Esteemed allies of the Kingdom of Bretonia,

I am Captain Harold Sommerville, speaking on behalf of the Armed Forces and, as requested by the Admiralty Board, initializing contact with the Battlecruiser Lehigh and her escorting flotilla, in light of recent developments.

As the Liberty Naval Command has been already informed, the Armed Forces flotilla sent to foray into Vespucci has been destroyed, with none of the vessels taking part in the operation returning. While the loss of life is regrettable and could have been avoided through better coordination and intelligence data, we wish to relay the information gathered from the last distress signal in hope that the Liberty Navy and Security Force, respectively, will manage to more easily penetrate the defenses around the Jump Hole, once more assets are deployed in the area.

Firstly, and most importantly, the location of the Jump Hole is deep within an asteroid field (sector G6), making large warship deployments tenous, perhaps even impossible in the case of heavy battlecruisers and battleships. Whilst it is not defended, this natural barrier will be the main obstacle preventing an swift invasion of Vespucci itself.

Secondly, within Vespucci itself (sector 5B), our flotilla, upon entry, came across a large minefield, containing a multitude of defensive platforms installed by the Insurgency to deter hostile forces from entering. Behind the minefield, several clicks away, the Armed Forces' group deployed to the system met several large warships, identified as one Judicator-class Battlecruiser and several smaller craft. Upon attempting to retreat, the flotilla was ambushed by the combined Insurgency task force and promptly destroyed.

A direct attack upon the system will cause high casualties, however, if succesful, will result in the destruction of the Insurgency's defensive emplacements and allow for an offensive directly onto the nearby planet.

Before ending the transmission, I also wish to request that, in spite of other possible orders from the Naval Command and LSF, the Battlecruiser Lehigh redeploys to the Magellan system and aid our forces within the region. Due to the loss of Liverpool Border Station to a terrorist attack, such a move would also allow us to strenghten the garrison within the Manchester system.

Reply at the earliest convenience.

Senior Agent-in-Command 'Siren',

I apologise for the late answer, however we are preoccupied with a matter of utmost importance. I will detail it briefly at the end of this transmission.

The Lehigh's deployment straight to the Magellan system would be more beneficial for both of our sides, and, as you have mentioned, Cordova would act as the supply point for the battlegroup during this period of time. The Armed Forces can also assist directly, should the Insurgency attempt to retreat from Vespucci itself.

You have also mentioned the staging point for this new task to be the Wendell Ice Field, several clicks away from the entry to Vespucci. While it certainly represents an excellent location to conduct scouting missions from, I advise against positioning the Lehigh any closer than fifteen clicks from the Jump Hole. The Armed Forces have, and will continue to, divert forces to the area to secure all exit points out of the system and prepare for the final stage of this invasion.

I hope that clarifies our thoughts on the situation at hand. As said at the beginning of the message, I will briefly share available information about the other threat that Bretonia is currently dealing with.

For the past week, scouts and scanners alike have confirmed the existence of a large number of vessels moving to the North of Bretonia, in the region of Orkney. While we have not yet acquired data about who those ships belong to, increased Nomad activity in the region and significant damage to the lane infrastructure has thus far proven that it may indeed be the Nomads who are causing this.

We have also seen first-hand several warships carrying their technology, namely Gaul ships. For the time being, the Admiralty Board has issued orders to completely lock down Orkney and to increase patrols within the region. Evidence of the damage caused to infrastructure and vessels belonging to the Wild is attached below.

Visual Recordings: [1]; [2]; [3]

It is with that in mind that I now close this transmission. Bretonia is counting on our allies once more, and should we be faced with another large threat, we hope cooperation will be as it was during the Gallic War.

That is all.