LANDING, SARAGÓS – “The future of Saragós as an independent world today hangs in the balance, as the Iltine Union’s true intentions in keeping its primary fleet elements at home were revealed in a surprise attack on the freesoil world Saragós, on the rim of the Osis Deep constellation. Behind me, you can see the aftermath of the opening Iltine kinetic strikes on defense facilities near the city of Landing, effectively destroying them and doing considerable collateral damage to the city. Fires from damaged power conduits are still burning through much of the northern quarter.”
“Iltine forces are still in orbit, and rumors are spreading of troop landings in outlying regions. Response from local governances to these attacks have been weak and erratic, but many Saragónes have been forming informal militias to oppose the expected Iltine incursions. Nevertheless, with the attention of other local powers drawn elsewhere by the Republic invasion, it remains to be seen if this will be enough”
“This is Xaríä Cieng, Telememe News.”
FROM: CS FLAMEFANG (TASK FORCE SP-V31, TALON A)
TO: FIELD FLEET SPINWARD COMMAND (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)
*** EXPEDITE TANGLE
*** EYES ONLY FERVENT SPAN
*** AFTER ACTION REPORT
INFORMATIONAL:
1. TALON SUCCESSFULLY MADE TRANSIT VIA KORDAL ROUTE TO DANTRY (VONIS 31) SYSTEM, PER PREVIOUS ORDERS. MINIMAL REPUBLIC PICKET VESSELS ENCOUNTERED EN ROUTE, NO ENGAGEMENTS.
2. PER SPECIAL QUERY, REPUBLIC STARGATE SYSTEM APPEARS TO BE OPERATING WITHIN NORMAL PARAMETERS.
3. UPON ARRIVAL IN DANTRY SYSTEM, IMMEDIATELY DETECTED LOCAL GUARD FORCE CHARACTERIZED AS FOUR HARRIER-CLASS DESTROYERS AND ONE NEW PATH-CLASS CRUISER WAS DETECTED AT ELEVEN LIGHT-MINUTES RANGE, IN PARALLEL ORBIT TO DANTRY VI FUEL DEPOT/GAS MINING FACILITY.
4. LOCAL GUARD FORCE IMMEDIATELY PROCEEDED TO CLOSE RANGE, WHILE TALON ASSUMED DIRECT COURSE TO DANTRY VI FUEL DEPOT ON BRACHISTOCHRONE TRAJECTORY, WITH INTENT TO INVITE A CLOSING ENGAGEMENT.
5. SUBSEQUENT CLOSING ENGAGEMENT STARTED AT 2.1 LIGHT MINUTES AND CONCLUDED WITH REPUBLIC WITHDRAWAL AT MINIMUM RANGE 0.4 LIGHT-MINUTES. IN THE COURSE OF THE ENGAGEMENT, ONE REPUBLIC DESTROYER WAS LOST AND TWO MORE WERE ABANDONED AND SCUTTLED. THE CRUISER (SEVERELY DAMAGED) AND THE FOURTH DESTROYER (UNDAMAGED) SURVIVED WITHDRAWAL TOWARDS VILIN (VONIS 31). TASK FORCE SUFFERED MODERATE/SEVERE DAMAGE TO CS FLAMEFANG AND BOTH COHORTS.
6. TALON ELECTED NOT TO PURSUE AND PROCEEDED ON COURSE TO DANTRY VI FUEL DEPOT AFTER RECOVERING REPUBLIC SMALL CRAFT.
7. ESPATIER FORCE WAS DISPATCHED TO SECURE FUEL DEPOT, AND SUCCEEDED IN SO DOING AFTER LIGHT SKIRMISHING, NO CASUALTIES. NO CLASSIFIED MATERIAL WAS SECURED. AFTER TAKING ON BUNKERAGE, FUEL DEPOT WAS DESTROYED WITH NUCLEONIC CHARGES.
8. PENDING ORDERS TO THE CONTRARY TALON RETURNS TO KARAL DEPOT FOR REPAIR AND RESUPPLY.
9. AUTHENTICATION MONOMACH QUIVER PHOENIX CYAN GOLD BILE / 0x7782BB3A831D99EE
CAPT CORDÉ VITREMARVIS, CS FLAMEFANG
From: Imogen Andracanth, VP Research, Ring Dynamics
To: Adm. [blank], Imperial Naval Intelligence
Subject: UNSEEN KEY; info req.
Security: EYES ONLY UNSEEN KEY
With regard to the preliminary abstractions, some possibilities occur.
Do you or anyone else on the Security Executive have any record of signatures matching the enclosed (even approximately) from anywhere within, say, three hundred light-orbits of the Vonis Prime system? I have my people checking into public records, the Stargazer’s Guild historicals, and the Very Long Baseline, but something from closer up would be better.
-i
encs.