Rebel fate

[Victoria Knight]

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829-02-20: Battleship Harmony, Vespucci

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With a last salvo from the Harmony, the bretonian attack force was defeated. The last destroyer drifting off into the defensive mine grid, irrecoverable. Victoria, now again having command of the battleship, couldn't recall a single time liberty naval weaponry had destroyed bretonian vessels before. It truly was both frustrating and regrettable that this exchange had even come to pass. There should have never been these kinds of struggles with Bretonia. Though that, in addition to the Navy pushing forward made clear, this was supposed to be a decisive strike. Had the Navy known of the defenses, the mines? Had they sacrificed the Bretonian attackers? It was all too likely, from how she experienced the Navy's hunt on her people.
Victoria glanced at the video feed of the disabled bretonian warship one last time before leaving the bridge to her subordinate. Ever since the riots began on the surface, she'd transferred back to space, first to Marshall Station in orbit, then to the Harmony. The only ship excluded from the officer and crew exchange program back when they joined forces with the Legion. A regretful decision, as it was the stationary nature of the legion that made this very attack possible in the first place. Her own forces had always very much valued mobility, installations only a necessity for repairs and supply lines in far away, hidden locations.

The Harmony was still very much representative of that doctrine and with her supply craft nearby, still very much mobile. Should she give the order? All attached vessels were still from her initial group, Battlegroup Harmony. Sure many had been handed over to the new command structure but this very division was still almost hers. Reporting to her. Especially now she didn't regret that mistrust towards Legion forces. If the reports on approaching Navy craft were correct, then this attack could be a decisive threat. Yet...
A chime came, alerting her of an urgent message. Mulvane outpost had been destroyed, a system over in Kansas. So soon? A battlecruiser division had been destroyed during the defence. That made the decisive defeat of bretonia almost meaningless.

The regional commander had been withdrawing defenders to Fort Riley soon after and yet, Victoria had a feeling that this wasn't enough. She'd felt the exact same twice before, back in Alaska and back in Bering later on. Was she doomed to repeat this cycle over and over? Retreating from the Navy with an increasingly smaller force?

Reaching her cabin she made some tea, real tea, received from OSC as one of the various gifts in exchange for cooperation within Vespucci. Almost decadent but she needed to calm her nerves. She had to make the decision, yet again. Was this even towards a goal any more? Or was she just trying to survive. She'd always put her people first, protected them while fighting off the Navy. She'd held illusion that this mission had succeeded in any major way. Yet there was no real way back either. It was almost impossible to imagine a situation in which the Navy, Liberty, would accept their surrender in a way that wasn't a lifelong prison sentence or even more likely, immediate execution.

The damage they'd cause and would still cause to Liberty's armed forces was considerable. Maybe the largest apart from the inter house wars against Rheinland or Gallia. Something she should've been proud of, yet it caused her to sigh in regret. It was necessary but she didn't have to enjoy it.

She pulled up the report then. Of the division she'd assumed direct command over. It was ready, all ships stocked up on supplies, fuel and ammunition. If there was shortages, Harmony division never had to fear them, having priority on any resupply order. Something the former Legionnaires had struggled with her over on various occasions. She tapped the screen, thinking. It really was now or never. Neither Bretonia or Liberty would have a sizeable force in Magellan still. Not after this attack. And most ships would now route to the Kansas entrance to support Riley.

"Captain Morray, alert all division ships, we'll jump to Magellan, set course for California and keep us quiet and hidden. If we have the chance we will attack stragglers on their way to Kansas within Pennsylvania. Have a transport prepared for when we reach California. I have a request to make to the Xenos. Let's hope their offer still stands."

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