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Lord Caedus · 03-25-2026, 06:45 AM,

//: Secure Connection Established

Name: Duke
Identification: Gallic National Intelligence
Encryption Access: Eyes Only
Location: REDACTED
Subject: Initial Scouting Report

Agents,

I have just been forwarded a report by Mirage, one of our covert operatives, detailing strategic and tactical insights about several systems in the Lower Taus, Kusari, and Bretonia. I have also appended my own thoughts on my observations into their report where I found them relevant. Please familiarize yourself with this information, as it may prove useful when in the field.

Tau-31

Thirty-One is probably the system that Intelligence has the most interest in currently, as the Bretonian Armed Forces presence here is stretched extremely thin due to current priorities within Bretonia itself. We have relatively easy access to the system via Tau-29, and could easily launch attacks here in support of larger moves in the Taus by the Gallic Navy. Of particular note is the Harris orbital area, which has seen increased activity from corporate interests from across the sector.

Planet Harris, Battlecruiser Livingston, Lewes Shipping Platform

A more detailed scan than this was impossible due to heavy military patrols.

While the Bretonians are currently working to rebuild their defenses here, they’re clearly not getting the resources needed to get to a level that would allow them to actually defend against an attack. There were minimal patrols, and while the BAF have managed to reactivate some of the mines that were left in space following the end of the war, they’re so scattered as to not be any sort of threat to an approaching hostile force.

All together a very tempting target, assuming we can take control of the Jump Gate into the system and secure a foothold there. Priority would obviously be on disabling the Livingston in some way, or damaging it enough to force a withdrawal back to Leeds.

Duke's Notes: Mirage is correct in stating that an attack against the Livingston would be a risk, but it would be worthwhile to do so, as the ship being forced away from Harris would put a serious hamper on BAF activities in the system, and would help secure the Gallic position in the Taus, particularly Tau-23. This is the only base the BAF can launch patrols of the system from, and with their limited manpower pool, they've mostly been forced to restrict their ships to keeping the lane to the Leeds gate secure.

Holman Outpost

The IMG keep their own security, not willing to trust others in this regard.

Holman is convenient for us on multiple levels. To start, it makes a good place to run to in case of an emergency. It also allows us to develop informants among those of the IMG that would rather see the BMM kept away from their mining operations in the Taus. We could also stage false flag attacks against Bretonian or Kusari assets from Holman, though at this time we have no reason to do so.

While it is not a priority for us to protect Holman, as the IMG handle that more than well enough themselves, we should make efforts to ensure that their defense of the station is as effective as possible, including the rooting out of our contemporaries from the other houses.

Duke's Notes: Holman is the largest and most well defended IMG station in the Taus, primarily as a result of damage sustained during the war between Bretonia and Kusari. Holman has seen increased armament and heavy armor plating applied to most of the station, in addition to the deployment of enough snubcraft to make any assault on the station without capital assets a suicidal notion.

Supply Depot Lima

Expect a fair amount of BAF patrols in the area, but keep your eyes open for Outcasts too.

Not much to cover here, as this is just a staging area for Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing operations in Tau-23. It would be relatively easy to attack the depot, particularly ahead of a larger attack on BAF assets in Tau-23 as a way to distract them.

There was a significant amount of Armed Forces patrols around the gate, but I was surprised by the heavy Outcast presence in the area, which leads me to believe that the Outcasts may have a point nearby that they can launch attacks from, though I was unable to confirm this.

Duke's Notes: The Bretonians have left their supply lines to Tau-23 dangerously exposed, and it would be relatively simple to sneak a strike team to the depot and destroy it. There are several options here, either an outright assault, or possibly sneaking a stolen freighter laden with explosives into the vicinity with remote piloting.

Tau-29

Twenty-Nine is similar to Thirty-One in many aspects, though it is not quite as worthwhile of a target due to Kusari's limited investment in the system. Most goals we would seek to accomplish could be primarily accomplished by simply engaging in attacks on the mining fields being worked by Samura and Kishiro, as the Naval Forces presence in the system is basically non-existent once you move away from the trade lanes. Theoretically Kusari would be obliged to assist Bretonia if we made any moves against the latter in Thirty-One, but with their increased commitment against Liberty, it is more than likely that they would simply secure their holdings in Twenty-Nine and no more than that.

