NewOriginalSchwann

Solarian Navy Continues Advance — Fighting Breaks Out in Some Front-Controlled Systems Epilogue Part 1, Article 6 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera opens upon, as it has for many months now, the XNS war room and their map of the Northern Reaches. Judging by the map, over the past days the Solarian Alliance’s Navy has made significant progress into the area controlled by the Solarian Restoration Front. Along the main frontline the Navy is nearing Lycoris, the Front’s longstanding headquarters and capital world, and near Nueva Patria the last bastion of the Pact has grown in size. Near it the Navy has begun to push towards New Peoria and Novo Igman, seemingly not content to simply bunker down and await their main force. Novo Igman is marked by a small explosion graphic despite the Navy still being some distance away. Off to the sides of the map, looking much better than they did during their coverage of the invasion of San Colette, are XNS analysts Delphine Deschamps and Ajit Gopal. “As you can see by our map,” Deschamps begins as she points her PDA at Novo Igman, causing a small laser dot to appear on it, “the Solarian Navy has pushed the Front back and, as a result, we’ve been able to receive many more communications from areas under their control. Recently it was revealed the Front-occupied Pact world — perhaps ‘the former Pact world’ might be better, as they’ve effectively rejoined the Alliance — has been in open revolt against the Front’s occupation force.” “Right,” Gopal says, “and we’ve heard similar reports from across the Front’s occupied worlds such as Lhokgon and New Peoria. With the arrival of the Solarian Navy it seems the writing for the Front is on the metaphorical wall.” “So it does. What about the League?” “It’s effectively destroyed as a fighting force Delphine, with the vast majority having fled over the border with the Coalition or died fighting against the Front in their last stand at New Atlantica late last week shortly after the Alliance’s intervention. Those who have fled across the border have mostly been detained by the Coalition naval forces stationed there, assuming they didn’t slip through the border undetected. We don’t know how many managed to slip through undetected, but some are concerned we may see a growth in piracy if many did. Particularly piracy along more remote regions of common Konyang-to-Xanu routes.” “Concerning,” Deschamps responds. “To go back to Novo Igman it seems they’ve been fighting for some time. First against the League and now against the Front, with success against both. Reports we’ve received from its Pact government indicate they’ve regained control of several major industrial cities and are currently engaged in urban fighting against the Front in others. Much of this is unconfirmed at this exact moment but if the Navy’s advance towards the planet is any indication, they’re trying to reach it and free it from Front control before waiting for the majority of their fleets to punch through.” “Hopefully we’ll have more information soon.” “Hopefully!” Deschamps nods! “Personally, I'm looking forward to getting photographs from them -- or videos! For now, however, we’ll be back after a short break.”

