I would like to formally and proudly welcome our Aktivisen green and veteran alike to the planning of the Bundschuh Party's first massive operation in years. The formalized set of objectives will be delivered to this database once the final touches are smoothed out.
In the meantime, I would like to present the results of a daring raid that two of our members valiantly undertook in Neu Berlin's orbit, under my supervision.
Aktivisten Benedikt Siegel and Aksel Goldstein rescued nearly two dozen imprisoned Bundschuh and Hessian pilots from a small convoy of Bundespolizei Shuttles with fighter escort. They are to be commended for their courage in braving the scrambled planetary defenses as well as freeing these unjustly imprisoned men.
Today a very important meeting was held on Bruchsal; a number of illustrious individuals gathered to discuss the Bundschuh's goals at large for the foreseeable future.
The invididuals (other than myself) who deliberated and discussed goals included:
Gertruda Köppel, Chair of the opposition Freiheit und Gerechtigkeit Party
Benno Stöhr, Administrator of Bruchsal
Erwin Kleinhans, Administrator of Eltmann, Chair of the opposition Steigenden Adler Party
Egenia Schmidt, Administrator of Cloppenburg
And a number of other voting delegates of minor sects in the Bundschuh movement.
Serving as a delegate myself, I would like to congratulate the lot of you, Aktivisten all, for how much progress our Party has made in the past months. Confidence in our operations is very high despite occasional setbacks, and our group received a standing ovation by all in attendance for ours; and your; spaceborne bravery and valor during the most trying of circumstances. While it carries no official weight, the Widerstand was declared to contain the finest snubcraft aces in the entire Bundschuh movement. Truly, to all of you, I am very proud.
With an atmosphere in the delgations very Pro-Widerstand, it should come as no surprise that the efforts that our group have been pushing for were supported by many other Bundschuh delegates. This bodes well for the Widerstand in general, and should our objectives work, the Bundschuh as a whole. If they work beyond our wildest dreams, all of Rheinland could be liberated.
Having said that, I am also proud to announce the Bundschuh's approval of the Widerstand's responsibilities for this year's spaceborne operations. Christened Operation Edelweiss, it was passed and will take effect immediately. I personally wrote up a large portion of its contents and directions, and I hope that each of you will remember them at all times. They are detailed below:
====OPERATION EDELWEISS====
Primary Objectives:
(1): As always, the ever-present standing orders of the Bundschuh organization. The Federal Republic of Rheinland is a machine powered by the cogs of tyranny and autocracy. As creators of the Bundesrepublik,it is only proper that we repair our creation and start anew.
Opportunistically engage the Cruiser or Battleship of a belligerent Rheinswehr Commander who deems it necessary to chase you into a nebula or asteroid field, as an example. Attempt to talk to those members of the Rheinswehr or Bundespolizei who are willing to hold their fire (if briefly). Come to the aid of any Hessian or Landwirtrechtbewegung allies in need. Do what is necessary to see our goals through, within the boundaries of your conscience.
(2): Munich
This is one of the several objectives of the Operation that are split into multiple directions;
The delegation unanimously agreed that the structural (physical, not political) problems that Eltmann is having are of utmost priority in being repaired. While the opposition parties are doing their part to handle the more emergency repairs with freighters, the Dark Matter makes extra-vehicular spacewalk repairs far too dangerous; all repairs will need to be performed from the inside-out.
We have at least one active transport, the captured Rogue Train VWA|Arsenal. Essentially self-propelled scaffolding encasing massive cargo tanks, I have secured free passage for it within Libertonian Territory. We have not secured constant escort, however, and we must rely upon our own forces for that; especially through the New Hampshire system. The supplies we acquire in Liberty govern the fate of Eltmann. It falls on our shoulders in the end, Aktivisten.
This of course, is not Eltmann's only threat. While I do not believe the Bundespolizei will brave the Dark Matter to search for Eltmann's location, the Unioners occupying the North of the system have revealed their true colors to us at last. Unioner patrols have been harrying, pirating, and in some cases opening fire upon our temporary triage set up in the derelict Augsburg. Our reports claim to have spotted Corsair squadrons lurking in the radioactive murk as reinforcements.
