Good day to you, vice admiral Myles.
I write this message as the Grian's engines are still cooling down in our hangars and its pilot's footsteps still echoing down the halls; I am pleased and relived that first the contact with my envoy has went well, despite the respective unfamiliarity and her relative inexperience in such matters.
Alas, she has had little of note to report beyond that. Our skies appear secure, for the moment.
I, and Gaians at large it would seem, on the other hand, have received a communication that should prove of great interest, from one Lionel Boucher of the Front de Liberation de Gallia.
The communiqué can be summarised thusly:
- a report of some 'strange Union weapon' approaching Edinburgh and acting in concert with Maréchaussée de Gaule units; this must have happened prior to our return, as I have received no reports of any such thing, and I would also question the assessment of the weapon in question given the mention of 'Order' involvement.
- a firefight between the MdG, and both the Gallic Navy and GNI; the event seems to have surprised the Maquisard, who claims to have been ignored as this unfolded.
- a warning about the emergence of another royalist force, designation Ori|, also acting in concert with MdG units.
- an offer for joint patrols in Edinburgh and the Tau systems, and a potential upcoming operation in Roussillon.
- most concerningly, a hypothesis about the existence of some forward base in Edinburgh for royalist forces.
I shall speak in earnest - I personally know little of the Maquis or this Front de Liberation de Gallia, having never chanced upon them before our stranding, and much less I know of their activities in there past two years beyond what a handful of reports say.
There appears to have been an alliance of sorts in place, or at the very least frequent joint operations between our groups against the original Gaul threat (which they referred to as the Enclave). They certainly seem to hold us in great esteem and be thankful for our aid, which is fortunate given our present woes - and unsettling, given the character of their representative.
His (and I must assume, by extension, their) eagerness to crush the royalists appears only matched by the savage delight displayed as he spoke of torturing and massacring them, and burning their families, in the thousands. If this is how they choose to present themselves, I fail to see how they are any better than their foes - allegiances aside.
At times I do wonder if the Gallia as a whole had suffered some sort of mishap, not unlike the Hispania, and whether it was that which led to this sort of deranged fanaticism that plagues and addles the minds of the Gauls.
Of course, to blame cynical, cheating fate is far easier than acknowledge how simple it is to slip in that selfsame frame of mind, or how willing we are to do so...
But I digress.
At any rate, I will order the Grian to scour Edinburgh for any sign of a forward base and, should none be found, venture into Roussillon to seek it out there. Inaccurate as their assumption may be, I believe their concern founded; Islay's sensitive sensors detect considerable gravitational fluctuations from its jump hole, a typical sign of large masses making their way through. Should you or any colleague of yours wish to join the search, you would be most welcome to and both I and my pilot would certainly appreciate the capable escort.
As for the Front de Liberation... I believe I have voiced my distaste clearly enough, but I also believe one message is hardly sufficient to pass judgement. I will await further developments from them, and acquire further information about this group in the meantime.
Mayhap cooler heads could be found within, and as we say, all aid is welcome.
In conclusion, vice admiral, here is our first report. More shall follow, stars willing.
Pray keep me informed of any developments on your front, and do send for me should you require assistance.
Gaia's will be done, and godspeed.
Captain Lefina Elwyn, out.
The pollen scatters to the solar winds...
The petals fall, the stem withers. Sunlight retreats.
Cold void greets the neural weave, and leads it unto slumber.
Message Class: Textual
Encryption: Ceylon
To: Lefina Elwyn
From: Vice Admiral Oliver Myles, BAF Auxiliary
Good day,
I have been eagerly awaiting a transmission from you, ever since our last encounter in the Edinburgh system with your scout craft.
Getting to the important matter at hand, we have received information about a new prototype of Gaul ship design and weaponry as well. The Order being involved into this matter is concerning, as they may attempt to aid the Gauls. However, given the lack of information about the ship, it is best not to get drawn to conclusions until video recordings of the vessel are collected. If any are available, attach them in the next communication. Joint patrols of the Gaians and the Maquis into the Edinburgh system are not necessary, as the Armed Forces and Intelligence Service are launching their own scouts from our base in the system.
The Front has not yet sent us any reports, and their activities in the systems surrounding Bretonia are questionable at best, given the group's highly-aggressive and unpredictable behavior. Of course, as we have previosly mentioned, any support is welcomed against the Gauls, be it from Maquis or Gaians. This 'Boucher' of whom you speak has met our pilots many times by now and on every occasion proven himself to of great support against Gauls, but, as you have mentioned, he has no mercy for those who support the Union, be it directly or indirectly.
