To Directors of the SIS / From: The Admiralty

[Markam]

Message Class: Audio-Visual
Encryption: Whisky Martini
From: Commodore John Redmond

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SiS Directors Victor Steiner and Sarah Mountbatten,

Regards from the BAF Admiralty.

The last month or so has seen considerable movements in the war, I am sure you are aware. The most recent of which is the successful conclusion of the Ice Lance operation conducted by Crayter in unison with allied forces, including our own. The success at the Holman junction has opened the entire system up like a book. Gallic forces are all moving in the opposite direction, the Battlegroup Montmerency that conquered Roussillion can either return to Edinburgh and join the front, chase the Council back to Gallic core systems, where the crown capital is under threat, or try to retake the supply lines taken by Crayter, though that route is long and perilous. La Riche and Guillistere are similarly in positions that can go forward, backwards or stay still.

In short, I am concerned in the face of so many uncertainties and potential permutations. I need your eyes on the situation, and I need to know what is going on in Tau-31 if Gallia abandons attempts to retake the system. Particularly concerning Planet Harris, which still remains in Gallic hands.

Here is my problem. We have no available fleet which can safely liberate Harris, and even if we did, it would present considerable risk, and as such, we are currently powerless to secure Harris, which is absolutely vital to the future of Bretonia.

The admiralty can however afford to supply the SIS with a Battlecruiser to serve as a base, and can monitor the Tau-31 system, engage in raids on Leeds and Edinburgh, and if the opportunity presents itself, secure the Harris orbit. We know we need troops to secure the surface, though we can only supply highly limited numbers due to the logistical issues and distance involved. The Harris surface however as I know it, is not infested with Gallic military positions.

The SIS, should it feel able to undertake this operation, should also seek the support the Gaians and other irregular forces in the area. Should Gallia attempt to storm the system, I would recommend you extricate to safety, though not before you sabotage the Lanes to impede their progress.

Regards,

Commodore John Redmond
Dreadnought Venerable, Stirling Battlegroup
Bretonian Armed Forces

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Transmission Terminated

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Markam is evil

[Capt. Henry Morgan]

SECRET INTELLIGENCE SERVICE - KINGDOM OF BRETONIA - SEMPER OCCULTUS

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From: Director Mountbatten, SIS

Location: <<REDACTED>>

To: Commodore Redmond, BAF

Subject: Tau-31

Classification: SECRET/ASSETS - SIS/BAF EYES ONLY

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Commodore Redmond,

It's good to hear from you again. The situation in 31 has been interesting indeed. If the Crayterians can hold the lane junction, it's going to put a serious damper on the enemy's ability to resupply their forces, and does indeed present some interesting possibilities for us as well. There's no need to redirect a critical BAF warship at this time, though. The Service already has a lend-lease battlecruiser modified for intelligence gathering that would serve our needs here perfectly. I'll have a full intelligence team assigned to the HMS Menzies immediately and give Captain Singh orders to proceed to Tau-31 as soon as the ship and crew are ready.

As to your proposal of direct offensive action, it is not normally the function of this agency to undertake that type of operation. We're not generally equipped for that, though if enemy movements provide an adequate opportunity, I think it would be a risk worth taking. We would need a complement of Royal Marines to secure and defend the planets surface, however. Without them, we would be unable to do anything below orbit.

One last note concerning a potential invasion force. Before my promotion to Director, I was assigned to Canberra Star City to serve as the agency's liaison to Natio Octavarium. While I was there, their Mercantile Guild was supplying a third party with a very large supply of Libertonian-made weapons and ground vehicles. The current liaison officer informs me that, after the shifts in the jump hole network late last year made the route unprofitable, they're still sitting on a large stockpile of military vehicles. They estimate between six and eight thousand vehicles of every type from staff cars and supply trucks all the way up to tanks and powered heavy combat armour. For the right price, they may be willing to sell them to us, which would simultaneously remove the need to reallocate resources from elsewhere and remove the risk that they end up finding a buyer that we don't approve of.

In Her Majesty's Service,

Lady Sarah Mountbatten, Director
Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service

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Natio Octavarium
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