Epistolary Experiment (7/30)

“What did you do?”

“You must have done something, Presiding Minister. You’re the ones provoking the Republic at every opportunity. You’re the ones researching everything they fear, pushing out beyond their space! And now Republic ships are attacking our border worlds and we are made to pay your butcher’s bill.”

“So we have a right to know: what did you do?”

– records of the Conclave of Galactic Polities

From: Calis Corith (Presiding Minister)
To: Imperial Security Executive
Cc: CINCSPIN

[enc: Conclave records]

The deshnik has at least part of a point. From the pattern of the attack, it would appear that the Republic push into the Reaches was a diversionary attack to let them slip something past us in the Expanses. The Qirafian delegates are talking about attacks in the vicinity of Loranzer System. That suggests they’re pushing corewards rather than inwards.

Do you chaps have any operations in the region or other insights to offer?

FROM: CINCSPIN (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)
TO: CS RAZORWING ACTUAL

*** EXPEDITE
*** EYES ONLY FERVENT SPAN

INFORMATIONAL:

1. INTELLIGENCE REPORTS REPUBLIC ACTIVITY IN THE VICINITY OF LORANZER SYSTEM.

2. ACTION ON THIS IS DISCRETIONARY.

3. WARNING: QIRAF ASSEMBLY HAS NOT REFUSED TRANSIT PERMISSION, BUT SHOULD BE CHARACTERIZED AS NONCOOPERATIVE.

4. AUTHENTICATION FLAME SPROCKET SCORPION CHEESE SERPENT WEASEL / 0x772ED41D88162A3

FLT ADM DAPHNOTARTHIUS, CINCSPIN

From: Imogen Andracanth, VP Research
To: Imperial Naval Intelligence
Subject: UNSEEN KEY

Let’s talk, shall we?

– from the Ring Dynamics corporate e-mail archive