Exclusive Footage From Inside the SAMV Gunnhildr as it Arrived in Nueva Patria Epilogue Part 1, Article 5 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera opens to a nondescript older Solarian man sitting behind a desk, who smiles at the camera as the footage fades in. Habitual viewers of the SANN may recognize this as Reginald “Reg” Fitzpatrick, a Callistean news anchor who specializes in military-related reporting. A proud veteran of the Callistean Marines, Fitzpatrick is perhaps somewhat less impartial than the typical journalist. Fitzpatrick is known for never using a language other than his distinctive Castillean Tradeband, which is distinctively Utgarian rather than the rapid New Valletta accent most associate with the moon. Solarian Common subtitles are provided. “Good evening, viewers!" Fitzpatrick begins, leaning slightly onto his desk. “With the largest Solarian Navy actions since the Interstellar War now underway, we've received many requests to cover our fighting men and women in more depth. Today we bring you a SANN exclusive — a view inside of the Gunnhildr as it warped into Nueva Patria!” At a dramatic snap of Fitzpatrick’s fingers the camera transitions to a view of the inside of a Solarian Navy vessel. The view of the room appears to be captured from a fixed camera upon its wall which can see all of the room aside from a small amount below itself. To somebody familiar with the Solarian Navy this is clearly a fire control room for a larger vessel’s batteries — one of many such rooms in a vessel as large as the Gunnhildr. All around the room Navy enlisted sit at militarized computer consoles, idly chattering with one another. Some appear fairly nervous and a variety of accents can be heard above the idle noise of the ship in transit — Martian, Earther, Plutonian, Callistean, Native Silversunner, and Hai Phongese accents are all discernible to a keen-eared listener. A notably absent accent is the upper-class Lunan, but a likely suspect for having it is visible in the background of the scene: a tall and pale woman clad in the black uniform of a junior Navy officer who is holding one ear shut with her spare hand and holding a wired telephone to her other ear. After a moment she puts the phone down with a loud CHUNK and quickly turns to the room. “GUNNERY THREE,” she yells in Lunan-accented Common, “BRACE FOR WARPSHOCK!” An older enlisted man echos the call, “BRACE FOR WARPSHOCK!” At a moment’s notice everyone in the room scrambles and braces against a variety of objects and hikers down while desperately knocking what few objects remain on top of the consoles to the floor. An alarm begins to sound. The officer, bracing against a terminal, looks down at her watch and looks up to shout again. “FIFTEEN SECONDS TO DEWARP!” “FIFTEEN SECONDS TO DEWARP!” a woman bracing against another computer echos. Five seconds pass as the sailors and their officer brace themselves. At the ten second mark, a monotone feminine voice begins to count down over the room’s speaker. As the voice loudly and monotonically declares “DEWARPING NOW” the room visibly shakes, knocking the officer’s hat to the ground and causing a man next to her to stumble in his crouch and nearly fall over before she and an enlisted man grab onto him. The PA dings twice. “Attention all hands,” a male Lunan says over the intercom, “we are dewarping smoothly. Move to full combat stations.” The officer stands up as enlisted sailors around her rise to their feet “Gunnery three!” she shouts. “Let’s show the thirty-fifth how the First fights!” As men and women around her shout in approval and run to their stations, the tape cuts out and moves back to Fitzpatrick at his desk. “A truly inspiring view of the Navy’s best in action!” Fitzpatrick approvingly pumps his fist at the camera once. “News from across the frontline with the Solarian Restoration Front currently shows the Navy pushing back the secessionists on all fronts and saving our fellow Solarians from the yoke of Frost’s tyranny and corruption! The Sol Alliance News Network will keep you informed of all relevant events in these historic times, and one of our best reporters is on the ground to cover the situation as it develops. For now, however, have a good night and God bless the Alliance! And if you’re in the Northern Reaches, stay safe — the Alliance is coming together once again!” The broadcast fades out.

Lain/TheBurninSherman would in my view, to nobody's surprise, be an excellent addition to the moderation team! I can personally attest to their ability to be level-headed and calm even in very, very difficult situations. Without them I would not have gotten nearly as much done as a lore deputy. In-game Lain plays a diverse roster of well-developed characters and has a commanding grasp of the setting's lore. I wholeheartedly support their application and wish them the best of luck!

XNS Exclusive: Solarian Navy, Pact Allies Move to Secure Nueva Patria Epilogue Part 2 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera opens upon Mariska van den Soeterik, Delphine Deschamps, and Ajit Gopal still behind their desk in the XNS’ main foreign news room. The desk space in front of the two analysts is a mess of papers, scribbled notes, and a map of the Nueva Patria system which is covered in pins, writing in various colors, and a miniature ship model likely standing in for the SAMV Gunnhildr. While van den Soeterik is clearing her throat, Deschamps puts down her papers and speaks. “--sorry for the delay!” she shouts. “I just got the footage we need fully translated!” “Delphine, we’re broadcasting,” van den Soeterik responds. Deschamps sheepishly looks at the camera, then hides her head in her hands as van den Soterik begins speaking to the camera. “Good evening, and welcome back to the Xanu News Service’s foreign desk. As always I am your host Mariska van den Soeterik, joined today by our two top analysts for the situation in Nueva Patria and the Northern Wildlands: Delphine Deschamps and Ajit Gopal.” “We’re happy to be here,” Gopal responds as Deschamps removes her head from her hands. “Over the past few hours the situation in Nueva Patria has changed drastically, with more Solarian Navy forces coming through its warp gates and the Navy launching a large-scale offensive against the Front along its border with the Wildlands. The situation has drastically changed on D’Anzin, which was the site of recent fighting. Delphine, your footage?” “Oh!” she responds. “Right, yes! It was difficult due to the ongoing battle there, but we’ve managed to secure this short film from a Civil Guard soldier on D’Anzin – that’s the planet the Front and Pact have been fighting over for the past few weeks – outside one of its phoronics facilities. Just as a warning this footage may be disturbing to some viewers so, if any of you are watching with children, you may want to take them out of the room.” At this point the footage cuts out and returns to the XNS newsroom. “You said this footage was about an hour old, Delphine” van den Soeterik asks. Deschamps nods in response. “It is! This is, well,” Deschamps waves her hand in the air for a moment, looking for the right words. “It’s a huge event! The Solarian Navy’s currently working to push the Front out alongside the Coletters, Pact, and mercenaries by the looks of it.” “Something else to note,” Gopal interjects, “is that there’s been nothing in the way of reported incidents between the Navy and Pact forces in the system, including mercenaries under their command. It’s too early to say why, but the Pact and Navy may have had some form of agreement in place before the intervention. That would explain why they fought so hard to control the warp gate. Next to Gopal, van den Soeterik nods her head. “Interesting, interesting. The Xanu News Service, while we must be right back, will continue to update you on further developments in the Northern Wildlands as we approach the weekend.”