Shinkaku Station

Samura has little more than a few fighter patrols flying around Shinkaku.

Shinkaku provides a tempting target for a covert attack, as its well away from the patrols that fly along the trade lanes passing through the system, and would heavily impact Kusari interests in the area. While not a particularly valuable resource, the hydrocarbons that are mined here are integral part of the Kusari economy, and would be a substantial blow to their industry if damaged significantly

While Shinkaku itself boasts a decently large local security wing, they're corporate pilots, which are known to be less attentive when watching for hostiles. Corporate pilots also tend to be susceptible to bribery, and with the right groundwork laid, the local security could be unavailable at the time of an attack.

Duke's Notes: An attack on Shinkaku would be best undertaken by flying in from the mining field, possibly even with captured Samura mining vessels. It's unlikely that such an attack would be expected, but it could be sold even more easily by staging the attack to look like a mining ship fleeing attack, only for the mining ship itself to be the attack vector.

Nago Station

Nago is nestled securely between the lanes, mining the asteroids in the vicinity.

There is little to say about Nago that hasn’t already been said about Shinkaku, except that Nago is in a much more secure position and would be that much harder to attack. Overall not a good target in comparison, but worth going after if the opportunity presents itself.

Of note is the increased presence of Crayterian ships heading this way, though its hard to tell exactly what their destination is. Outcasts also strike the lane between here and Freeport Six frequently, and these attacks could be used as cover for our own operations in the area.

Duke's Notes: Nago sees a lot of ships transiting past it due to its location on the trade lane headed towards Kyushu. Any attempts to attack or interfere with the station should keep in mind that reinforcements could come out of the lanes at any time, but this could also be used against Nago. An attack launched from the direction of Freeport Six would more than likely go unnoticed until it was right on top of the station.

Freeport Six

Freeport Six has been substantially expanded in the last decade.

One of the rare stations in the Taus that allow open docking to all parties, Six provides many benefits that can be used by our agents, and the local Zoners are more than happy to facilitate these pursuits. Just keep in mind that everyone else is doing the same thing here. That being said, Six provides everything the discerning intelligence operative could need: a resupply point for heading into Kusari or Bretonia, a meeting ground for those we wish to deal with, and most importantly – a well stocked bar.

Duke's Notes: Freeport Six is probably the largest gathering of people with ulterior motives that I've seen since I had to attend that gala to welcome Rheinland's Emperor, and I think I might be under selling it. You're as likely to get a knife stuck between your ribs here as not, and I'd personally rather sleep in the cockpit of my ship than risk sleeping in one of the rental cabins here. That being said, you'll more than likely need to stay here for a few hours at some point, so your best bet is to make sure you're armed with at least a holdout blaster, and honestly some light body armor wouldn't be a terrible idea.

Kyushu

Kyushu as a system that is best compared to Orleanais back at home, both have planets that are mostly agrarian and have space based polymer production facilities, and both are probably the safest systems in their respective houses. Kusari lacks the shipyards and tourism industry of Orleanais though, and after the storms that ravaged so many of the farms here not too long ago, things have at best stagnated, if not gotten significantly worse. There is almost no Naval Forces presence in the system, and what little forces there are here are stretched thin, having to rely on the State Police to fill the gaps left behind by overcommitment. There's a notably heavy presence of Blood Dragons, Farmers Alliance, and even Golden Chrysanthemums in the system, almost as if each one were simply waiting for a moment to strike out at a perceived weakness.

Fukuoka Border Station

Fukuoka is extremely isolated, and easily cut off from reinforcement.

Fukuoka is the end of the chain in Kusari’s defense network, and its remote nature shows in its lack of support. The nearest reinforcements that could be expected to come to the stations defense are on Tsushima, and are not particularly strong due to nearly constant Blood Dragon attacks on the station. Hitting the station would destabilize Kyushu in general by allowing the pirates in the area to attack with greater impunity, and would also weaken the defenses available to the corporate stations in Tau-29.

Duke's Notes: Not much to add here, but its rather telling just how weak Kusari is in the Tau border regions that Fukuoka when you look at how harried the State Police based here are. I'm relatively positive that a motivated strike group of Blood Dragons or even Golden Chrysanthemums could disable or destroy the base without suffering heavy losses, let alone one launched by our own assets. It might be a better move to facilitate others to launch such an attack over doing so ourselves though. An attack on the trade lane leading here would also be a viable option, and could fairly easily be accomplished with minimal forces.

