Message Class: Textual
Encryption: Ceylon
To: Fleet Admiral Edmund Steiner; SIS Directorate
From: Governor-General Commodore Elizabeth Hall, BAF
Edmund, agents,
It is my duty to provide you a summary of the recent events involving the Exeter System.
On the 16th of December, Premier Mehmed Selim requested asylum in Bretonia. He was rescued from Freeport One the same day.
The following day I had a conversation with the premier. The night before, Wellington time, Captain Pria Yberg interrogated his chief of intelligence, Michel de Grasse, so that we could be sure Selim is not lying.
The main issue was that the new Coalition government would not sign the Sydney Accords, while Selim had done that, which made Selim the only Coalition premier who could govern the Coalition territories on Exeter legally. Thus I made a pact with Selim: our ground forces would ensure that he is premier of those territories, and in return, he would make several concessions towards Bretonia, which we shall determine more precisely after those territories have been requisitioned from the illegitimate government. The head of this illegitimate government is a certain Ivan Petrov, currently just a commissar, so I assume he is not governing, but ruling the Coalition, as some sort of a warlord. The public opinion of the Coalition people is unknown, but likely to be easily manipulated by Petrov.
On the 19th of December, I sent a request to speak with Petrov and try to resolve these issues diplomatically. When I requested the Accords to be signed, I was ignored. On the 21st, our government sent them an ultimatum, which they rejected earlier today.
The ground forces on Exeter that are under my command are ready and greatly outnumber the Coalition garrison. Thanks to Selim's presence, we will probably also be able to convince some units to change allegiance without a fight. Casualties will most likely be unavoidable, but will not be significant percentually, and I predict us to take nearly full control of the planet within weeks. It is to be expected that the remnants of the Coalition garrison will withdraw into the mountains and the woods and fight a guerilla from there. My forces will not venture inside, but we shall instead wait for Winter and then starve them out.
I am awaiting orders to execute Red Winter.
Commodore
Governor-General of New Holland
Bretonian Armed Forces
It is our opinion that Premier Selim has since lost much of his former influence. The man failed to uphold the authority of his office and therefore lost it entirely. His ideals and philosophies are by no means in sync with those of the Kingdom, therefore he is still a threat. Yet he has given us valuable insight and forewarned us about coming events. How you deal with him therefore, is up to you. Bearing in mind that he will be watched by the SIS.
In the meantime, we are approving your request for Operation 'Red Winter'. The Service will be mobilized and will assist in whatever capacity it can. The BPA garrison will also be informed and will be made ready to assist. Reinforcements will be sent to you from Cortez and Newcastle should you need them.
Fleet Admiral Sir Edmund J. R. Steiner KBE, OG
Director of HM SIS Victor A. W. Steiner
Message Class: Textual
Encryption: Ceylon
To: Fleet Admiral Edmund Steiner; SIS Directorate
From: Governor-General Commodore Elizabeth Hall, BAF
Dear Edmund,
The Coalition tried to break through our blockade with a large fleet including capital ships earlier today. They were repelled with tolerable losses on our side, among them Captain Pria Yberg's fighter. I sincerely hope she has survived, but I have not found her pod myself. It would cause me great sorrow if her baby was harmed, and I request from you that, if both have survived, she is allowed a temporary leave until she has given birth. The blockade was, as a matter of fact, temporarily lifted, as our ships had to follow theirs in order to reach firing range, so I do not know if any shipments of soldiers, ammunition or supplies have reached their garrison.
The ground invasion has nevertheless commenced. The enemy is providing admirable resistance, for a minor nation at least, but we shall break through soon enough with our sheer weight of numbers. Long live the Queen.
Commodore
Governor-General of New Holland
Bretonian Armed Forces
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