XNS LIVE: WARP SIGNATURE ARRIVES Act 4 Article 20 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera zooms in on, as always, Mariska van den Soeterik, the dedicated host of XNS’ foreign news segment. Her augmented eyes glow slightly as she looks up from her PDA, setting the device down on her desk. Also behind the desk are Delphine Deschamps and Ajit Gopal, the XNS analysts who have covered much of this crisis so far. “Good evening and welcome to XNS’ foreign news hour. I’m your host Mariska van den Soeterik. The long-awaited warp signature in San Colette’s network, subject of much speculation throughout the Spur, is expected to arrive within the hour. Thanks to the deviated work of our team on-site we have secured a unique perspective for this historic event: one of the external cameras on the mercenary vessel Caravaggio has been seconded to us after payment. Ajit, Delphine, what can you tell us about this vessel while we wait for the connection to be established?” “Well,” Delphine starts speaking, “the Carvaggio is a Solarian cruiser of the Free Solarian Fleets. Those are the, ah, mercenaries defending San Colette currently. It’s seen significant action both against Elyran and corporate forces in the Badlands, and has been engaged in multiple battles against the Front and League over the past months. It’s a testimony to the vessel’s quality that it’s still operational, let alone fighting.” Van den Soeterik nods along, then looks over to Gopal. “Over the past few days it’s seen especially harsh combat,” Gopal says, “as it has served as the command vessel for the defense of D’Anzin.” Before Gopal can continue, van den Soeterik’s PDA pings and she looks down at it. “Wonderful!” she says, clapping her hand together. “The connection is stable enough to begin broadcasting. We’ll be going to it now!” The camera cuts to footage of what seems to be an external gun camera on the Caravaggio, positioned above one of its railgun batteries. The battery itself is looking out towards deep space at the edge of Nueva Patria and the cargo warp gate is visible on the left edge of the camera’s field of view. In the foreground a Albatros drone lands on a Cabral-class cruiser, which promptly launches another flight of drones up and out of the camera’s field of view. In the distance larger ships led by a Castillo-class battleship trade fire with some distant, unseen target. Idle Solarian Common chatter – a departure from the Tradeband utilized by Colettish troops – can be heard over the camera’s audio feed alongside the clicks and squelches of radios. Nothing is translated or subtitled due to the broadcast being live. A Mictlani-accented man can be heard saying, “gave the camera feed to the fucking journalists,” before he is drowned out by a series of beeps and the railguns firing a salvo. “Battery three,” a male voice sounds over the camera’s feed. “Reload guns and shift to target contact five, that corvette. Knock it out of action.” As the railguns retreat inside the hull to reload and battle continues around the Caravaggio, Gopal speaks. “As you can see by the camera feed, we’re currently witnessing the largest Front offensive against D’Anzin since they managed to land troops on its surface.” “Why launch the offensive now?” van den Soeterik asks as the railguns pop back out of the hull and begin tracking an unseen target. “They know they’re running out of time,” Deschamps interjects. “Their raid on San Colette’s space elevator was a failure and most of its railguns are still operational, so the Front may only have this chance to knock out the warp gate – or seize it, if they’re attempting to bring reinforcements like some have spectated. Connecting directly to the warp gate would let them bypass its security measures and bring reinforcements directly into Nueva Patria, bypassing a great amount of San Colette’s remaining defenses, or disable it completely.” The railguns fire again, then retreat into the hull to reload. To the left of the camera, the warp gate’s warning lights begin to flash as a duo of Front corvettes rise into view near it, having managed to bypass the Pact forces either through stealth or coincidence. “Battery three,” the male voice speaks again, “new target, refocus on those corvettes once you reload.” The railguns rise out of