The Unioner stronghold of Leipheim is also shrouded and likely being quickly eroded by the Dark Matter, but our reconnaissance flights were unable to get a detailed look. It is inhumane of us to to harry their repair convoys as they have to ours, but we have no choice. The alternative is having the Unioners capitalizing upon the chaos in Munich with their Corsair-backed piracy, something we will not allow. You have free reign to engage any and all Unioners within Munich and Frankfurt.
Needless to say, our actions (or lack thereof) in Munich pose consequences with Munich's, and Rheinland's civilian population. We will not succumb to mere banditry to effect change, not when so many shipments within Munich now hold emergency supplies permitting millions of people on Nuremberg to survive.
The delegation argued for hours on this issue: How do we permit relief supplies to get to where is needed, without freely allowing Rheinland's Corporations and Military to profit from it? There is no easy answer, but eventually the majority of delegates settled upon a pseudo-solution; We stop transports /after/ these supplies have reached Nuremberg.
As a general rule, engage transports with the proposition of offering a donation or in severe cases (Nuremberg Military Hardware, for example), their cargo. Do so in a system that isn't Munich if possible, to thwart the Bundespolizei claim that the VWA does not care for the plight of the victims or Botzler forbid, perpetrated the incident.
While this deception is a painful pill to swallow... We simply cannot keep the organization moving without donations. It is an inconvenience to the Lane traffic that through their help, could save our ailing House.
Secondary Objectives:
(1) New Hampshire:
Curiously in wake of the credit-injection offered by Samura and Kishiro due to their desolation of Munich, the Rheinswehr managed to push the Liberty Navy out of Bremen entirely, and are currently warring in the New Hampshire system, seemingly over a wayward module that the Navy almost got away with taking.
As you all know, our alliance of convenience is controversial within the ranks of the Bundschuh, and it is a very common tenet that our opposition parties criticize us on. Nonetheless, we need the Navy to more easily destabilize the Military; and with that, the Bundestag's chokehold on Rheinland's people.
As such, we must offer the Navy something of a helping hand. We will leave the head-on fighting to them; that is not our place. Rather, we have the golden opportunity to strike at the Rheinswehr's supply lines, isolated patrols, and occasionally commanding officers. Treat any Federal Corporate entities that stray into Bremen or New Hampshire as targets of opportunity. Offer Freelancing contributors to Rheinland's war machine the same treatment, for the good of our peoples' future.
None of you are strangers to the hit & fade tactic. Our operations in New Hampshire will put those methods to their most pressing test since the Nomad War. I hope to see some of you there with me.
(2) Sigma 13:
Sigma-13 allows us to add our own brand of chaos to a war-torn system, namely warring against the Corsairs and their Unioner lackies. Striking them within the concealment the Crow Nebula offers will allow us to weaken their raids upon our forces and civilian traffic in Munich.
Reconnaissance reported that there was a sizable contingent of Outcasts contesting Corsair raids in the system as well; leave them alone. Unless, of course, you find a convoy of slaves or cardamine; in which case show no mercy in the cargo's capture. In case of the former, deliver the slaves to Kaiserslautern. If the latter, destroy it in the cargo pods it came in.
You will have unlikely allies for this particular set of operations; Blood Dragons. In a recent diplomatic talk between the Order, myself, and this Kusari organization, the revolutionary guard of long-deceased Shogun Hideyoshi are sworn foes of the Corsairs, and willing to work together with us to fend them off from the system our patrols overlap within. Do your best to avoid an argument or conflict with them, and treat them as friendly contacts should you happen upon them in that system.
===========
I will detail Tertiary Objectives within the next day; this is more than enough for you to digest and put to memory. Keep up the good work until then, Widerstand. Rheinland is counting on you.
I am very pleased to announce that Zwickau Depot's cadre of engineers have accomplished something truly remarkable today. They managed to crack the schematics of three Military-grade craft, and they have enough parts left over from the... Hessian "liberation" of Dresden to begin their production on a very limited scale.
As the foremost aces of the Bundschuh movement, you, the Widerstand, have priority access with these ships. I personally recommend their use but it is suggested, not mandatory.
