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Fort Ansel presides over the verge of the Mérignac mountain range, not far from the south coast of the Caudéran continent. It is at the north border of the Enclave's territory. Beyond it is the wild and untamed land. Attempts to expand farther north were met with bombings and ambushes, presumably by the Gaians.

The Fort is the seat of the Enclave Defense Authority on planet Bordeaux. It serves as a command center, emergency shelter, training ground, troops garrison, storage facility, and a small spaceport. Being at constant risk of a Gaian attack, the Fort is well-defended at all times.

All Enclave military personnel, EDA or otherwise, have clearance to approach and enter Fort Ansel. However, specific areas may be off limits for people without sufficient security clearance.

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The War Room is the "brain" of Fort Ansel. Any data there is in the EDA's systems, it ends up here. It is a true nerve center of the Enclave. It is bustling with activity almost at all times: the noise of terminals is interrupted by the infrequent exchanges between the analysts, officers, and support staff.

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When something needs to be discussed in private among the Enclave's leadership, the conference hall is the place to go. Just a corridor away from the noisy war room, the conference hall offers quietness, seclusion, and access to all the data from the Enclave's nerve center at a moment's notice.

Guards are stationed in the room at all times, regardless of whether there is a meeting, and who is meeting there. Enclave Defense Authority guarantees that the guards will not disclose the information discussed here to anyone.

\*/~	Enclave Defense Authority	Tier Or Tier Argent (unless prohibited by tier Or) Tier Bronze (when invited by tier Argent and approved by tier Or)
MdG/-	La Maréchaussée de Gaule	Maréchal Eveline Laroux and her retinue Representatives of an appropriate rank
MAE|	Montluc Advanced Engineering	Representatives (when invited by Tier Or or above)
---	Individuals	Crown-Prince Joseph DeFrance or his representative

Conference Room

Spring 743 A.G.S., 5:30 p.m.

Discussion of Enclave's short-term and long-term plans

Maximilian Saint-Just sat at the round table, awaiting the other participants. His white uniform of a high-ranking member of the Royal Intelligence was a stark contrast to the black uniforms of the guards and of Commandant Adelaide Gauthier standing by his side. The meeting was to involve high-profile personnel, and the Commandant wasn't among them. All the seats were reserved for the military and civilian leaders far surpassing Ade in rank. Yet the Colonel had insisted on her presence.

Normally, the conference room was open without invitations only to the military: top tiers of the Enclave Defense Authority and the Marshalcy, as well as some prominent individuals. But this time, the Colonel had also invited a special guest from the outside: Baron Fabian Montluc and a few members of his retinue. In case the Baron couldn't arrive himself, the Colonel had insisted on sending at least a representative with the full authority to speak and make decisions on behalf of Montluc Advanced Engineering.

The agenda of the meeting has been sent in advance to all the people who had the permanent clearance to be there, as well as to those who were specifically invited for that occasion. It included:

• A brief report on the current status of the Enclave and its forces.
  
• The problems that the Enclave was facing (specifically, the lack of population necessary for the upkeep of the fleet).
  
• Discussion as to how to address that problem.

Some officers and civilian specialists had already arrived and took their seats. The Colonel was just waiting for the Baron and a few other potential speakers to arrive before commencing the report.

Conference Room

Spring 743 A.G.S., 10 a.m.

Discussion of Enclave's short-term and long-term plans

Baron Montluc arrived the following day with a small court of two people: the captain of personal bodyguards, and a secretary. Wearing simple yet elegant suit, Baron stood out as a typical representative of minor Gallic aristocracy. With a graceful bow, the Baron greeted those present, nodding to Colonel Saint-Just as a recognition of a superior and as a token of reply to the summon.


Baron smiled and set down at a vacant spot.

Conference Room

Spring 743 A.G.S.

