It's been five days since we arrived to the compound... That's too strong a word for just a field of tents and crates in the middle of nowhere. Not somewhere I expected to meet the end of the war we were supposed to win. Blasted Council and their réunion, without them we would've already defeated Bretonia, and maybe even Liberty. But their deck got stacked against our own before we joined the game.
Anyway, can't dwell on that now; we play what we have. That is, a bunch of stubborn power-clingy royalists, some backstabbing opportunists, a few idealists, thousands of officers cast aside by their nation, and a whole lot of hungry and homeless common soldiers and civilians. There are only so many people I can rely on in all this chaos.
Luckily, we can at least rely on our defenses. If Enclave lacks anything, it's not the fleet and the people to man it... for now, at least. By my rough estimation, it is comparable with current Council... Republican forces. If Regent d'Avignon weren't so busy playing her own game, and some of our own people hadn't shown a lack of spine, we could've returned to Gallia and reclaimed our House. But then it would've been left vulnerable for a counter-attack, and we would've left all our conquests in Sirius. So, all this mess may still be for the best.
There is a lot we'll need to take care of. Bretonia will be rebuilding and looking for vengeance. We'll need to set up the infrastructure and industry if we want to keep repelling their assault for years to come.
Contingency 0: Réunion Pesante
In the event of a swift coordinated push into the Gallic Hebrides by Libertonian, Bretonian, Crayterian, and Council fleets, the remaining Enclave military won't stand a chance. Digging in will only prolong the inevitable destruction of our fleets. Assistance from Gallia isn't expected and wouldn't turn the tide. Therefore, engaging the invaders is inadviseable.
All jump-capable fleets are to make way to Omega-49. The remaining bulk of our forces are to converge at planet Bordeaux and destroy everything of value on the surface. After that, they are to form a concentrated force and push towards Languedoc. Self-destruct sequence on all Enclve installations in Gallic Hebrides is to be initiated.
Ships in Omega-49 are to engage and overwhelm any Bretonian defense forces left in the system and deal as much damage to Bretonian facilities as possible. After that, they are to jump to Brittany to assist the bulk of our forces in their push towards Gallia. In Languedoc, or near the mine field in Brittany, we form the defensive perimeter, engaging only hostile non-Gallic forces. Avoid combat with the Council at this point, if possible.
This scenario assumes that Bretonia and its allies unite and attempt to cleanse the Hebrides in the coming weeks. It is unlikely, but we have to plan for it. If successful, this contingency plan will leave us with an even more weakened Bretonia and a stronger Gallia after the war.
Entry:#2 "How We Proceed" Time:19:41, 06.11.742 Location:EDA Compound, Planet Bordeaux Record Type:Audio
Half a year ago, if someone had told me that we'd be engaged in peasants' work, I would've dismissed it as a bad joke. Yet here we are, on Bordeaux, living the colonists' lives. Chopping down trees for wood and more space; hunting, fishing, and gathering for food; growing crops and trying to tame the local wildlife. A dream come true for some people, but not for me. Down here, only the sight of our ships in orbit reminds me that this is all but a temporary setback.
On Bordeaux, every helping hand counts. Yet our forces have to remain vigilant for a counter-attack. Shore leaves were canceled entirely. Instead, we've set up rotation: people switch from ship duty to work on the surface. It turned out to be effective: after years of seeing the interiors of the same ships every day, people are eager for a change of scenery and different tasks.
We've been almost out of touch with the main colony, apart from exchanging some supplies for the technology needed by our compound. EDA must always be able to fend for itself, especially if riots over the lack of food and shelter ensue. In that case, we'll be the ones to maintain the peace. We've got just the people for that.
Despite the Enclave's predicament, every following day proves that we can get through this. The latest scouting party reported that the Aquitaine gate in Leeds is gone. Bretonians have probably disposed of it. If so, we'll have more time to rebuild and get our compound and forces up to speed. Not to mention that we now possess a jump gate without a pair, which opens new possibilities. But that's a thought for a later date.
Contingency 1: Enclave Insurgent
So far, Gallia hasn't made a move against our facilities in the Core Worlds. Lausanne and Evreux were highly classified facalities, and few people now would even know of their existence. Lausanne happens to be in close proximity to Oerlikon Stellar Observatory. If we could infiltrate it, the observatory would locate other systems with habitable for our potential expansion... a Failsafe.
Discovering such a system would make contingency 1 null and void. That way, if Gallic Hebrides are ever under coordinated siege, the Enclave won't have to surrender to Gallia and cease to exist. An attack on Gran Canaria with jump-capable ships would still happen as planned, but then they'd take a series of jumps and retreat to Failsafe. If they manage to throw the pursuit of track, the Enclave will persevere.
Cloak-capable vessels would attempt to reach our hidden bases in Gallia instead, and reinforce their personnel. Vessels not capable to jump or cloak would still have to make a stand, and, hopefully, sneak to our facilities in Gallia through Provence. It's a long shot, but better than surrender.