Looking at LaFlamme and Cole, Anders gave a short sigh as he considered this dark future. "As I stated earlier, Roussillon's greatest strength is that it thus far has remained undetected by the Royalists, and Coronado's is its obscurity and distance. The King has always underestimated the Republic, but perhaps Fallen Grace has made us seem more than a nuisance to him. We have not been able to fortify ourselves to any real degree of satisfaction as you have done in Roussillon, Colonel. Put shortly, the Republic as we know it today would not survive another Exodus Under Fire - we have few places left to run, none of which could support all of us. Any surviving Colonials would be lost to the melting pot of Sirius, and Crayter's legacy would be over. That being said, if Roussillon were to be evacuated, the Council battlegroup and population there would be accommodated by us as best we can." The Commander stops for a moment, before excusing himself from the room.
As he steps back in, it can be seen that the dark mood has not lifted. "I do apologise for that, the crew aboard the Athena was under orders not to interrupt us unless anything was urgent. However, Prudence did so with good reason; he has received word of a startling engagement in the Taus. This speak of Kusari was rather apt, as they have decided to emulate their new friends quite well.
Some of our transports, held up by a small Kusari fleet were destroyed with no chance of surrender, along with several of our snubcraft; all within sight of Freeport 6. I am sure you and most in the region know of the Tau-44 Massacre, and this is all too familiar. Hostilities has subsided what with Gallia's arrival, but I shall be sending an ultimatum to their Naval Forces post haste; I doubt anything will come of it." Pondering the Pope's suggestion, he spoke once more." "We are not quite as accustomed to jumphole anomalies as you Sirians and Gauls - what with there not being any in Crayter that we detected or used - but I understand it is rather difficult to intentionally destabilise one. I agree with our Councilman here, that fortification would be a more sound strategy, at least as a first step."
"I know you might see it as a drastic measure, but if it would be needed as a last resort to make sure Baffin is safe. Or at least safe for the time being then the jumphole might destabilised. At least we would try to.. Another option would be to destabilise the Roussilon jumphole to Tau 29..."
his face shows a small grin after these words.
"I have to agree with the both of you it would benefit us if we would start to make a defensive grid. One which defends the entrance from Baffin to Tau 29. Do not forget it would only be a minor defensive grid within the eyes of Gallia. They might see it even as some preparations we make for a possible invasion. The data you just provided Anders concerns me. I guess we must be more aware then I suspected."
Richard has still doubts, he takes a sip from his glass and awaits the reactions of the others.
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Leave the matter of the Roussillon jumphole to me. If the system gets revealed et the defenses won't hold more, I will attempt a shutdown, but until then, I would rather keep that door open.- he leaned back in his seat. -If we reinforce the Tau-29 hole, we should do it on the Baffin side. Kusari patrols may scan the area et the base would be more visible for them on the other side. In the meanwhile my men could further scout the Taus et give constant information about the approximate awareness of the Royal Navy about the operation. Now, what kind of defensive grid did you have in mind, Monsieur Cole?
Closely Richard listened to what was told. He rubbed his chin and takes a small moment..
"I see what you mean indeed. It would benefit us all. I guess the time has come to put in some flax within our defenses. It would not only benefit us, but also indirectly it would benefit the Council as the Colonial Republic. Any suggestions when to start and how to fund the whole project? As I know these projects are very expensive."
He takes a sip of this glass of water and awaits their responses.
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Considering the plans and comments of his two counterparts, Anders made towards his place at the table and sat down.
"Drastic measures aside, securing the Baffin-Tau-29 anomaly would be the most efficient defence of Baffin, Coronado and Roussillon's flank. The Baffin side would of course be much easier to build, but discovery by our enemies, or a loose-lipped... pilot taking the Barrier Pass, and it could all be for nought. Perhaps some diversionary efforts elsewhere could be in order while we set up defences. Some damage or annoyance of the Naval Forces cannot go amiss now, at the very least."
Taking a drink of water, which had been refilled after the Discordians had returned, he continued.
"As for the logistics of the base itself, our Movers always seem to be keen when receiving a contract to fulfill. Defence platforms are best constructed using Gallic Munitions; unless you can find some sympathetic civilians, I believe your acquaintances in the Maquis have an 'affinity' for this sort of thing."With a short laugh, Anders thought to himself how he'd become drawn into yet another civilian perspective on the matter. "The Republic has managed to stabilise its economy but that does not mean we have very much money to invest around these areas. Our strength at the moment is Sabah, with work still ongoing to increase its effectiveness. Perhaps relieving the strain of each of your efforts in that regard can funnel the majority of the required liquid assets for the station."
Richard is concerned as he is aware of some of the secret projects going on within the Temporary Autonomous Zoners. It might be TOO much to ask for a big pile of credits to fund this whole project. Even if the peace made him a very wealthy man, he cannot fund it all himself. After all he has Freeport XXI to look after. "I have to agree with you commander Anders. It is not a cheap operation and it will cost a lot of engineers to work around the clock to make a fully operational base. One which can also withstand some significant firepower. But as you pointed out it can be a valuable asset against the Gallic Kingdom."
Richard takes a look at LaFlamme and then at Anders, hoping to raise some fund from both sides. "It will be a long term project I think the starting funds must be doable for all sides. If we would split the costs within equal amounts I guess we all would benefit from it. And of course we would all benefit from it. We could even drop the maintenance costs if we let civilian traders buy materials from the station."
After these words Richard thinks of the possibilities it would open. And is thinking about making preparations for the station to rebuild.
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Pierre frowns and looks in front of himself as he listens to the other two and think about what they say. When Richard was done with his speech, he looked up, first at him, then at Anders and began to speak. -As I said I'll have my men keep an eye on hostile movements within the Tau systems, if there is something suspicious happening, I'll let you know, Commander, et we can arrange causing some diversion to take attention away from this operation. About logistics... I believe I can make a deal with our fellow Maquis to double their smuggling runs et bring more ammunition from Marne as well as have a word with Monsieur Croix to spice up our financial operations et look around for sources of building et supply material. Some things we may be able to provide from Toulouse, but I'm not entirely sure that will be enough. Available manpower et vessels are another question I need to discuss first with Monsieur Croix. For now, sharing construction costs equally sounds fair. I'm not convinced however that civilian assistance would not pose as a possible way of infiltration, sounds like a security risk for me, so if you decide by this, I advise you to think twice who you ask for supplies. That's however just an advice, it will be an installation within your space after all.- With that, Pierre looked on the others to wait for their response.