Tsushima Depot

Aso provides a scenic backdrop, but also an avenue of attack.

Tsushima presents a tempting target. A large industrial station with only nominal defenses, much of the hydrocarbons from Tau-29 are processed into polymers here, and hitting the facility would cause supply chain issues for the entire Kusari industrial sector. There were military assets not too far away, presumably a defense against Blood Dragon attacks originating from the Seiran dust cloud, but a quick strike from the Okha dust field or from behind Aso would more than likely be able to hit the station before a defense could be mounted.

Duke's Notes: As noted, Tsushima is an important part of Kusari's industrial infrastructure, and an attack against it could easily destabilize the entire house. It is more than likely that we could facilitate an attack on the station by the likes of the Blood Dragons. Making contact with the Blood Dragons should as such be a priority, as none of the groups we already have a relationship with seem to be active at this time. It is unlikely any members of the Dragons will be willing to work with us without some sort of sweetener, perhaps a shipment of arms or munitions that they could make use of.

Planet Kyushu

Kyushu itself has no defenses outside of patrols launched from the planet itself.

Kyushu seems to almost exclusively rely on the State Police to provide protection, as there were no notable Naval Forces patrols in the area for the extended time we loitered in the area. While notable for its lack of defenses, there is also a lack of targets worth assaulting, and the planet is better left avoided. The only thing that Kyushu readily provides is a source of dissatisfied Kusari citizens, and with the proper motivations some of those could be subtly turned to our cause, either acting outright against the Empire, or by passing notable information to our agents.

Duke's Notes: Following the massive storms that hit the planet a few years ago, rebuilding is still under way. This has led to a massive population of destitute farmers and unemployed workers. These desperate people are easy to turn to our cause, and we honestly wouldn't even need to do anything nefarious to accomplish this. Assets such as this would be easy to place into groups we're interested in developing contacts in, and with little risk of being detected, hopefully we can pursue this agenda in the near future.

Nansei Research Complex

Nansei is a massive facility, and tightly squeezed between Kyushu's binary stars.

Our scouts were unable to get close to Nansei, due to both its strategic position and the extensive patrols around the facility. While a tempting target, nothing short of a full battlegroup would be able to strike fast enough to be worth the effort, and the odds of destroying the station as a part of said attack are incredibly high. It is also very unlikely that we would be able to get any informants onto the station, and Nansei is better left to its own devices as far as Intelligence operations are concerned.

Duke's Notes: What little information we have about Nansei is all taken from publicly available information. The station is apparently used in dark matter research, and while an attack against the station sounds like an interesting prospect, purely to set back the efforts of Kusari Intelligence, the odds of accidentally rendering the entire system uninhabitable are far too high. At best we could hope to monitor the station remotely, perhaps by listening in to transmissions coming off of the station.

Edinburgh

Effectively rendered a backwater by the loss of the terraforming operation on Ayr and the need to rebuild infrastructure in the heart of Bretonia, Edinburgh is almost devoid of civilization in any degree. Planet Gaia is resource rich and could be exploited with some effort, but Gallia isn't desperate enough for resources to make any overtures towards Edinburgh, the system is simply too far away from Gallic space to be worthwhile.

Perth Outpost

Perth sits in orbit of Ayr, which was formerly targeted for terraforming.

Perth had a surprising lack of patrols around it for a military base, and almost no actual defenses to speak of. Despite this, Perth is not an attractive target due to how remote it is, but it speaks to how thinly spread the Bretonian military is right now. They do appear to be expanding the facility's sensor suites, and would appear to be using it as a long range listening post, probably watching for moves to be made by the Royalists on the other end of the jump hole to Roussillon.

Duke's Notes: Perth seems like it would make an excellent target for a strike, as limiting the ability of the Bretonians to monitor the fringes of their space would be extremely beneficial to our interests, and allow us to move deeper into Bretonia without impediment. It also would seem to be fairly poorly defended, and between this and the proximity to Ayr, an attack could be launched from the direction of the Kintyre Ice Cloud without drawing too much attention. Casualties would be expected, but a large enough force would be able to defeat the defenses of the station, and there's no hope of the station getting any reinforcements in a timely manner.