Discussion of Enclave's short-term and long-term plans

Once everyone assembled, Saint-Just made a nod: "Mesieurs et mesdames, merci beaucoup for finding the time to be here today. I've invited you to discuss our current situation and the next moves. Commandant Gauthier and her team of analysts have prepared an assessment of our situation. Adelaide, if you will..." Maximilian waved at his subordinate, not even looking at her. "Oui, Commandeur," Ade replied and proceeded to press a button on the table. The screens above it flickered to life, along with a holographic projection. It illuminated the room as other lights dimmed.

"As you know, our forces have held the Hebrides in tight grip after the end of the war. However, recently our intelligence has reported that Bretonia is stepping up their game up north. The Crayterians have apparently withdrawn from planet Harris and left it for a Bretonian battlegroup. A bold move, given the state of their House after the war. Still, their resurgence was... troubling.

Our own success at dismantling Isca Fortress in Omega-49 has shown that Bretonia'a overextended forces couldn't respond to a focused strike on the outskirts of their so-called 'Empire'. That's why Enclave command authorized the purgation of Dublin—a series of strikes at Bretonian industry and export facilities. Although we couldn't commit our forces to dismantling Graves Station or New London jump gate, we did destroy multiple sizeable storage installations. In the worst-case scenario, it will drive the BAF into a stalemate against our defenses. But ideally, it will keep Bretonian industry off-balance. If the Mollys will seize this opportunity to step up their game, our further large-scale intervention won't be needed."

The Commandant took a brief pause after speaking for so long. She glanced at the glass of water standing next to Saint-Just... but then simply continued: "These quick surgical strikes and resource denial may prove the best strategy to buy us more time to fortify the Hebrides. To that end, we've identified two primary and one secondary target: Leeds and Languedoc, and Lorraine to a lesser extent."

The woman took another pause. Surely some of the people might find this choice of targets questionable. Leaning on the table with both her arms, she gave everyone present a quick look: "Leeds is within our reach. Striking at it will isolate Bretonia from the resources of the Taus, and let us reclaim those resources for ourselves. If we cut off the Bretonian forces around Harris, it will be even better. There is a chance that the Outcasts would strike at Bretonia in the Taus as well, but I wouldn't count on it. Their allegiances are ever-shifting, and they can't be trusted."

Finally, after seemingly an eternity, Saint-Just pushed the glass just a little towards Ade, and she took a quick sip from it. "Now... As for Languedoc. It is undoubtedly the mining hub of Gallia, and their pathway to the Taus. Gallia is fragmented, and Languedoc happens to belong to the least powerful player—the Minarchy of Provence. By going against the Minarchy, we can divide the Confederacy access to the Taus. With Zurich connection cut off, that would leave Lorraine as their only pathway to the Sirius sector, ripe for interdiction operations."

The Commandant exhaled and took another sip from the glass. The plans she had just voiced were big, and would certainly require a lot of work. But they seemed feasible, and could by the Enclave more time by keeping its enemies weakened. Although Ade was confident in her plans, she half-expected objections from some of the high-ranking officers who had gathered in the conference room.

Conference Room

Spring 743 A.G.S.

Discussion of Enclave's short-term and long-term plans

Lieutenant Nicolas Plantagenêt would step forward, declaring an intent to speak. If his superiors allowed it he would express the following:

Excusez-moi, if I may.

Bretonia having deployed two battlegroups along the Tau highway which connects Bretonia to Kusari. If Kusari were to deploy a fleet to Tau-29, then we maybe in a situation most dire. If they were to all advance into our lines at once, and should the traitors of the Confederacy assist them. Then we're looking at a military operation whose singular objective is to crush us. While, I have no doubt our forces would routinely beat them, I fear we cannot out sustain them.

I would therefore suggest exploiting the opening that Bretonia has current created in overextending. Leeds. The system is relatively devoid of infrastructure and garrisons of Bretonia. If we were able to spearhead an assault into the system to destroy the local forces here. We severe the Bretonian supply lines to the Taus and establish control over the system where we may tax the highway convoys of their cargo to fulfill our own needs.

Nicolas would then, after saying what he wanted too, realised he may have done so in a manner not befitting his station. And promptly fell back to where he was before after expressing his concern with his tone as he said:

"Pardonne-moi, I did not wish to seem out of place."