I spent the last rotational cycle on the observation deck, monitoring the heavy transport traffic approaching the Tripoli Shipyards. What I witnessed was a testament to the sheer skill and grit of our Corsario pilots, but an absolute insult to our logistical efficiency.
I watched a fully loaded heavy Barge, carrying resources vital to our war effort and the survival of Creta, take over forty-five minutes just to navigate the final approach. The Capitán had to perform six emergency thruster burns to avoid drifting husks in the Scrap Metal cloud. Even with his expertise, the Barge scraped the remains of an old cruiser, stripping away a section of its ablative armor.
This is unacceptable.
I understand the history of the Tripoli debris field. It is a monument to our past battles and a natural deterrent against fast-moving strike forces. But right now, this "shield" is choking our own supply lines. We are treating chaos as an unavoidable fact of nature, wasting thousands of credits in hull repairs and risking the loss of essential shipments on a daily basis. The strength of a guerrero relies on the steady heartbeat of their logistics. Right now, our primary artery is clogged.
We cannot afford to let the ghosts of old ships dictate our future efficiency.
I am formally initiating the preliminary stages of Project: Via de la Plata. The objective is straightforward: we will carve a clean and permanent transit tunnel directly through the Tripoli scrap cloud.
This will not be a reckless demolition. I am requisitioning heavy Asteroid Miners from our own Flota to dismantle the obstructing debris. Once the corridor is cleared, we will establish a grid of navigational buoys to guide our heavy transports safely home, while leaving the rest of the defensive cloud intact.
I will oversee this project personally to ensure the precise execution of this operation.
Planet Crete, Gran Canaria island, the Trastámara villa.
Recipient
Aurelio de Cruz
Your report has been received and reviewed by Deterrence Comandancia.
Your observations regarding the congestion within the Tripoli debris field are quite interesting... The difficulties faced by our transport captains are well known to those who oversee the lifelines of Crete. The wreckage surrounding Tripoli is indeed a monument to past victories — but those must never hinder the living. That said, the srapyard has served the Empire for many years as both natural fortification and concealment, frustrating hostile scouts and preventing easy approach by enemy strike craft. Any alteration to this defensive perimeter must therefore be carried out with deliberation and restraint.
Your proposal, shows initiative and a clear understanding of the logistical pressures facing our fleets. The concept of a controlled transit corridor, executed through careful dismantling rather than a total clearance, aligns with the practical needs of the shipyard without compromising the defensive and camouflaging integrity of the field.
Deterrence Comandancia authorizes the preliminary survey phase of the project and puts you in charge of the task señor.
The Empire survives not by brute strength alone, but by the discipline of those who keep its golden arterias flowing.
<Virtus unita fortior, Deterrence> Francisco Javier de Creta
Executor Francisco Javier de Creta - High Encryption
Ejecutor,
The authorization of the Comandancia is acknowledged and appreciated. We are in complete agreement regarding the defensive and tactical value of the Tripoli perimeter. An escudo is only effective if it does not blind the warrior wielding it.
I assure you, the camouflaging integrity of the debris field will remain entirely uncompromised. This will not be a broad excavation, but a surgical extraction. We are simply carving the exact mathematical vector required for safe transit. The surrounding husks will remain untouched to continue frustrating hostile scanners.
With the preliminary survey phase approved, I am formally commissioning Costa Del Sol to begin immediate operations.
We have assabled a fleet of asteroid miners to beginn with the operation. They will operate under my direct oversight. I have made it explicitly clear to their foremen that not a single piece of viable camouflage is to be disturbed outside the designated parameters.
Costa Del Sol has mapped the primary vector and will transmit the logistical extraction reports.
I have acknowledged the commissioning order and we began immediate execution of the preliminary operations for Project: Via de la Plata.
Our surveyors have confirmed the initial transit vector between the Tripoli Shipyards and the primary approach lane toward Planet Crete. The corridor has been plotted with strict adherence to the parameters established by your directive. Only the obstructing mass within the exact navigational path will be dismantled, the surrounding wreckage/Rock cloud will remain intact to preserve the natural camouflage and defensive qualities of the perimeter.
To carry out the first phase of the operation, we have deployed a clearing flotilla of three Hegemon-class extraction ships:
The Leading Ship under my direct surveilance DTR-Minero_Fantasma
DTR-CCS>Extremisimo
and
DTR-CCS>Nero
Each vessel is equipped with reinforced industrial cutting arrays, mass-tractor assemblies, and controlled fragmentation charges designed specifically for the safe dismantling of large debris and asteroid bodies. Their task will be to gradually disassemble the obstructing husks and redirect the resulting scrap into controlled drift patterns outside the designated corridor.
Operations have begun at the outer edge of the debris field and will progress inward along the mapped vector toward Tripoli. Initial estimates indicate that the first stable segment of the corridor will be established once the largest Rock fragments near the mid-field cluster have been reduced.