As for the scouting operations, we are interested in any findings you may make in the nearby Roussillon system. As it is out of our patrols' reach, information about the system and who holds control over it is crucial in our efforts to put an end to this newly-risen Gallic splinter faction. I will attach any other encounters of the Armed Forces with the Royalists in future messages over this channel.
That is all for now.
Oliver Myles
Vice Admiral of the Auxiliary
Bretonian Armed Forces, Auxiliary
Seeds of thought germinate...
The stem rises, the petals thrive. Sunlight bolsters.
They bloom, pollen channeled through the neural weave.
Sender:Captain Lefina Elwyn Recipient:Vice Admiral Oliver Myles Source:Islay Base, Edinburgh. Priority:High Subject:Reporting in.
Good day to you, vice admiral Myles.
It appears today's flight has most eventful for the Grian. Not only has the Roussillon system been mapped and a few possible incursion vectors identified, but also it has joined a full-scale naval raid in the Orkney system... albeit with mixed results.
I will inquire later as to why she did that. For the moment I have retrieved the fighter's logs and sent her to the infirmary for a check-up - for a mercy she appears mostly unharmed, morale aside, but I would rather not take chances.
Now, let us cover her findings.
The Roussillon system, by all indications, seems to be prime material for a sortie staging ground - with vast asteroid fields at the three corners of the region and a large sensor-shrouding nebula expanding around the Edinburgh jump hole, it would be easy for incursors to slip through undetected, or worse, establish forward bases within.
Although no bases could be found, save for Maquis battleship 'Pamieres' orbiting planet Toulouse, I find it more likely they are well-hidden rather than absent due to the sightings of Brigand, Maquis and royalist units; no lawful presence of sort has been noted either, so I think safe to assume the Maquis holds nominal control of the region.
It bears mentioning that the system's two jump holes, linked to Edinburgh and Tau-44, are both mined. In the former's case, however, the field appears to be too sparse to significantly hinder movement (see attached feed).
The Edinburgh system, despite the Maquis communiqué and further reconnaissance by the Grian, appears devoid of any forward royalist installation.
Given the past reports of royalist movements and one specific (although very brief) sighting of a MdG unit in Dublin by Douglas, in close proximity of the Edinburgh jump hole, I suspect they are more interested in using the system as a 'safe' corridor to Bretonian house space than establishing beachheads.
More troubling, however, is this sighting of a Gallic Navy fighter in close proximity of Gaia. It retreated not long after appearing on scanner, apparently; probing defences, perhaps? Whatever the case, such brazen behaviour does not bode well.
The Orkney system, which she'd reconnoitred as well prior to her involvement with the raid, is a potential entry point for royalists. Depending on their actual relations with the regulars, it may be - the Gallic Navy proper holds sway in the system, as you well know, and seems to patrol it frequently.
Except today, perhaps. The logs indicated their navy took a while to show up.
As for the raid... I trust you know the details far better than I, so I will not dwell overlong upon the subject; it is my hope her assistance proved of some use, if nothing else.
She is far too green for this sort of action, unfortunately, and a preliminary analysis of the flight paths seems to suggest as much. Hesitation kills.
Lastly, with regard the mysterious craft mentioned by the Maquis, the communiqué had a videofeed attached - I know not what is that thing supposed to be, but the MdG units do indeed appear unfazed by the monstrosity. This warrants further investigation, though I admit I haven't the faintest clue of how to begin with it.
In conclusion, vice admiral, here is our second report. The Grian has sustained significant damage, but repairing a fighter is much easier than an entire destroyer. I expect it'll be restored to form in a matter of days at most, and will resume its patrols ASAP.
Gaia's will be done, and godspeed.
Captain Lefina Elwyn, out.
Seeds of thought germinate...
The stem rises, the petals thrive. Sunlight bolsters.
They bloom, pollen channeled through the neural weave.
Sender:Captain Lefina Elwyn Recipient:Vice Admiral Oliver Myles Source:Islay Base, Edinburgh. Priority:High Subject:Reporting in.
Good day to you, vice admiral Myles.
I understand our channel has long remained silent - this I attribute both to our own pressing duties, as much as a somewhat bewildering lack of movement of note to report over the entire month.
