As many of the Zoner captains initially feared, their so-called Outcast "allies" have had enough of fighting in Theta. With repair efforts still underway on all sides, the long-awaited window of opportunity that was promised is now a mere porthole. The Corsair empire is simply too big to stumble after only a single blow, already managing to replace its losses by cannibalizing existing dispositions. With Vis redeployed to provide security, only another Outcast battlegroup could threaten a full-scale ground assault, but the Dons had a different purpose in mind for those vessels...

Left holding the short end of the stick, the Zoners in Theta aren't just going to give up after thery've come this far, however. The Core continues to be a valuable ally, and have just as much interest in seeing the Freeport back in their hands, or at least rendered inoperable by the enemy. With commanders on both sides vowing to commit as many forces as can be spared, the only question remains - how to get them on board safely. The Vis after all is but a single ship, and the rest of its battlegroup has its work cut out for them on two fronts. Where an overwhelming focused assault resulted in losses, perhaps a more dispersed approach can still accomplish the same objective. With the breaches already made, it's only a matter of lining up one's landing.

While the damage to Freeport 9 may have been accidentally inflicted by the raging battle in the system, the integrity loss on Atka Research Station has been the result of anything but. Mere days after the Vis's departure, the Outcast reserve force made a play for its long-awaited objective. With little advance warning, the structural weak points around the receiving docks fell in minutes, with the station itself barely energizing its shields in time to prevent critical damage. Not expecting an easy victory, the Outcast battlegroup has already settled in for a siege, hoping that their previous allies buy them enough time in Theta to get the most out of this opportunity.

Though the GMG have gotten used to Outcast forays into the system, the sudden power vacuum has delayed their response. The situation on Atka is deteriorating rapidly, as not even the most pessimistic planners assumed that such a force could threaten the station unchallenged for long. With Cryer security assets doing their best to evacuate staff under fire and run what replenishment ops they can, it falls to the Guild to blunt the Outcast assault itself. At the very least, the Outcasts' Golden Chrysanthemum allies aren't too eager to jump into the fray against their underground Kusari partners, and will likely limit themselves to hitting Cryer convoys to demonstrate their commitment.