It is my humble wish that these parts will allow our forces to reduce their reliance upon Hessian arms and goods. I believe our (limited) use of Military technology will serve as a symbol to Rheinland's people that we are their true protectors.
Keep up the good work otherwise. Opposition delegates from the Bundschuh are beginning to warm to our successes. This is our opportunity to prove ourselves to them and Rheinland's common men and women.
To:Communications Hub Sender:Aktivist Sarah McFarlen Origin:Frankfurt Relay #7A
Report #001: Saving the Strebepfeiler
Sarah here. So, while you were all out, I've managed to seize control of the government and- Alright, not quite. But it sounded good, didn't it? More seriously, my first revolutionary duty found me assigned to the equipment store aboard Brush- Brou... I'm still working on that. The one in Frankfurt.
Most of the gear aboard seemed to be in fairly good order. A few faulty outlets when I tried to set up tools, but I managed to rig up an Eagle that someone left just sitting in the bay to run a bit of juice to the machines. Aside from the obvious issues with compatibility and maintenance, I'm frankly amazed at the state of most of the parts you have in storage. It's...Er... It's a little different from what I'm used to working with, but give me a few days, and I should be alright to go.
In other news, after Simps gave me the grand tour, I figured I may as well make myself useful and headed down below decks to help out with retrofitting. In retrospect, learning to read German first would have been a smart move, but mistakes were made. So, with my first attempt to be less of a dead-weight thoroughly shot down, I headed over to take a look at the only ship in the bay with an English manual.
It's my pleasure to attach the maintenance logs of the VWA|Strebepfeiler, and here's hoping they'll be more in the future. More in the sense of more work to do. Not more in the sense of more ships getting holes shot through them. That wouldn't be such a great deal.
Role (Primary):Electronic Warfare and Systems Disruption. Role (Secondary):Transport of equipment and personnel.
Reason for maintenance
Core instability experienced on enemy contact. - Fixed
Cruise engines not firing. - Fixed
Action taken.
Removed SG-lt heavy shield. Replaced with SG-ts standard transport shield.
Don't know how that ended up there, I'm amazed the power draw on that thing didn't shut down the control surfaces as well. Anyway, that should fix up those issues you were having with the core and cruise system. She won't be quite as resilient in a firefight now though, so watch out for that one. Still, at least if the shields do drop you won't have to wait half a year for the old girl to get enough energy together to haul them up again.
Reset central computer.
Had to reset the system to get it to accept the new hardware. As a result I may have wiped the nav-map. Sorry about that. Er...Happy flying?
Other notes.
Found Spa and Cruise tickets for 812A.S cruise in primary engine bay.
Expired. Unfortunately. I know, I checked too.
End report.
Reporting Engineer: Sarah McFarlen
On a somewhat related note, with Strebepfeiler back in the air, I've been assigned the job of updating her nav map, so expect to see me at the helm of that one over the next few days while I try and decipher the various snub manuals lying around here. I'm looking forward to flying with the rest of you, and I suppose I'll see you then.
End Message
"This is really sort of a personal project of mine."
- James Arland, on single-handedly engaging an enemy regiment.
To:Communications Hub Sender:Aktivist Sarah McFarlen Origin:Frankfurt Relay #2
Report #002: The Grand Tour (Sort Of.)
Me again. So, I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Strebepfeiler's flying. The bad news is that she's just not flying terribly far. There's also a slight chance that I may have to replace the reactor, but I'll get to that in a bit.
Kicked off the test at a respectable hour this morning, unlike that six in the morning touchdown I had a couple of days ago. Really, someone tell me why we need to work at unholy hours in space. We don't even have a day/night cycle.
Sorry. Jetlag.
Anyway, I started out by running out to a few of the jump points around Frankfurt, and just about everything (shield readout excluded. I think the warning's still calibrated to the hardware. I'll check up on that and let you know.) came back green across the board. That's the good news. The jump to Sigma-13 threw things off a bit, though. Fuel consumption during the jump was way, way higher than normal. As in, likely to limit range to a few systems, higher. I'm not quite sure what's triggering it yet. I'm thinking something's not wired up correctly in the tail end, perhaps the jump reactors aren't converting properly. It'd explain why we're burning through H-Fuel like nobody's business. That's the first guess. I'll likely have to peel the plating off and have a look. Again.
