Storyline

[Hastings1066]

As a Bretonia player; No. I draw the line at Leeds. The Leeds system is our English Channel, the BAF our Royal Navy. I am fine with raids behind the line by the GNF (in Newcastle and New London) but the bulk of the advance should be held at Leeds.

The storyline should go as thus; with Kusari pushed back into the Taus, Bretonia finds its stations in Leeds back in their hands. BMM and Bowex, having lost Glasgow and Stokes once, commit billions to the reconstruction and fortification of these stations, chartering countless tonnes of materiel from Liberty and the Omegas. The Bretonian propaganda machine and a dogged spirit does its work, and the entirety of Bretonian society commits itself to hold the enemy at Leeds.

Bretonia proves more resilient than Gallia expected. Leeds becomes an all out battleflied, with Bretonia implementing new tactical based on lessons learned in the Taus - capital ships remain positioned at heavily fortified positions where their potency is greatly increased by orbital defence platforms. The BAF fighter and bomber wings, with aid from the Kusari exiles, Mandalorian Mercenaries, and other groups, conduct hit-and run strikes against Gallic forces beyond the defensive perimiters in Leeds, while the QCP's privateering in Gallia proves devastating to Gallic supply lines, adding to the pressure the Outcasts and Colonial remnant put on them in the Taus. The GNF are limited to fighter and bomber strikes in New London and Newcastle which are themselves heavily contested by the BPA and what combat strength BMM, Gateway, Planetform and Bowex can muster.

After a protracted stalemate Gallic morale begins to suffer; the easy conquest they were expecting ground to a halt, Gallic home systems become muttering centres of discontent as the Maquis, Council, and UC find their support base increasing. Worse, the expenditure necessary to maintain such a large military force and the depletion of Gallic core systems begins to take its toll on the Gallic economy, made worse by the continual disruption of commerce by native Gallic rebel groups with the aid of the QCP, Outcasts, and Colonial Remnant. The monarchy's hand is forced, and the GNF begins to commit its forces to secure the resource rich Taus. This effort arouses the ire of Kusari and the IMG, and both Bretonia and Kusari begin to see that necessity might force them into a temporary alliance. As the stalemate draws on further, Kusari commits itself to "limited warfare" - or, more accurately, guerilla warfare to prevent Gallia from establishing a foothold in the Taus. The economic and social pressure on the Gallic government becomes even worse.

Finally, a revelation. Liberty discovers within the ancient archives of their sleeper ship that the Gallic ire towards the Sirian houses is a sham; Coalition spies were in fact responsible for the discovery of the French, Italian, and Australian sleeper ships and the resulting destruction, not a conspiracy by the other four nations of the Alliance. Using this knowledge, Bretonia aids the various unlawful factions in their propaganda campaign, generating massive civil unrest in Gallia as its citizens are forced to confront the notion their government lied to them. Disgruntled members of the GNF, having spent months fighting a bloody stalemate for apparently fabricated reasons, desert Gallia and cause the offensive in Leeds to collapse. This compounds the economic and social pressures within Gallia itself, pushing the French house to the brink of civil war. The government is forced to withdraw their forces back into Gallia to preserve order and combat the increasingly strong Maquis, Council, and Union Corse. The pressure on Bretonia is lifted, and Kusari and Bretonia are now somewhat reconciled owing to the conflict. An uneasy equilibrium between the now five Houses is achieved.

Enter 4.87: Reconstruction, revolving around Gallia and Kusari attempting to deal with their social woes, and Bretonia's efforts to rebuild.

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