Though I had initially welcomed the quiet, much needed as the Artio's retrofit is still underway, more recent developments have given me cause to reconsider.
Firstly, about the Royalists.
As you may have suspected by the lack of updates on that front, aside from a brief flare-up in activity at the start of the month, they seemed to have disappeared for the remainder of it - no sightings by our pilot or by our comrades, despite frequent patrols, and the Maquisards appear to have had no greater luck until the 29th.
I may have mentioned it previously, but on that date the Maquis and their allies, namely us and the freelancer group known as the Fae, had scheduled a reconnaissance in force in Roussillon, in search of Royalist forward bases; I bid the Grian join the strike wing's efforts.
This effort had not gone unnoticed by the enemy, however, and a strike wing of their own moved in to intercept. A skirmish broke out, with the numerically superior Royalists gaining the upper hand and routing our forces.
This, needless to say, is an unfortunate and concerning development. Their pilots were clearly veterans, and mobilised with concerning rapidity - my suspicions about there indeed being a Royalist hideout in the system grow, but I fear they will remain no more than that after this defeat at least for some time.
As a silver lining, it does not appear the victory has emboldened the enemy or encouraged it to press the advantage. Perhaps their vessels had sustained significant damage in the battle, or perhaps they rightly fear what lies beyond the jump hole.
Secondly, about the unknowns.
Since our last report, there has been no sighting of that specific mysterious creature we'd seen from the Maquis. However, according to the Maquisards Douglas spoke to, Roussillon has seen some visits from unidentified creatures which I am almost certain are Nomads, and the Grian itself has spotted - and engaged - a large cloaked one, alongside a Maquis bomber and one of their capital ships.
At first the creature did not appear outwardly hostile and attempted to communicate, with little success as the Maquisards appeared entirely incapable of even hearing it, whereas Douglas could (but according to her report, she couldn't really make heads or tails of it; it stood out to her its insistence on 'trials', their being the 'light' and us, as in us humans, 'darklings in metal shells').
Shortly after this mention of darklings, and something about reclaiming the light, the massive lifeform turned hostile and assailed the group; this engagement proved more successful, as the creature was forced to retreat after having sustained grievous injuries. Pursuit proved impossible, as it somehow disappeared out of sensor range and Douglas elected to rescue the disabled Maquis allies rather than blindly chase after it.
So far, the creature in question has not come across our sensors again (or any other Nomad, for that matter), but both we and our Maquis allies remain vigilant.
I also find it somewhat concerning that only my pilot seemed to hear the creature, while the Maquisards complained about hearing gibberish and joked about Zoners supposedly keeping these things as pets.
Lastly, some odds and ends.
Most of the activity, as mentioned, occurred as the month free to an end. This is has also been the case with a recent encounter with the HMS Tiger, whose Captain is familiar to us and with whom Douglas talked at length. A good woman, by all indications, and I do hope to meet her in person someday. Until then, we wish her luck.
For a somewhat less pleasant encounter, our sensors detected a trespassing Outcast destroyer who had strayed too close to Gaia, the MNS-Amalfi; it was intercepted and escorted out to the outer Taus by the Grian.
In hindsight that may have been a mercy, as a Corse bomber warped in not long after the destroyer had been sent away, apparently trying to track it down with a few others.
Perhaps they too wished to know about the 'interests' it was trying to 'protect' in Bretonian space, in the captain's words?
In conclusion, vice admiral, here is our third report. I look forward to hearing from you soon, and so do my men.
Gaia's will be done, and godspeed.
Captain Lefina Elwyn, out.
Message Class: Textual
Encryption: Ceylon
To: Lefina Elwyn
From: Vice Admiral Oliver Myles, BAF Auxiliary
Good evening,
It has indeed been a long time since our last communication and meeting. Seeing as the Artio's refitting is taking so long - please let me know if you require any assistance in the way of credits to speed up the process. There are plenty available, and I am sure there will be no issues in doing such a transfer - we've met before for other less important things.
Regarding the Royalist forces, our scouts have reported no more encounters with them in Bretonia or in systems directly neighboring Bretonian systems. It is most concerning that they are still putting up significant resistance in the Roussillon system, but the Maquis forces you have send us information about should put the Royalists on the run. At the current moment, our forces are unable to send any significant support in the area; nevertheless, as soon as the Armed Forces are ready, patrols will be organized acorss the entirety of the Edinburgh system and perhaps even as far as Roussillon itself to make sure the Royalists don't manage to take over. I am sharing such important information with you in the hope that one day you will decide to join our side and together work for a better future of Bretonia and its people.