That aside, everything else seems to be working. Oberst Klugmann (Sir.) was kind enough to give me a brief tour of Frankfurt and Munich before Strebepfelier dragged us back to Luneburg with engine woes. Nothing too far out of the ordinary to report in terms of the flight itself. A whole lot of rocks, and another Bunds- How on Earth do you people live your lives pronouncing these things? A regular revolutionary pilot, Schattensucher (Seeker, for those of us who aren't vocal contortionists) pulled us aside on the way back in to discuss something he's come across. I'm not going to pretend I was up-to-date on most of it, I was too busy trying to sort out what was being said. I'm sure the Oberst'll have some details for you on that.
So, in summary. I'll be taking another look at Strebepfelier, and it looks like the operations board'll be busy soon. I've also been having a look through our databases, and I've got a bit of an idea, but I'll get back to you on that one once I'm sure it'll work.
Also, no pictures. Yeah, I know. Turns out the guncams were wired in with that shield as well. No, I haven't got the faintest idea why either. If I didn't know better, I'd think someone didn't want us playing with their toys.
End Message
"This is really sort of a personal project of mine."
- James Arland, on single-handedly engaging an enemy regiment.
To:Communications Hub Sender:Aktivist Sarah McFarlen Origin:Frankfurt Relay #2
Report #003: Everyone Needs a Hobby.
Hello, it's- Well, we all know who it is by now, so let's just move right on. With Strebepfelier still out of action in every meaningful sense, and the Junkers I've asked for replacement parts moving at a speed that'd make a Barge look like a race contender, I took the opportunity to familiarize myself with the base. Turns out there's not that much to familiarize myself with, so I poked my head into the hangar to introduce myself to some of the other gear we've got lying about. Wraith's still aren't my thing, sorry. I mean, I can tell the kit they've got on board is wonderful, it's just that I haven't got the faintest idea what any of it actually does yet. I'm working on it.
Language difficulties aside, I did find something I recognized. I've worked on a few Borderworlds ships before, though I'm more a Dagger person. I'm not sure if it'll be of use to anyone else, but I've consolidated all the information I could find on our Switchblade-type fighters, and a few bits and pieces I had to test myself. Was fun, as it turns out. Might just keep on working on these. Hope it comes in handy.
Happy Hunting.
Oh, and before I forget, my project's ticking along nicely. I'll probably have to source a few more parts from the scrappies, but I should be alright to move into production in a few weeks. Once that's finalized, I'll be sure to let you know. Please, ladies and gents, hold your applause until the end.
End Message
"This is really sort of a personal project of mine."
- James Arland, on single-handedly engaging an enemy regiment.
There is data in Rheinswehr hands that we desperately must retake, through force if necessary.
Nearly a week ago, I personally led a small counter-Federal team of armed Bundschuh volunteers to Augsburg. It was a race against the Rheinswehr's Marine-detatchment that had already boarded the station and sought the same data.
Nearly eighty fighters on both sides were casualties... Easily the largest sum in a non-space environment in months. Regrettably the Rheinswehr managed to escape with the valuable data.
However, we have hit a stroke of good fortune. Sympathetic elements at Heisenberg Station have pinpointed the physical copy of the Data's location; Schatten.
We have little time to prepare. The data is going to be moved tomorrow to Munster where it will be fully decoded and therefore of use to the Federals. It could jeopardize our goals should it fall into the wrong hands.
Due to our limited time constraints, myself und several other Party elite have formulated a rough but hopefully successful plan.
The strike force will depart early, before the Transport carrying the data leaves the Westerwald's protective environs. We are presuming for the sake of expediency that the Transport will use the lanes in an attempt to blend in with other traffic. The most likely point of our ambush will be within Neu Berlin, between Dortmund und the Capital Planet.
The valuable cargo will likely be under the guard of several snubcraft. Disabling them is unpalatable but will be ultimately necessary. Do not allow the Transport carrying the data to escape.
