To : EFL Oil & Machinery | From : Marine Royale Gauloise | Sujet : GET TO WORK

[Lanakov]

---

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - Etat-major de la Marine royale gauloise

Auteur de la communication : Capitaine de frégate Jean L'Herminier

Destination : Jérémie Dupont, directeur d'EFL Pétrole et Machinerie S.A

Sujet : A closer look at Sirian technology.
Cryptage : Confidentiel Défense
CC : Contre-amiral Jean-Yves Patrice de Justéton, canonnier de la Marine Royale Gauloise
CC : Capitaine de corvette Nicodème Guillory, logisticien de la Marine Royale Gauloise
CC : Lieutenant de vaisseau Madeline Sabine de Bordeleaux, Coureur de la Marine Royale Gauloise

Magellan, 13 juillet 741

---

Monsieur le directeur,

The Marine Royale has a new assignment for your company. Following a briefing at the highest tier, it has been decided that our military campaign could greatly benefit from us having a closer, detailed look at Sirian shipbuilding practices. As you know, great care is taken to preserve our complete technological dominance over our lesser foes, and your company has, historically, been at the forefront of these efforts. Your next task is to procure our Research & Development division with samples of Sirian warships and weaponry, particularly of Libertonian origin.

We have determined that the best and most discreet course of action would be to recover these samples from the wrecks of the last conflict Liberty involved itself with, namely the Rheinland crisis. It has been quite a few years since then, but from our early reports, the platforms deployed in that conflict were roughly analogous to the ones we are facing in Magellan and California in the present day. Surely combat systems and armaments have evolved since then, but for the time being, we are interested in the frames themselves, how they are assembled, what capacities they possess, and so forth. This data would greatly assist our analysts and complement our field reports ; combined, it could culminate in more accurate predictive analysis and anticipation of tactical patterns. In short, this would allow us to diminish operational risk and defeat our enemy at a lesser cost. As you can see, the stakes are high and that is why you have been chosen for this task.

Here are your objectives :

- Find a source of Premium Scrap and Military Salvage from the Rheinland-Liberty war. Libertonian frames will be your priority target, but Rheinlandic technology is also of interest, seeing what little data we possess about it.

- From our early reports, sources of these are located far beyond our frontlines, in the border worlds between Rheinland and Liberty. It will be a difficult task to penetrate the area by yourselves, and the MRG has neither the permission nor the realistic possibility of sending any significant unit there to support you. As a result, you have been authorised by the royal court to negociate with local organisations on its behalf. Although you may see it preferable to adopt a low profile ; that is your prerogative, and your responsibility.

- Intelligence indicates that the most likely candidates with a ready access to this material are the ALG industrial clean-up company and the merchant league called the Hansa. The first option has the advantage of dealing with a reputable and lawful company, but given the nature of your mission, the shadier and therefore more discreet Hansa could be a better choice. Or you can roll with both. Again, your prerogative, as long as you do NOT reveal the endgame of this operation.

- You are not permitted to contact Junkers regarding this operation. Under any circumstance.

- You have been assigned a budget of 100 million Sirian credits to convince these groups to work for us.
- You will be awarded another 100 millions at the end of this contract.
- This contract will be considered successful at the first delivery of either scrap or salvage to a Gallic station.

You may use this channel to report on your progress. I expect a first report once you've established contact with one of the listed organisations, so that we can start considering how to move forward from there. Until then, you have complete authority as to how you accomplish this first step.

Finally, your handlers. The commandant Guillory will be your contact for the technical side of things, namely if we need certain types of items more than others.
The capitaine de Bordeleaux will act as your diplomatic advisor. If you are unsure as to how you should contact the listed organisations, feel free to consult with her. You may request that we send her on station to meet our future contractors.
Contre-amiral Jean-Yves Patrice de Justéton will supervise the results of the operation, being our specialist in capital ship combat and strategy.

That's all I have for you, monsieur le directeur. Opération Bousier de guerre is a go. Do not fail me.

Cordialement,
CF L'Herminier

---

Feedback, insults, marriage proposals and declarations of fealty

If everyone was a bit more like Lanakov, the entire world would be more positive. Including pregnancy tests.

[Bordo]

Receiving Incoming Transmission..
Comm-Link Established..

ENVOYEUR: L-D-V, SABINE DE BORDELEAUX
DESTINATAIRE: C-D-F, JEAN L'HERMINIER; DIRECTEUR D'EFL, JÉRÉMIE DUPONT
CC: C-A, JEAN-YVES PATRICE DE JUSTÉTON; C-D-C, NICODÈME GUILLORY
CRYPTAGE: PLUS FORT
SUJET: DIPLOMATIC OPTIONS MOVING FORWARD

---

This one's going to take careful timing.