the hull once again, with one half locking onto the lead corvette and the others locking onto the second one. They fire almost immediately, and several shots go wide – but enough hit the lead corvette to destroy it in a small explosion. The second one pivots and continues its path towards the gate, hoping to reach it. “Three,” the voice speaks again, sounding more stressed, “engage and destroy that corvette. Do NOT let it get to the warp gate, that’s an order straight from the Fleet Admiral herself!” “--herself?” Delphine asks. Before she can say anything further, the camera – and the Caravaggio – begin to pivot to port, bringing more of the gate into view. It is very evident by the red warning lights that whatever is inbound is about to arrive. All three reporters go silent. The seconds begin to tick by as the railguns retreat into the hull to reload and the corvette streaks towards the gate. As it approaches and the railguns emerge from the hull, the lights shut off and the gate flashes white. Seeing this the Caravaggio accelerates and continues banking hard to port, drawing further away from the gate while keeping it in view. The corvette itself is essentially directly in front of the gate but somewhat above it — a hazardous, but not deadly, position for the teleportation of any ship up to battleship size. But what warps in, unfortunately for the corvette, is not a battleship. Seconds after the Caravaggio begins its turn the bow of a large, somewhat blocky vessel exits the warp gate at good speed. The corvette has no time to react before the rest of the ship warps in and it is smashed against the shields of the vessel, causing the corvette to not as much be destroyed as it is evaporated. As the bow fully exits the gate and the middle makes it most of the way out, it becomes very, very clear this ship is a good deal larger than a typical Solarian battleship, and dwarfs the Taipei-class heavy cruiser filming the scene. The Caravaggio’s turn ends and it begins to even itself out parallel to the vessel. The camera pivots slightly to look at the massive vessel’s bow and focuses upon Solarian Common lettering on the side which must be dozens of feet tall: SAMV GUNNHILDR Deschamps gasps at the sight as the sound of cheers are heard over the camera’s microphone. “That’s a– that’s a dreadnought!” Deschamps shouts. “It’s a Solarian Navy dreadnought!” Cheering continues over the camera’s audio as the Gunnhildr finally clears the warp gate fully and its batteries are deployed on both sides — massive arrays of railguns, torpedo tubes, and point defenses. Behind it a small force of destroyers and frigates — likely screening vessels for it — in Solarian Navy livery jump through the warp gate and race to catch up to the larger vessel. Several Pact vessels, including the Caravaggio, fall into formation with it. “ATTENTION ALL RESTORATION FRONT FORCES,” a Lunan-accented woman calls out over the radio, “WE ARE A SOLARIAN FLEET INTERVENING ON BEHALF OF AN ATTACKED MEMBER-STATE. TRANSMIT YOUR SURRENDER MESSAGES TO US OR WE WILL ENGAGE YOUR VESSELS UNTIL YOU ARE REPULSED.” A Front heavy cruiser, visible in the distance on the Caravaggio’s battery camera, responds by shooting at the Gunnhildr. Its railgun barrage is absorbed by the dreadnought’s shield without a single round making it through. While the battery camera does not capture how many of the dreadnought’s guns fire back, it does capture the heavy cruiser exploding shortly after firing. A few moments later, a male voice with a Lunan accent is clearly heard over the battery camera’s radio. “SAMV Caravaggio, we read you as having an external data connection. Cut it immediately and fall into formation – Fleet Admiral’s orders.” The feed then cuts out, switching back to the XNS’ journalists. All three look fairly surprised. “That’s the Alliance, then?” van den Soeterik asks the two analysts. “That it is!” Gopal responds. Deschamps, for her part, is desperately shuffling through a booklet of papers. “Delphine?” van den Soeterik asks. “I need a minute, can we go on a short break?” This is, uh–” Deschamps looks up, “well, it’s monumental. Mariska.” Van den Soeterik looks off to the side of the camera and nods at somebody. “We’ll be back after a short break,” van den Soeterik says. “Please stay tuned!”