Similarly, the Transport must not be destroyed. Excessive damage to the cargo hold could corrupt and render the valuable data useless. A BDM turncoat, Marco Hausen, has promised to attempt to stow aboard the ship when the time comes. If he does, he has promised to disable the transport's engines internally when we spring our trap. If he is unable to secure passage, he has instead promised to join the fray on our side.
Assuming the escorts are dealt with, the Transport is disabled, and our own assets are still capable of guard duty, the heavily modified Series YX "Dromedary" Border Worlds Freighter
VWA|Boudiccawill moor with the Transport and commence boarding operations. It will house some of the very best soldiers the Bundschuh have, the majority ex-mercenary or ex-Rheinswehr. Once the data is secured and the crew taken prisoner, the Transport will be scuttled.
I cannot stress the importance of this task, Genossen. I hope to see many of you there alongside me as we strike a decisive blow against the enforcers of autocratic rule.
Alright, I've finally got some good news. It might've taken me a while, but I made it to Kreuzburg to pick up that reactor for the Strebepfelier. It's just a preliminary look at the moment, but it looks like it'll fit in nicely. All going well, we should have one more transport to help out with those supply runs in a day or so.
Other then that, things have been pretty quiet. I returned that Wraith back to Zwickau, and they've got me doing some refitting work on a Phantom. Maybe it's just me, but the Phantom's internal workings seem to make a bit more sense. Could be the lack of a coolant pipe running directly through the engine bay. Seriously, who designed that thing? Efficient, yeah, I guess, but the number of headaches that thing must-
Anyway. New transport, on the way.
End Message
"This is really sort of a personal project of mine."
- James Arland, on single-handedly engaging an enemy regiment.
I took a bit of a break from working on Strebepfelier to investigate a news report. I know we don't usually go off local news, but this one was too good to turn down. Apparently there was some sort of internal issue aboard Krupp Munitions, the report was nonspecific as to what. Anyway, figured I could take a few minutes to go down and have a bit of a look.
For once, the news wasn't exaggerating. Krupp was in pretty bad shape. It was hard to tell from the distance I was at, but sensors flagged fires aboard. Hard to say if it was spot shield failures or actual atmo burn, but neither's particularly good news for a station. A trio of Military battleships and a couple of fighters that I'd assumed rocked up to help with the evacuation instead focused on keeping people away from the station (and took a few potshots at me, might I add. For 'piracy' in open space. Go figure. If I didn't know better, I'd swear I'd fallen in with criminals. Again.) I pulled back at that point, but kept an eye on the sensors.
Mass sensors stopped returning a signature a couple of hours later. I'm glad to report the station, and any munitions it had on board, have gone to a better place.
I can't comment on crew. No-one in the area seemed to know if the station was manned, and the launch bays were all locked down to unapproved traffic. I just hope that thing was fitted with escape pods.
End Message
"This is really sort of a personal project of mine."
- James Arland, on single-handedly engaging an enemy regiment.
I have a few notices for all of you to keep in mind for the immediate future. I briefly negotiated a pseudo-agreement with the Head Guildmaster of the GMG. Essentially, so long as we keep our operations to anywhere either West or South of Helgoland Station, we will not be troubled. This is not an invitation to cause havoc, but it is permission to take advantage of the concealment of the Nebula to garner donations from the southernmost lane.
Use this offering wisely and carefully.
Also of note: The Unioner movement seems to have undergone a resurgence of ace piloten. I delivered a terse ultimatum to what I presume to be their leader in a brief altercation at Augsberg. I don't believe my words were taken seriously.
Therefore, the modus-operandi regarding the Unioners is as follows:
Target their fighter assets should you catch them waylaying the lanes. We don't need their kind causing undue civilian harm. (Extra emphasis if this piracy occurs within Munich or Frankfurt)
Otherwise, only take action against them if a transport is caught hauling "immoral" contraband; slaves, cardamine, artifacts, etc.
I'm putting full faith in you, Widerstand, to further our goals over the next month. Rheinland's people are counting on you.
RIORITY:![[Image: hCc243n.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/hCc243n.jpg)
![[Image: Signature-Drawn_zps669d5b6f.png]](http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd485/Jane_Hartman/Signature-Drawn_zps669d5b6f.png)
![[Image: B0JSz5S.png]](http://i.imgur.com/B0JSz5S.png)