Epistolary Experiment (13/30)

Cousins, sisters, brothers, partners, commensals, and any other clan-affiliates you see fit to share this with:

Whatever you’re doing, drop it, get off your branches, and get to Torqat in the Csell Buffer right now. Bring anything that can fly and hold mass. Flagrantly was scouting a heat signature about 40 degrees above the ecliptic and just hit the big time. It’s an entire Vonnie supply convoy and temp, hot and hulked. Tree work, we think – they left plenty of wreckage of their own behind, and if they were the contacts we picked up making hard burn for the gate, they didn’t feel like stopping to chat. And whatever the coggies are using these days, it tore right through these hulls like cheap flimsies and left no survivors.

But that doesn’t matter. They didn’t take any prizes or plunder. There’s about a million tons of flotsam and derelict floating out here with no hand to claim them, and we can’t get more than a couple of hundred aboard, best-case. Make sure the rest are ours too.

This could make our name in the Association.

– from the outgoing queue of the d!grith merchanter, Flagrantly Bourgeois

From: Adm. [blank], Imperial Naval Intelligence
To: Imogen Andracanth, VP Research, Ring Dynamics
Subject: UNSEEN KEY
Security: EYES ONLY UNSEEN KEY

It seems we may have grounds for an exchange of data. May.

A silent fane meeting has been set up with Three Voices Arbitration and Escrow. Please find details attached.

FROM: CINC, CRIATH STATION
TO: FIELD FLEET COREWARD COMMAND (CS UNCONQUERABLE SELF)
CC: FIELD FLEET SPINWARD COMMAND (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)

*** EXPEDITE
*** EYES ONLY FERVENT SPAN
*** INFORMATIONAL / REQ

1. REPUBLIC FLEET SUCCESSFULLY PREVENTED FROM TRANSITING TRAILING-COREWARD BORDER OF QIRAF ASSEMBLY OR TRAILING BORDER OF PEOPLE’S STATE OF BANTRAL. CONTAINMENT ACHIEVED WITH LIGHT LOSSES INCLUDING ONE TOTAL LOSS, DESTROYER CS CORVINO. FULL SCHEDULE ATTACHED.
2. VARIOUS DIPLOMATIC PROTESTS RECEIVED FROM AFOREMENTIONED POLITIES FORWARDED TO MINISTRY OF STATE AND OUTLANDS UNDER SEPARATE COVER.
3. FORWARD SCOUTS INDICATE TRANSIT ACHIEVED WITH MODERATE DAMAGE TO REPUBLIC FLEET, NOW ESTIMATED AT 60% OF INITIAL STRENGTH, AND NEAR-COMPLETE ANNIHILATION OF BANTINE FLEET. DETACHED FLEET UNITS AND GROUND BASES ARE REPORTED ON SEVERAL WORLDS WITHIN BANTINE SPACE.
4. FORWARD SCOUTS ALSO INDICATE LACK OF FOLLOWING LOGISTICS TRAIN FOR REPUBLIC FLEET, AND ALSO THAT SAID FLEET IS ADOPTING A SUBSTANTIALLY MORE CONSERVATIVE ENGAGEMENT POSTURE IN ADVANCING BEYOND BANTINE SPACE. REQUEST ANY INTELLIGENCE DATA AVAILABLE EXPLANATORY OF THIS.
5. REQUEST CLEARANCE FOR FURTHER PURSUIT AND/OR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS.
6. AUTHENTICATION GOLD SPLEEN DIRE CYNOSURE LOCK PITCH / 0xCC679B834412A6DB

RADM EMRÍËN VIDESSOS

From: Releq Claves-ith-Lelad (First Lord of the Admiralty)
To: Lords of Admiralty; Imperial Naval Intelligence (Board); Imperial Security Executive; Naval Strategy Board; Existential Threats WG; Calis Corith (Presiding Minister); High-Tension Thinkers (Cleared)
Security: EYES ONLY FERVENT SPAN

Suggestions are invited as to why the Republic fleet is steaming full-out into the coreward Expansion Regions without waiting for their logistics train to catch them up, securing their flanks or rear, or seriously pressing their attack in the Reaches or elsewhere along the Borderline, as they have done in previous border wars. Their current actions make extremely limited strategic sense to my people.

If any of you have any classified projects, secret installations, angelic superweapons, registered x-threats, or similar such that might explain this behavior in your individual bailiwicks, this would be a very good time to let us know about them at Core Command.

Otherwise, speculation is welcomed.

Releq