I am pleased to be hearing from you again, although truth be told I would prefer more favourable circumstances. If what you are saying is correct, and I certainly believe you and do not not intend to undermine your credibility with my choice of words, then the situation of the Empire is indeed grim. I have received mixed news on the battleground: some members of the navy returning for the repairs were boasting about our forces winning the day, the others, you includingly, report on failure of our advances. Regardless, it seems that the hopes for blitzkrieg of the imperial navy proved to be ill-based after all as they had been warned. The Empire had not recovered neither economically, nor militarily after its countless wars in the past to launch an invasion of such scale. I sincerely hope the Shogun and his military advisors make right stellapolitical conclusions from this war, as well as the cabinet regarding the casus belli and the use of mathematical apparatus in calculating possible gains and losses.
At any rate, the end of this war is looming on the horizon. Regardless the outcome, it is bad for the Empire. Given the initial successes of the KNF and breaching into the Gallic territory, the defeat for Kusari is unlikely. Gallia simply will not have the resources to launch a daring offensive to risk the gains of their costly defence. So I assume, the civilian population is safe. A tactical defeat is still possible if the remaining KNF vessels get caught in a pocket and eliminated. The most likely outcome is a stalemate with Kusari's forces retreating, possibly employing the tactics of scorched earth to render pursuit even less likely. Even if the Gauls agree to a defeat, it would be a Pyrrhic victory for the Empire: the only gains Kusari can "secure" are minimal acquisitions in Taus which we could have used in the past under joint use terms. So basically in that case the Empire would pay a huge price in blood and crippled by war economy for pushing out the economic competition for Samura mining operations in Taus. Quite a bad deal, if you ask me. More importantly, regardless of the outcome, our corporations will not be so eager to jump in exploiting newly acquired space because of the increased unlawful presence. With Gallia and Kusari weakened and not friendly enough to establish joint patrols not to trigger emotional skirmishes over the recent war, there simply would not be enough police forces to counter the lawless elements in the Tau Rim. Diplomatic ties to Gallia will also be cut as I cannot imagine the Gauls being friendly after our aggression, especially with their apparent soon re-unification. And of course I should mention the increasing unlawful activity within Kusari itself that now will have more favourable conditions for their operations. A terrible war however you look at it.
You are doing the right thing, my friend: you are looking into the future and asking how we can save or at least help the Empire. Well, first and foremost we will need to counter the unlawful activities within the home Kusari systems. Bad criminal situation is bad for the economy that is already weakened and strained by the war efforts. Furthermore, we will need to try to alleviate the diplomatic damage done to Kusari-Gallic ties. I indend to organise exchange of the prisoners of war as a token of good will once the war is over. I will think of other diplomatic moves independent of the government to promote mutual understanding. Aside from that, we need to try to promote business activity in order to boost the economy somehow. I had a plan of starting a new stock exchange to that end and support with AHN in terms of information. And let us not forget about our exploration efforts. After all, a new system to claim can trigger business interest and distract the populace from the pessimism of the current situation. How about you, my friend? I hope you are fine. If you have any suggestions on the course of action and views on how to improve the situation - I am all hears and would be glad to consider a friendly point of view.
敬具島森正仁 (//"Keigu Shimamori Masahito" - Best Regards, Shimamori Masahito)
![[Image: 5lqJajt.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/5lqJajt.gif)
![[Image: eiqeLns.png?1]](https://i.imgur.com/eiqeLns.png?1)