Epinal Heroism

[Val]

743 AGS Tuesday, October 13 th,
1200 New Paris Time

Battleship Epinal, few days before its destruction

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Epinal Heroism

Planet Nevers - Burgundy The war against aggressive Kusarian invaders reached a new level of intensity with their forces now back into Dauphine, but with large reinforcements this time. The information has shocked the Gallic citizens, especially those in the Minarchy, who were hoping not to see further bloody battles in their system. Nevertheless, the saddest news comes with the sacrifice of the battleship Epinal in Burgundy. In one last heroic move, the battleship, already damaged during the earliest battles of the very first days of the conflict, saved Avallon from destruction after Kusarian battleship Ueda suddenly charged the station under a creeping barrage from the Kusari lines. To engage and halt the Ueda required the Epinal to press its reactors into overwhelming overload and while she was able to disable the Ueda and redirect her from ramming the station, she fell to the Matsumoto’s long range guns. The Capitaine of the Epinal, Martin Charbonneau managed to send a last message to its forces in the very last minutes of the intense confrontation: "My crew and I have retreated enough. We have the chance to stop them and we'll seize it. Epinal, your hour has come, it is time to show everyone how a true Gallic soldier fights for his house. May our sacrifice not be vain. Longue vie à Gallia!" Epinal was an honorable veteran of the Second Gallic War, having participated in many battles against the former Council in Champagne and Lorraine, where she remained since, before the Kusari invasion. The crew was highly disciplined and experienced and its loss will be greatly felt in the weeks to come. However, the Duchy forces, far from being demoralized by this event, clearly express their intentions to avenge their fallen brothers. The Defense Forces leadership in Burgundy say the morale among the crews is very high not just thanks to the heroic action of Epinal, but also due to the express arrival of the newly constructed battleship Hossegor, along with her escort ship Vaxoncourt, which have absorbed former Epinal escort Les Vosges into their cohort. The good fortune didn't stop as the legendary Cassard and her battlegroup arrived from Dauphine to reinforce the front. Outnumbered almost two to one in this theater, it is expected that Kusari will suffer a crushing defeat in the days to come. In response to the heroic actions of Epinal throughout the Second Kusari-Gallic War, the Grand Duke Valentin Trintignant asked the Chancellery of the Gallic Rewards and Values for the honor of being the person to posthumously award La Légion des Valeurs Gauloises to the Capitaine of the Epinal and her crew, one of the highest decoration in Gallia. Nevertheless, despite the optimism of the Defense Forces in Burgundy, the situation is worsening in Dauphine and the Parisian Assembly has refused to comment on the new offensive of Kusari in this sector for the moment. According to some deputies, the Assembly has been facing internal legitimacy issues since the recent redeployment of forces, with major factions losing confidence that the Assembly is willing to defend them.