On to the second subject of this discussion, the unknown forces spotted in Roussillon, our scouts encountered no such ships nor warforms. My recommendation is to avoid direct combat with them as they are forces not many can deal with. Any further encounters with Nomads and/or Nomad-related ships and equipment are to be reported over this channel as the Armed Forces are in need of more data regarding them. The Maquisard's strange behaviour may be linked to them being of Gallic origin - to keep it short, Gallic people were not aware of the existence of Nomads until recently, and as such they had relatively hard time fighting them. Conflict with warforms is best avoided, to not cause unnecessary casualties.
The Outcasts 'patrolling' on Bretonia's doorstep are to be eliminated. Our forces have special kill-on-sight orders against all Outcasts and those associated with them. The cardamine must not be allowed to poison Sirius any longer - it would be in everyone's interest to disable any Outcast ships and destroy their cargo.
Thank you for the detailed reports, they will be forwarded to the rest of the Armed Forces' units so that they can act accordingly to secure Bretonia's security. I will be awaiting your next report. Until then, good luck.
Oliver Myles
Vice Admiral of the Auxiliary
Bretonian Armed Forces, Auxiliary
While this message is no report, your overtures demanded a prompt reply and I have obliged.
Your offer of monetary aid is as generous as it is unexpected; nevertheless, I must respectfully decline it for two reasons chiefly.
The former entails the state of the Artio itself.
As I have mentioned, the vessel is undergoing a retrofit rather than (extensive) repair works; seeing as the tech we ran is three long years behind the curve, I thought it prudent to heed our engineers' advice and allow them the time they need rather than risk my men's lives and further damage to the destroyer because of impatience.
Indeed, it is time and not a lack of funds delaying the Artio's return; as such it would be unconscionable of me to accept them.
The latter entails the state of our relations with the Armed Forces.
Though we harbour no ill will towards one another, and indeed both of us welcome such a time when we will be able to 'work together for a better future for Bretonia and its people', as you have admirably put it... I am given to understand the sentiment is not shared among your peers.
Would they not object to aid being proffered to what the Kingdom still refers to a terrorist organisation? You may perhaps choose to do so in secret, but your standing would be greatly diminished if knowledge of it were to leak.
As grateful as I am that you would lend us aid thusly, it risks exposing you to unnecessary scrutiny and sanction.
And this leads me to a counter-proposal.
If we are to work together as we both desire, vice admiral, we cannot do so clandestinely, not only because it raises undue suspicion but also because it runs concrete risks of hampering operations; focusing on the task at hand is difficult when one also has to watch their own back.
No, it must be made clear to all that either side has naught to fear from the other, and to that end I suggest this: when your patrols in Edinburgh and beyond will start, the Artio shall officially join them, publicly and in plain sight, and will stand by your side should threats arise.
I can think of no more tangible proof of the sincerity of our claims, or the solidity of our committments to one another; with hope, it will dispel doubts and set a clear precedent for future joint actions, and perhaps yet more to come... but, let us not get ahead of ourselves.
Do take your time to consider my offer and its merits, vice admiral. It is my sincerest hope you will agree to it; in the meantime, I shall return to my duties and await your response.
Gaia's will be done, and godspeed.
Captain Lefina Elwyn, out.
Message Class: Textual
Encryption: Ceylon
To: Lefina Elwyn
From: Vice Admiral Oliver Myles, BAF Auxiliary
Captain Lefina,
It is unfortunate that you declined my offer for support, however as you have stated, there are reasons such an act could lead to unwanted attention upon our deal. Should there be other matters that we could help with, let me know over this secure channel.
As for the counter-proposal you mentioned, I will have to decline it for the time being. Of course, any patrols and units under my direct command will have orders not to fire upon your ship, but I cannot guarantee that others will be as cooperating as we are. It is in our common interest that unnecessary casualties are not caused to either side. Nevertheless, any support against Royalist forces will be most welcomed by the Armed Forces, be it direct combat assistance or information about their movements in systems out of our reach.
Best of luck to you and your crew, Captain, and remember to inform us about any other important events.
Oliver Myles
Vice Admiral of the Auxiliary
Bretonian Armed Forces, Auxiliary
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