>>5659058>>5659063Any competent leader would. An army marched on its stomach, and a wise man said that before civility came a full stomach. “What about Kalle?”
“We got lucky. The viceroy’s distress signal got blocked by a nebula – locals call it the Veil. Kalle and its mines were seized with minimal bloodshed. Local governor capitulated when Mercantor threatened to bomb his villa from orbit.”
So far, the MSDF has their immediate bases covered. Ulsind would have been a likely staging ground for the Tof, and if you’re looking at the map properly, Kalle’s behind too many nebulae for stable hypersrpace travel. That only leaves…
“Dondron’s our next target,” Keimann declares, zooming towards the planet. “That’s the closest garrison on the Tof’s hyperlane maps. We need to take it to secure our northernmost borders.”
“…define ‘garrison.’”
“Current intelligence suggests at least two companies of infantry and a small flotilla of Tof corvettes and frigates.”
“What’s stopping the Tof from jumping from Dondron to Mylus?”
“The same nebula that protects Kalle. They haven’t found a safe-enough route through the Veil without colliding into something or flying headfirst into a solar storm. The Tof have to jump from Dondron to Ulsind before they can get to Mylus.”
Awfully convenient. But you’d still be nervous about the Tof taking the long way around the Veil for an attack on the southern flank. Raising the point to Keimann, he gives you a little grin.
“Not likely. See these…” He zooms out of the MSA’s territory, moving to another polity. “The Teladi are helping us fight the Tof. Their fleets are patrolling around Ciric…the outpost, not the starbase. They’ll be keeping an eye on whether or not the Tof are taking the scenic route to try and flank us.”
“Telaid?” you ask, puzzled.
Keimann’s explanation of the Teladi leaves you wary. Even if they’re dedicated to helping the MSDF fight the Tof, comparisons to the Trade Federation are hard to ignore. The fact that they’re enemies of the Tof doesn’t completely ease the tension of them trying to turn a profit by backing the Mylar Star Alliance.
Still, it’s not like Keimann had a choice. A fleet of ships is hard to turn down, even if only one of them is mothballed. Now that you know that they exist, as well as their location, you’re sorely tempted to take the <span class="mu-i">Albatross</span> to one of their shipyards to customize it even more. Force knows you’ve got the credits for a few upgrades.
But there’s one alarming point of contention that you have with the new fleet. With a frown, you tap at a line on the invoice. “…it says here that a Pip Arcblade is the lead foreman of the project.”
“You and Master Aure,” he chortles humorlessly. “She said something similar and nearly flipped the table. But as far as our intelligence goes, he isn’t part of the Blazing Chain.”
"...so who is he exactly?”
(cont.)