ID: Margrave Blaise Mersenne, Lord Marechal d'Armee Navalle ENREGISTREMENT: GRN-3305-81-C ORIGINE: Gap Station DESTINATION: Sieges Sociaux CHIFFRAGE: Securite-S
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This is Margrave Blaise Mersenne, submitting an action report for the 10th of Septembre, 784 A.G.S.
Inter-System Sensor alerts indicated an unknown mass reading within His Majesty's Territory of Dauphine. The Sylvana embarked from Dijon Station immediately to intercept and identify these targets. Upon departure, we were made privy that a small group of pilots belonging to the Legion des Damnes were flying within Burgundy; a group of pilots from His Majesty's Royal Navy, including Her Highness Princess Aurelia DeFrance, were already on-scene and dealing with them. The Sylvana prioritized the sensor readings in Dauphine, and madamoiselle Lucille Montague joined as an escort.
Upon arriving in Dauphine, visible confirmation was confirmed with one of the unknown vessels but, before a detailed structural analysis could be completed, it disappeared. During our search, Her Highness arrived in Dauphine aboard her personal vessel, the Ange Gardien. She had located the unknown vessel, and the Sylvana rendezvoused with it directly west of the Nyons Asteroid Field; the second target was also confirmed to be within range, and Operations performed a structural analysis on both vessels. Submitted below are the results of those scans:
The captain of the larger vessel claimed to have had no knowledge about Her Highness, nor any other persons of interest within Gallia. With nothing else to be learned, Her Highness issued the command to fire upon the Cruiser and its escort; the Sylvana dealt with the warship whilst madamoiselle Montague handled the fighter escort.
After the situation in Dauphine was resolved, all Royal Navy elements returned to Burgundy to respond to the increasing number of Legion fighters. By this point, a lone pilot belonging to the Free Brigands was found to be amongst the Legion. Combat was already underway, and all fighter-craft of His Majesty's Royal Navy were dispatched to eliminate the traitors. The tide of the battle remained even for the most part, with each fighter involved locked in combat with one other fighter; after the elimination of one Legion heavy fighter, His Majesty's Royal Navy gained the upper-hand. A Legion gunboat was also found to have entered into Burgundy, at which point the Sylvana was dispatched to intercept and eliminate it.
Upon conclusion of the engagement, the Legion/FBG combat wing withdrew. With the all-clear given, all vessels belonging to His Majesty's Royal Navy were ordered to return to base.
Submitted below is the confirmed shoot-down count of the battle:
It is also to be noted that Her Majesty scored one last shoot-down prior to the assembling of the above information: a Legion bomber.
Analysis:Upon initial scans of the unknown vessels in Dauphine, it was revealed they were both of Zoner origin. The classes of each vessel have also been encountered previously, and can be cited in Naval Archive reports #32 and #53 (Concerning the Fearless-class Cruiser), and #56 (Concerning similar structural patterns between the fighter encountered and that of the target 'SMP|Lt.Emma.Leroy' from the report).
The vessel in Fig. 1 has already been identified as a Fearless-class Cruiser. Previous battle encounters indicate that it is sub-par in comparison to the Obstinate-class fielded by His Majesty's Royal Navy, but today's encounter allowed us to perform a detailed structural analysis on its primary components and equipment. The Fearless mounts fewer cannons than our own Obstinates, and possesses thinner hull plating as well. Heuristic combat demonstrations indicate that, on even footing, the Obstinate will eliminate a Fearless before significant damage can be sustained; it can be assumed that such vessels are relegated to a primary reconnaissance role instead of front-line combat.
Fig. 2 displays a Virage-class Very Heavy Fighter. Again, analysis prioritizes these as low-threat targets and are projected to serve primarily in an escort role.
Concerning the Legion, a greater number of their pilots were fielded in today's encounter. It is believed that the organization may have recruited new pilots from unlawful sources to bolster their combat presence. Their use of the Cuirassier-class Heavy Fighter and Arquebus-type Photon Cannons further reinforces the belief that the Legion maintains strong ties to the Brigands; assistance from a member of the Free Brigands can also be cited as evidence of this association. It can be expected that further, and larger, encounters with the Legion will become more prevalent.
Conclusion:It would seem that the Zoners have once again taken an interest in Gallia. The vessels encountered in Dauphine do not have registration frequencies related to the TAZ, another Zoner-affiliated group that has been seen frequently in the past. It is also curious to note that the captain of the Fearless-class Cruiser claims to have never heard of Her Majesty, especially considering Her history with the Zoners as a whole; information may be poorly-disseminated between Zoners, or the captain was simply feigning ignorance. Regardless of this, His Majesty's Royal Navy must again step-up patrols to counteract another Zoner incursion into His Majesty's Territories. It is also suggested that information be gathered concerning their reasoning for returning.
Concerning the Legion des Damnes, the organization has become increasingly brave in regards to attacks against His Majesty's Royal Navy. Their ability to field multiple pilots indicates a personnel quantity greater than was originally believed. The confirmed association with the Free Brigands may also result in a combined increase in fighter pilots available for both groups; it is suggested that Naval patrols maintain a lookout for their presence, and to scramble additional fighter-craft in anticipation for a larger arrival of Legion fighters.
To the best of my abilities, I claim the contents to be truthful and accurate.
By my hand and eye,
Margrave Blaise Mersenne
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Maybe some day, they'll see a hero is just a man who knowshe's free.