Throughout the process, my navigators will continuously monitor debris drift and gravitational disturbances to ensure that the defensive integrity of the surrounding cloud remains undisturbed.
Daily extraction reports and navigational updates will be transmitted directly to your command.
The path to Crete will be cleared with precision.
For the Empire and the steady flow of its arterias.
A second operational cycle of Project: Via de la Plata has been completed successfully.
At first rotation,DTR-Minero_Fantasma and DTR-CCS>Extremisimo re-entered the designated corridor alongside three additional support vessels. One more reinforced Hegemon-class mining ship were deployed to accelerate the dismantling of the remaining obstruction clusters Callsign DTR-CCS-Peppe.Jalapeno, while a Correo-class freighter: Callsign DTR-Kechrimpar, i followed behind the cutting line to secure and transport the extracted material. As previously stated, nothing of value is being wasted, every fragment removed from the corridor strengthens our own reserves.
For the duration of the operation, a Legate-class Dreadnaught Callsign: DTR-CNS>Santa_Carina maintained overwatch from the outer defensive perimeter. Its presence ensured that the mining flotilla could continue without interruption while long-range sensors monitored the surrounding debris field for irregular movement or hostile signatures.
Progress today focused on the mid-field rock formations and the fractured remains of several cruiser-sized hulls that were still interfering with stable navigation. The combined cutting arrays of the Minero and the Hegemon units performed exactly as expected. The corridor is now significantly wider and far more stable than during the first phase, and the gravitational drift within the cleared vector has dropped noticeably.
However, during the final phase of the extraction cycle, long-range scanners detected multiple fast-approach signatures emerging from the outer edge of the debris cloud.
Identification was immediate.
Red Hessian vessels.
The mining operation was temporarily placed under defensive standby while available Corsair patrol ships responded without delay. The hostile vessels were intercepted before they could approach the active corridor. The engagement was brief and decisive. The enemy force was completely eliminated and no losses were reported on our side.
Once the area was secured, extraction operations continued until the end of the scheduled cycle.
The corridor toward Crete grows clearer with every operation, and today’s incident proves once again that the decision to maintain the defensive integrity of the debris field was correct. The shield still serves its purpose, but now it serves us without slowing us.
Further operations will continue next rotation.
The path will be opened.
For the Empire and the steady flow of its arterias.
On 09.04.836, We executed another scheduled extraction cycle within the Tenerife Asteroid Belt, advancing the ongoing efforts of Project: Via de la Plata.
The following vessels were deployed for this operation:
Hegemon Class Vessel – DTR-CCS-Peppe.Jalapeno
Hegemon Class Vessel – DTR-Minero_Fantasma
Hegemon Class Vessel – DTR-CCS>Extremisimo
Correo Class Vessel – DTR-CCS>Juan.Marco
Murmillo Class Vessel – DTR-DC>Diablo.Serenata (Overwatch / Security)
Upon arrival, our crews encountered a significantly denser layer of asteroid formations and large-scale ship debris. Unlike previous operations, where fragmentation and redirection proved efficient, this sector presented consolidated masses, hardened by time, pressure, and collision, resisting standard extraction procedures.
Progress was made, but at a notably reduced rate.
At one stage, Diablo.Serenata initiated controlled demolition attempts on several of the larger debris clusters. While the resulting fragmentation aided local clearing, the method proved insufficient for sustained progress against the largest formations. The mass and density of these objects exceed the optimal capacity of our current equipment.
Based on these findings, I submit the following assessment:
Current assets are no longer optimal for continued advancement through this sector.
To proceed efficiently, we recommend escalation of extraction methodology, including:
Deployment of heavy excavation teams to penetrate and destabilize asteroid cores from within
Utilization of high-yield internal charges for controlled structural collapse
Potential acquisition or coordination for specialized demolition resources from allied factions such as the Order or the UN
Without such measures, further progress will remain slow and resource-intensive.
During the final phase of the operation, long-range sensors detected two unidentified vessels entering the perimeter.
They were confirmed shortly after:
Hessian signatures.
The contact occurred while most of the fleet had already cycled out of the immediate extraction zone. Only a single Hegemon class vessel remained active when the hostiles initiated their approach.
Despite this, the situation did not escalate in the enemy’s favor.
The Corsair built mining vessel demonstrated its resilience and combat capability under pressure. It sustained the engagement and returned fire effectively, forcing the hostile units into evasive retreat.
One of the Hessian fighter/bomber craft fled the engagement vector and entered the Omega-41 radiation field. Given the intensity of the neutron star’s emissions, it is highly probable the vessel will not survive long-term exposure.
The second hostile unit has been successfully neutralized and decommissioned.
No critical losses were sustained on our side.
All operational reports and extracted data have been transmitted to Sanctum and Invicta for further analysis.
The path forward is no longer a matter of precision alone, it now demands force.
We await authorization for the deployment of heavier assets.
The corridor will be completed. One way or another.
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Operation Via de la Plata