SENDER:Kreuzerkapitän Erik von Strauss, Special Unit 'Stulingen', MND RECIPIENT:Direktorin Viper, RM High Command LOCATION:Sektor-7 SUBJECT:Alsace Passage Assessment
Direktorin, Military Command.
In order to avoid any confusions, I am hereby informing you about one of our operations. In preparation for his Majesty's journey tomorrow, we will conduct a final threat assessment along the route. Scheduled for 18:00 Sirian Standard Time, several of our vessels and other MND assets will meet and traverse the whole route. We will, naturally, share our report with you later on. Be advised, our forces will frequently cross the trade lanes but we will do our best to avoid unnecessary confusions with local merchant vessels.
SENDER:Kreuzerkapitän Erik von Strauss, Special Unit 'Stulingen', MND RECIPIENT:Direktorin Viper, RM High Command LOCATION:Sektor-7 SUBJECT:Alsace Passage Assessment
Direktorin, Military Command.
Our Units returned to Rheinland safely. Worry not, they were not spotted by anyone within our home space.
The same cannot apply to Gallia. Yes, Madame, we have ventured as far as Planet New Paris - with permission of course. A beautiful place if not for scrap fields rivalling those ALG cleans up for Bretonia.
Field assessment resulted in a diverse picture for our Imperial Majesty's travel route, including a rather shocking development which I will come back to later.
Harzfeld:
The Harzfeld, whilst infrequently still plagued by scoundrels, should represent one of the safer segments of the Emperor's journey. The proximity to Wildau and the Capitol, as well as the lossless nature of his Majesty's escort forces will provide excellent deterrent. We may still expect overzealous hostile forces, most likely Red Hessians, though at low intensity. Our Units detected few enemy scouts only.
Saarfeld:
Threat level 3. The Saarfeld is nominally a hotspot for Red Hessian activity and we long suspect it to harbour their gateway from Dresden into the Capitol. Einheit Stulingen discovered the wreckage of old modular storage tanks within the field near the edge towards Bonn Station. This place may act as landmark for hostile forces and scout forces are urgently required to be dispatched into its general direction prior to the convoys passage. Due to the increased presence of hostile scouts, it is safe to assume that we must expect enemy strike groups - mainly Red Hessians or Unioners - with considerable forces.
Ruhrfeld & Saarfeld:
Once the convoy reached Bonn Station, we assess the first major obstacle ahead. The trade lane towards the Stuttgart Gate is flanked by two asteroid fields known to be riddled with various criminals. We cannot hope for infighting to distract them this day and all forces are to expect a fleet consisting of all kinds of criminal and terrorist vessels aiming for the Emperor's life.
New Berlin Gate -> Planet Stuttgart:
Moderate threat level. Considerable distance of the trade lanes to both Nord- and Ostnebel enable quick detection of any possible hostile obstacles. The presence of the Westfalen is a considerable deterrent factor. However, a LWB ambush is likely. Their generally lacking combat capabilities render them a low threat.
Planet Stuttgart -> Freiburg Station:
The short trade lane route between Stuttgart and Freiburg should not pose any risks to the convoy. If anything, we may expect small Red Hessian or even Coalition forces trying to slow us down.
Freiburg Station -> Cologne Gate:
Since the opening of the Cologne passage, this trade route is among the most plagued by criminal elements in all of Rheinland. This leads us to believe that the Nordnebel harbors either an outpost or a connection we are unaware of. Our travel through the nebula indicated very high levels of hostile activity, leading us to amend our previous estimation. The convoy and its escort must exercise high caution whilst traversing this segment and we cannot rule out the possibility of a joint Red Hessian-Coalition ambush including several warships emerging from the nebula.
The entire system of Cologne a risky segment of his Majesty's journey. Considering the volatile behavior of Gallic criminal organizations, we expect a considerable spill over of their forces and high probability for a cooperative strike against the convoy together with our own criminal elements. It is urgent that the convoys forces are bolstered with additional forces as late as Freiburg Station, preferably the convoy should receive additional reinforcements around Planet Stuttgart already, as we do not expect a large-scale presence of Gallic authority vessels coming to our aid until the arrival in Zurich.
The arrival in Zurich is marked by a considerable but lesser risk when compared to Cologne. The nebula surrounding the Gate possesses excellent scanner interfering qualities and an ambush is very likely. Following the convoys arrival at the Gallic Observatory, we expect a massive wave of Gallic reinforcements welcoming us, rendering the remaining segment leading into Gallic territory relatively secure. An ambush around the Gate leading to Champagne remains likely however.
Zurich Gate -> Planet Marne
Einheit Stulingen also conducted a rough analysis of potential threats within Gallia proper following the most generous invitation to enter Gallic territory by Gallic Navy Pilot "Yannick.Durand". Along the first trade lane lays an asteroid field where our units encountered significant Royalist presence. An actual ambush wing consisting of multiple bombers. They might try to delegitimize the current Gallic government by assassinating our Imperial Highness. High caution advised.
Planet Marne -> Ile-de-France Gate
We managed to hail the Battleship Cassard whilst probing around this segment. Initially, it appeared like everything is under control. Our taskforce was attacked by a Maquisard Battleship, a remnant of the Council it appears. They acted extremely hostile upon the indication that we were guests of the Gallic Union. It is incredibly likely that a cloaked battlegroup will try to ambush our Emperor's convoy. A most concerning development especially since the Gallic forces did not brief any of us about the mere existence of such vessels in the hands of these terrorists.
The last segment was categorized as very risky by us. Surrounded entirely by a dense asteroid field, this trade lane is practically made for ambushes. The Maquisard Battleships presence at the Ile-de-France Gate and lingering Maquis scout vessels indicate that they freely make use of the field. However, the relative vicinity of the Gallic Capitol and their main Naval Academy leave us to believe that despite fierce fighting, the Burghausen should manage to slip through safely. A small Gallic Navy contingent welcomed our Units a few clicks away from Planet New Paris.
Of additional note, we encountered a strange visual within the Zurich system. Identification failed and we could not pursue it further as it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Conclusively, the our Imperial Majesty is taking considerable - ja sogar - disproportionate risks travelling to Planet New Paris in person. We must urge all involved assets to reconsider the scale of their deployments and ready as many units as humanly possible. While we are not many, Einheit Stulingen will relocate its vessels to the Hamburg and Frankfurt system to secure vital trade lanes as we suspect the Polizei will not be able to deal with the void left by the relocated Rheinwehr assets on their own. Many will aim for the Emperor's head but some may try to abuse the attention his journey draws to plot something else.