I successfully negotiated the minefield in Omicron 80 after bribing a local Outcast to advise me how to safely pass through. I entered the jumphole to the system called "Lorraine", and was met by another minefield on the other side, and some Gallic Royal Navy bombers who responded poorly to my presence. They didn't hail me, they simply tried to kill me.
I eventually lost my pursuers and was able to take a system scan:
I locked in on some Sirius-coded signals, in English, and found, of all things, a Junkers base, named Lixheim!
This fact by itself, is very disturbing. It indicates the Junkers have had contact with Gallia with some time, but have not shared this knowledge with the rest of Sirius!
I stayed a night at Lixheim, received repairs to my Arrow, and asked the local Junkers about Gallia. They reported that Gallia is not unified in its opinion regarding the rest of Sirius. One organisation in particular, the Council, favours a state of openness with the rest of Sirius, but the Gallic Crown, backed by powerful Gallic Royal Navy, is particularily xenophobic.
I believe the price the Junkers have paid to do business in Gallia is their silence. I fear also the possbility that the Gallic Crown has used their contacts with the Junkers to learn far more about us than we know about them.
Day 2
I was advised by the Junkers to make my way to the nearest Council Base, Verdun, in Lorraine. On my way there, I stayed clear of Gallic Royal Navy Patrols, but felt compelled to scout, and scan the nearest Gallic Royal Navy Battleship, "Valor" Class, the Epinal.
I would like to report that our nations are peers in technological prowess, but this is quite definitely not the case. The Valor Class is superior to our mighty Dunkirk in almost every respect. The armor is almost twice what the Dunkirk is equipped with, and I counted 17 turret mounts, and the weapons technology appears superior. I barely escaped with my life, and did not get a scan of the mighty vessel.
I made my way to the Verdun Base, and landed there.
I was able to establish contact with Council representatives, though I did not reveal my true identity. I have kept my cover so far throughout the entire assignment. Since people here are so unfamiliar with the rest of Sirius anyway, I could likely pretend to be a Corsair and it would make no difference.
The Council favours closer relations with the rest of Sirius, but frankly, they are heavily repressed. I am not confident in their success. I have not learned enough (yet) to make policy recommendations to our Government.
Day 3
The Council revealed the location of a jumphole to the Champagne System. I took that route, and upon entering the system and performing several system scans I was able to learn that the system is firmly in Council hands. They are not the underdog here. Consequently, i was received warmly on several major bases, and was able to learn more about their culture and technology.
Their wine is also ekschull (hic) exshullant...
Day 4
I was advised by a paid informant of the location of a wrecked ship, which contained technological secrets for the taking. I went to the location of the wreck, and was able to glean two advanced Brigand weapons from the wreckage. The Brigands are common criminals, whom are loosely allied on the side of the Council, against the Gallic Crown. Following are the specs for the weapon:
While somewhat inferior to our own Advanced Splitter, for mere criminal weapons these are impressive. I was able to return to a hanger on a Council base, and equip them to my Arrow:
I was impressed with the weapons performance. They certainly exceeded the performance of the Zoner weapons I had equipped.
I am unable to keep them mounted, however, as they energy usage signature would eventually have harmed my power supply harmonics. Some say, if you keep such weapons mounted, you may eventually lose all credits and guns, but the mechanism how remains a mystery.
Conclusion:
I have managed to make progress in Gallia, and will continue in my primary objective; to learn more about the politics of the various Gallian factions with an emphasis on their intentions vis-a-vis the rest of Sirius, to explore their territories, and to learn more about their military capabilities.
I believe I have an opportunity for a secondary mission which may be very useful. I have begun to acquire Gallian weapons for study by our scientists and engineers. I will return with as many as I possibly can.