I'm personally more inclined towards the Merchant League, since publicly I'd rather these kinds of things never see the light of day. ALG Waste Disposal is a solid choice I am told, but I will not see us indebted to Rheinland over scraps of ships, given the clout that company holds not only in Rheinland but all throughout Sirius, it seems. The Rheinlanders can be trusted for now, but dragging ALG into it seems excessive.

I'll be more than happy to speak with the Hansa about it, but I've been reading reports here and there that we are also preparing to work with this League of Einsteinian... Transistors? Has anyone looked into them more, or shall I be mother?

I will also ask for Commandant Guillory's input in here at this point. Because if there is anything in this world about which I know positively nothing, it is salvage. In the meantime, I will continue to read up on the little political foibles these Sirians inflict on themselves so we can better determine who the most suitable third-party for us is.

Bordeleaux, out.

Transmission Ended..
Signal Lost..

[Lanakov]

---

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - Etat-major de la Marine royale gauloise

Auteur de la communication : Capitaine de frégate Jean L'Herminier

Destination : Jérémie Dupont, directeur d'EFL Pétrole et Machinerie S.A

Sujet : RE : A closer look at Sirian technology.
Cryptage : Confidentiel Défense

Magellan, 23 juillet 741

---

Monsieur le directeur,

Amiral de Chanteloup demands an update on your progress as soon as time permits.
I know the amiral well and "as soon as time permits" in her jargon usually means... Well. You should probably consider cutting time on less important tasks, like breathing, to focus on this one.

Have a good day, directeur Dupont. Please do as the amiral wishes.

Cordialement,
CF L'Herminier

---

Feedback, insults, marriage proposals and declarations of fealty

If everyone was a bit more like Lanakov, the entire world would be more positive. Including pregnancy tests.

[Lanakov]

Isabelle Montlaville de Chanteloup was having one of those days.
Some uninspired Sirian scammers had tried (and critically failed, naturally) to rob the Roi's coffers, which had already taken a toll on her patience. Then, there was the fact that her new staff didn't know how important certain details were to her good working order. How she regretted the Téméraire's crew.

The list of HIGHLY IMPORTANT CLASSIFIED URGENT DECISIVE WAR-RELATED IMMINENT END OF WORLD items she was tasked to review was indeed interminable, and each item she dealt with called another one in its place. It was endless. As a result, she had demanded a continuous supply of coffee served at an exact temperature.

The last two she'd been served were edging on lukewarm. Her new aide-de-camp, a charming (if unbearably slow) Enseigne brought her a third cup just as she ordered an extension of deployment of a second-line battlegroup, meaning about 5000 people would be away from their homes and families for another three weeks. The coffee was decidedly lukewarm, this time.

"Lieutenant, if this coffee were any colder, it would freeze. How do you propose I would drink then ?"
Naturally, the Enseigne, caught unprepared (he was still new), stared at her, mouth agape. Chanteloup internalised her burning irritation and simply followed up, calm as the sea before the storm : "Fetch me another, if you please."
The Enseigne hurried to her desk, picked up the scorned cup (she hadn't made any effort to push it in his direction ; the damn thing was cold and therefore not part of her world anymore) and... Stood there, even letting go of the cup.

"Amiral, I had something to tell you first... You asked to be apprised at the earliest-"
"What is it ?" she cut him off, unwilling to give this more time than it deserved.
"EFL... Your orders... Commandant L'Herminier wishes you to know that they still haven't reported back despite his "insistent reminder", and also that they "are somehow still breathing". I'm only quoting the commandant, Ami-"
Chanteloup seized the cup and hurled it to her right at full speed, in one fluid, blazingly fast motion. Naturally, the cup was defeated.
"As I said, lieutenant. Fetch me another."

---

Feedback, insults, marriage proposals and declarations of fealty

If everyone was a bit more like Lanakov, the entire world would be more positive. Including pregnancy tests.

[EFL Oil and Machinery]

Capitaine de frégate Jean L'Herminier,

Firstly let me make this apology clear, unlike the more civilized parts of Sirius, Bering seems to have some measure of a delay in their communications arrays leading to a rather frustrating amount of waiting between communiques, be this due to being all but abandoned by both houses or some unseen astronomical anomaly I cannot say. Regardless, I am waiting on a response from the Unioners. I Expect their response in due time, once that is received then we should be well on our way to having a supply of goods for R&D back on Calais.


Let's make a deal,
Jeremie Dupont,
CEO, EFL Oil and Machinery