rolling closer and closer. Gallia has begun pushing deeper into Bretonian space, into the already ravaged Leeds system. I suppose there's not much left to destroy in that system by now, courtesy of BMM's production and resource extraction methods. Leeds is toxic. The planet is toxic. The very nebulas that once graced the system are toxic. I do not get why there is so much conflict over a place as this.
Yet while things change, they stay the same. Outcast raiders have not grown any less numerous. Some of the miners are growing concerned that the Gallic mining corporation will eventually move in on the niobium deposits. "Rocks for the Arch." Heh. Those guys are as crazy as the Falkland boys. But they are a potential problem.

Still, it's clear that Gallia isn't as comfortable in an asteroid field as us miners. They seem to have invested a significant portion of their might in capital ships. And those have serious problems maneuvering through the Tau fields. The Gallic miners seem tasked to keep a cordon open, but they cannot clear the vast ranges of the Tau fields entirely.
But the Gallic miners aren't the only threat that has come out of Gallic space. New raiders. Council, Brigands, Maquis, and the Corse. I'm still not certain what to think of all these.
The Brigands... they seem disorganized, which makes them unpredictable. They remind me of the Liberty Rogues in a sense. Opportunistic. They could be a threat to traders entering Tau space, but beyond that, I doubt they have the potential to do much more. There have been rumors of them making overtures to the outcasts. Likely to bring that drug of theirs out into Gallia, they seem the types.
The Council are more a military then a raiding force. Still, they have few resources to call on. I hear the fleet that evacuated to Rousillion wasn't the only one, and that the larger portion of their forces is still stuck deep within Gallia. It is a point of concern. A military that does not have the ability to sustain it's forces can, and often will, try to annex nearby resources in order to survive. Settling them on Tau-113C was, and still is, risky to our operations in Coronado.
The Maquis are very unpredictable. Driven by hatred against the monarchy, they do not discern between royalists and those who in their eyes, are aiding them. And they have the coordination and expertise to be able to cripple a base. I would not put it past them to strike at one of our Tau bases. Unlikely perhaps, as there are several royalist bases that would in my mind be more tempting to them, but not impossible.
The Corse, those worry me the most. They remind me in a sense of the Hogosha. "Citizens" who would have no qualms about robbing us blind on one hand, then turning around and claiming us the attacker when the law shows up. I only hope they are not as woven into Gallic society as the Hogosha are in Kusari society. It is strange that these societies tolerate such organisations to even exist openly. It speaks to the integrity of those governments I suppose... or lack thereof. A good reason to remain out in the fringeworlds. When we're attacked here, in these systems many of us call home, we can retaliate, and retaliate harshly. An even playing field. Something these organisations are unaccustomed to.

The Omega region is once again stable. Most of the fighting there has died down. Bretonia and Rheinland settled their differences without too many losses on their side, and the mid omega gate was reopened for trade once more. Even the fighting between the Hessians and Corsairs seems to have died down a bit, although I wager that won't last. It is not in the nature of either faction to sit idle. No, they're both preparing something...
Bretonia still seems intent on resettling Sprague. With their war with Gallia going badly, I cannot blame them. Any voice against their expansion into this planet is likely to fall on deaf ears - or worse, to be considered a voice against Bretonia itself. In the long run it may mean that Aland will be more difficult to operate, but at the same time, a heavier Bretonian presence will mean they will bear the brunt of the Corsair raiders in the system. If Bretonia survives, the will need shipbuilding capacity to rebuild their navy. Being close to the resource-rich Omega borderworlds, Aland is in a very strategic position to do just that. Imagine what a blow that would be to BMM - to have our shipwrights land an Armed Forces contract. If only Bretonia could swallow it's pride. Unlikely.
Omega 7 has not changed much in the last months. It continues to be a wealth of mineral resources, the constantly shifting nebulas bringing new resource pockets every now and then. Rivalry and sabotage from Kruger and Daumann has died down as well. Kruger is still facing some internal problems from what I hear. Daumann... seems more focused on its operations in Munich. All the better, it lets our miners do their labor in peace. It may seem strange, but ranking the Corsairs as the worst problem in Omega 7 seems almost a blessing.
Still. We need to be prepared. Rheinland is still in a very precarious position, both economically and militarily. They seem to seek closer cooperation with Kusari, a nation with few mineral resources and a fleet in need of rebuilding. Providing Kusari with raw materials (and by proxy, Gallia) may be a means by which they could try to alleviate their economic problems. A Rheinland monopoly on it's resources would be tempting to them - although evicting our miners would likely mean most of them would join the Hessians. No, that wouldn't be a boon to Rheinland.

Contingencies. Plans. Only a few are ever set into motion. Fewer yet work out. But without them we face the world with even less preparation. One does, what one can do.

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Wide awake in a world that sleeps, enduring thoughts, enduring scenes. The knowledge of what is yet to come.
From a time when all seems lost, from a dead man to a world, without restraint, unafraid and free.

Mostly retired Discovery member. May still visit from time to time.