Fort Monach and Planet Gaia

Weapons platforms sit around Monach, keeping all other than the Gaians away.

This is originally a Gallic built facility, and you can tell just by looking at it. It would seem the local Gaians have adopted it as their own, giving it a new moniker, but they don’t seem to be making any moves to actually inhabit the facility for some reason, probably a fear of reprisal from the Bretonian military. Gaia itself is more or less the same as its always been, not of any particular interest to those not looking to exploit the planet, outside of providing an appealing backdrop.

Duke's Notes: The Gaians have laid claim to Monach, even if they have yet to set foot on the station itself. This serves as a distraction for the local Armed Forces garrison, and the continued fighting in the nearby debris field shows that neither side plans to give up on it any time soon. Monach itself is obviously not a target, but its worthwhile to keep an eye on the station, as any changes here mean changes for the system as a whole.

Leeds

Leeds is by far the most war ravaged system in Sirius, with every inhabited station to be found here a replacement for one lost during the war. There's obviously the planet itself, a smoldering testament to the foolishness of the King, and the ineptitude of his rule. Animosity towards Gallia is high among those few that call Leeds their home, and to be perfectly honest I find it hard to blame them.

LD-14

LD-14 has extensive security patrols, which tend to shoot first and ask questions later.

A heavily secured facility that specializes in Uranium mining, LD-14 is a tempting target, but far too easily reinforced by the Ark Royal at the far end of the trade lane. That’s assuming that one could get past the defenses here in the first place, which would be difficult in and of itself. The most one could hope to do is disrupt operations here by sending in some sort of EMP device, but with this being a station rebuilt after the war, it more than likely is shielded against such attacks.

Duke's Notes: LD-14 is an important facility for Bretonia, as the Uranium mined here is used extensively for MOX production, and without MOX, Bretonia would be almost completely incapable of rebuilding her war ravaged economy. Both the BMM and BAF know this, and patrols from both groups are extensive around the station, more than enough to keep even the most foolhardy Molly or Gaian away. If the Bretonians had any capital ships to spare at this point, they would probably keep at least a battlecruiser in the vicinity of the station even if the Ark Royal weren't a simple trade lane away.

Battleship Ark Royal and Stokes Reconstruction Site

The old Stokes junction sees the Ark Royal at its center, moved here from nearby Waterford.

The Bretonians seem to be rebuilding Stokes, probably with aims to have it process resources gathered in the Taus, as Leeds is almost completely played out already. The Ark Royal has been moved to stand guard over the construction, and the fortuitous timing of an attack by a group of Mollys is the only reason I was able to get as close as I could. The Stokes Reconstruction Site is a tempting target, but is too well defended to launch an actual strike against.

Duke's Notes: Rebuilding Stokes is more than likely seen as a point of pride among the Bretonians, as it would be a strong statement that they're well on their way to returning to their former glory as an industrial powerhouse. In addition there are several BMM asteroid miners in the Stokes field nearby, which seem to be attempting to mine the last of the viable resources there, probably with aims to process them into basic materials needed at the Reconstruction Site. Not a particularly attractive target, but certainly weakly defended enough to be hit without much risk.

Durham Outpost

Durham is the last stop for many ships headed out from Bretonia towards the Taus.

Built in orbit of Leeds as a replacement for the destroyed Glasgow Outpost, Durham is mostly a holding yard for goods moving deeper into Bretonian space. There isn’t anything particularly interesting about the station outside of the choice to build it with a view of the glassed planet. It seems like a rather macabre way to go about things, but one would expect that sort of familiarity with unappealing vistas from anyone that’s lived on New London.

Duke's Notes: Durham is where most shipping coming from Kusari is stopped and transferred over to domestic shipping concerns. Having a few informants on the station would allow Intelligence to track what exactly is coming to Bretonia from Kusari, both by letting us see shipping manifests, and seeing what ships are cleared to pass the station without a stopover. This is of increased interest following the recent revelations about the Kusari-designed Jump Drive technology, and their involvement in allowing the Bretonian Armed Forces to regain a foothold in the Dublin system.

Regards,
Duke
Director of External Operations

//: End Transmission

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