Sirius Coalition Expeditionary Corps|SCEC - Communication Channel

[Gardarik]

Incoming Transmission

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Дата: December 9th, 825 A.S.

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From: CRO Dr. Mstislav Belov
To: SCEC Personnel; CC: High Commissar Alexei Novikov
Encryption: <Heuristic Encryption Protocol V.01>
Subject: Interim Report on Recent Activities

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Предупреждение: только уполномоченный персонал.

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Comrades!

Hereby I would like to commend everyone on their service and in brief report on the updates as to our recent projects.

1. Tau Expedition

Expedition to Tau is under way, many planets and other stellar objects have been surveyed in detail. Pending summary: Tau systems pose no increased interest for the Coalition. While we were aware of the rich natural resources and quite a few planets suitable for terraforming and colonisation, there are numerous factors to consider for further endeavours of any fashion in the region:

1. ongoing war with Gallia that involves many local factions;
   
2. sheer distance from Coalition-controlled space;
   
3. logistical issues - getting to the region involves crossing or passing by systems controlled by factions considered to be unfriendly or outright hostile;
   
4. general lack of comparative advantages to Omega systems.
   

A objects caught our attention in Taus and adjacent systems.

Goddess Geode (Baffin system) - a sacred object for Temporary Autonomous Zoners. While the latter have relations of amity with the Coalition, the information of the planet their primary facility orbits still remains scarce, possibly due to superstition. Surveying was complicated due to not involving intrusive drilling not to offend TAZ. The brief surface survey confirmed the generally known information on Goddess Geode being "hollow". It is yet unclear what the underground cave systems (or even valleys) hide, yet without intrusive drilling this information is not accessible. The planet provides academic interest to astrogeologists with a peculiar case of planet forming that is yet to be studied in details.

Goddess Geode

Planet Borneo (Tau 44 system) - an oceanic world in deep Taus. The world is suitable for colonisation and supporting small settlements without external assistance. The local flora and fauna are toxic for consumption for humans. The samples taken indicate a different set of amino-acids involved in the food chain that will be in better case rejected by the human organism, or dissociate into toxic for human organism compounds. The survey of ocean revealed high volcanic activity on the ocean bed. The planet is rather cold for an oceanic world that is presumably caused insufficient geothermal activity despite warm ocean bed, and rather thin atmosphere due to which the greenhouse effect is not as noticeable. We hypothesise that in the future the temperature of the planet might rise. It is also easily terraformable with the use of gasses known to intensify greenhouse effect. The planet was an object of interest of the Crayter Republic, yet with the Gallic invasion the efforts of the Republic were concentrated elsewhere.

Planet Borneo

There were other planets of interest that will be in detail described in the specialised catalog.

2. New Route into Gallia

Our intelligence recently reported increased number of rumours of Hessians and Unioners as to a short route into Gallic space from Rheinland territory. A small expedition was dispatched alongside SCRA and TSB escorts into Cologne system where we indeed found a previously unknown jumphole leading to a system referred as "Zurich". From a short survey of the system we concluded that it poses interest for mining operations and observation of distant systems lying outside of Sirius sector. The Gauls have already constructed an observatory there, presumably for the sake of mentioned observation (and also, for spying on Rheinland we assume). Detailed surveying was impaired by the imminent threat by the Gallic forces and thus our expedition had to remain concealed and far from larger objects. We managed to obtain some samples of the soil from a few planets for further mineral composition analysis. Further expedition in Zurich is highly advised and required.

Zurich Scenery

After Zurich with smaller forces we ventured deeper into Gallia. The intel we collected presumes that the Council has a much firmer stance in lower Gallia that is beneficial for possible guerrilla actions versus Gallia.

Council Signatures Detected

3. Poole Hypergate & Coalition FTL programme

A small note should be made, that Bretonian and Libertonian engineers managed to launch a unique hypergate linking Poole and Alberta systems. While deemed at assisting in transferring more reinforcements for the Gallic war, it is beneficial for the Coalition as of present. however, further Libertonian presence in Poole that is close to New Moscow is a threat and, therefore, we might need to take hostile actions after the Gallic war to prevent further Libertonian movements in the area. It is also imperative that we try to obtain technologies from the gate at any possible occasion to further our ongoing FTL technology. In regard of the latter, a testing facility is soon to be deployed either in Omega 49 or deep in Siberian ice cloud to test our experimental sample for piercing space-matter. We have observed an agitation of space fabric in the said region causing gravitational "riptide". We speculate that we can create a jumphole. The issue is that we cannot control the other side and do not know where it will lead. Hence, industrial espionage of Poole-Alberta hypergate is crucial.

Poole-Alberta Hypergate

Observation of gravitational riptide in omega 49

I hope that this information will benefit the further endeavours in these directions. More especially we have to concentrate on finishing the previous projects as well as constructing the facility for FTL project (tentatively called "Ankara"). Remember: failure is not an option.

Dr. Mstislav Belov

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