New Year, New Opportunities

[Ramke]

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As January came and passed, the promised progress had been dismayingly slow. With Gallia turning into enemies, and the Sirians remaining such, there was little that could be done. The rest of the royalists had their own struggles and couldn't extend more help than what they could spare - a pittance at best. The raider ships continued their work, bringing in the little supplies they could to keep the cruiser's crew going. Morale, experiencing a short boom previously, had faltered as both the captain and royal realised just how little option they had. There needed to be a breakthrough. A lead. Something that they could pursue instead of stagnating.

One solar night, a raider Lynx had returned, after having been missing for much longer than usual. Not with goods, but information. The noble looked up from her desk as the office's door slid open and she saw him enter. Claire was eager to berate the pilot for wasting fuel, but stopped short of doing so without hearing the oddly chirp lieutenant out.

The man's next words were what Claire had wished for. A lead. A breakthrough. Her expression changed as her mood shifted to determination. The pilot had met an odd GNI patrol - one that did not shoot him. The suspicion was palpable to both Claire and the lieutenant at the time, however he explained:


"The GNI ship was a freighter, however my scans did not properly read through what it was carrying. I suspect my Lynx's scanners were starting to malfunction, or it could have been something less identifiable that they were carrying. The freighter captain opened a comms channel with me as I was charging my weapons as a threat to steal the cargo, however his next words caught me off-guard." the Lynx officer explained, taking a pause.


"They claimed they were part of a secret royalist detachment deep in enemy lines, masquerading as GNI. Now, I did not trust him at the very least, until his camera displayed an insignia medal that was awarded right before the siege of New London. We had a conversation, and he was indeed part of the attack - there was no way he would have known the information he did, even if he was part of the intelligence. What they do now is quite ingenious - forging GNI IFFs and claiming that their installation is top secret, which means not many would bat an eye and accept it, along with any deliveries that they needed. We discussed our situations, and he claimed they have a secret installation hidden on the edges of Gallia, towards Rheinland. They have a shipyard and would be able to get the cruiser back in an operational state, and more."

Claire nodded, listening intently. "And did you think this may be perhaps something that sounds too good to be true?" she asked, still skeptical. While the rest of the royalists were struggling in the Taus and corners of Gallia, starving, these 'secret' agents seemed to be thriving and offering help.

"I did." he replied, holding his hand up. "And I made that very clear. The freighter's captain interrupted me, saying he understands the suspicious nature. He offered to raise it up to his leadership to meet with our representatives in a neutral location to discuss what the two groups can cooperate with each other on."

A lull in the conversation came, and silence enveloped the small office. Contemplating on the words, the former duchess rubbed her forehead. The ship would either starve or mutiny before that happens if they didn't start clutching at straws - anything - to get things moving.

"Merci, lieutenant. I expect you to provide a detailed report as soon as possible, with the contact details and descriptions of your freighter pilot." the woman eventually muttered, watching the pilot salute, and make his way out of the room.

This will be a hard decision.