Signature Detected in Warp Gate — Pact Forces Hold Steady Act 4 Article 18 of the Amor Patriae arc “Just now,” Deschamps begins, “we’ve successfully confirmed that a warp signature has been detected in the large-scale cargo warp gate within the D’Anzin defensive lines. Attempts to identify the object have been unsuccessful so far, but it is at least confirmed to exist.” “In the meantime the Front’s forces, despite sporadic fire from the still-active defenses around San Colette, have continued their attempts to assault and secure these gates,” Gopal says as he points to the map of D’Anzin and its surrounding area. The Pact has barely given any ground but has, it seems, taken losses. The Caravaggio remains standing, along with several Colettish capital ships and heavy cruisers. Opposing them is a mix of every Front fleet engaged within the system. "This may very well be every Front ship remaining in the system, and they badly outnumber the gate’s defenders." “Will they succeed?” “They’ve got a numerical advantage over the Pact and, if the gate is in use by Front forces, should be able to handedly defeat the defenders. But there’s no guarantee they’ll break through, and they may very well not.” “Right, of course,” Deschamps responds. “We’ll have more news — and live updates — shortly. For now we go to Xanite political news while we confer with our teams.”

Colettish Ground Forces Repel Assault — D’Anzin Remains Threatened Act 4 Article 17 of the Amor Patriae arc Adelmira de Noi, Presidential Liaison for the Colettish government, stands holding a binder and wearing a bulletproof vest. At her side is a holstered pistol and across her back appears to be a Solarian Army submachine gun. This appears to have been filmed within a bunker. She opens her binder and begins speaking. “Colettish forces have, as of noon Nueva Isabela Standard Time, repelled Front forces which attacked San Colette itself,” de Noi looks up at the camera and away from her binder. “To the remaining soldiers and sailors of the Front, know this: Nueva Patria will be your tomb. Surrender, leave, or die. You cannot defeat us. You will never defeat us.” The camera switches to footage of Front-aligned troops — distinguished by their black-and-gold armbands or navy blue equipment — being marched down a road by Civil Guard militia troops. The camera lingers on the Front soldiers for a few moments. The soldiers of the Front look exhausted and have clearly been run ragged by the weekend’s fighting. Many are wounded and appear simply happy to be alive, but some still have eyes which burn with hatred for the Coletters. One of them — an officer with a red flower in her green cap, a symbol sometimes associated with Army units from Lycoris — holds a particular defiance in her eyes, and mouths the words, “death to traitors,” to the camera as she passes. The footage cuts out and the camera switches to Deschamps and Gopal standing in front of a map of D’Anzin and its three warp gates. The smaller gates are marked as destroyed while the large one is, stunningly, marked as active. Around the gates a hasty defensive formation — a mix of Civil Guard, FSF, and Pact ships — is still holding against the Front, which is attempting to seize the gate. “Roughly two hours ago,” Gopal begins, “the large cargo gate near D’Anzin turned on without any visible external input. This indicates that either the Front’s reserves — which are estimated to be stationed in New Peoria — have activated the gate, or another party has.” “Any idea which party?” “None currently. The Alliance has had a communications blackout along its border with the Wildlands since its skirmish last month, and the Front has never spoken to any journalists. We’ll simply have to wait and see.” “It isn’t exactly satisfying, is it? Gopal shakes his head. “We’ll see what happens over the course of the coming days. For now, we’ll be right back,” Deschamps waves at the camera as it fades out.

Colettish Forces Halt Front Advance in Nuevo Villaviciosa Act 4 Article 16 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera opens to the XNS’ typical screen, still showing Nuevo Villaviciosa and its surrounding area, flanked by Delphine Deschamps and Ajit Gopal. Fighting has continued in the city’s suburbs, but the Front has not gained any ground over the past day. In some areas near the coast it has lost ground to the Civil Guard, and fresh Guard and militia units have begun to arrive to assist the defenders by assaulting the Front’s rear flank. Gopal, as usual, is first to speak. “This morning Civil Guard forces in the suburbs of Nuevo Villaviciosa confirmed they have halted the Front’s advance into the city and have, in areas along the coast in range of their naval vessels, performed successful counter-offensives and pushed the Front from much of the city’s suburbs. Delphine, I believe your team found some footage of that?” “We did,” Deschamps clicks her PDA, “and here it is.” “In addition to this,” Deschamps says as she points at the coastal regions of the map, “the Civil Guard has managed to retain control over the battle in the air over Nueva Villaviciosa through its use of orbital missiles and atmospherics-based craft. The Front’s supply efforts have, as a result, been severely hampered and it’s likely their forces on the ground have been run ragged by the fighting.” Gopal nods. “Right, and some Front units are rumored to have begun negotiations to surrender to their Civil Guard counterparts — particularly the System Defense Force units the Front has used as auxiliary troops to support its offensives. Of course, this may simply be rumors created by the Guard — it’s unclear what’s happening in the minute-by-minute fighting.” “Hopefully we’ll have more good news tomorrow?” “Hopefully, Delphine. For now though, we’ll be right back after a short break.”

Colettish Railgun “Esmeralda” Destroyed — San Colette Invaded! Act 4 Article 13 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera zooms in on, as always, Mariska van den Soeterik, the dedicated host of XNS’ foreign news segment. Behind her is an image of, distressingly, a ruined Colettish railgun station with a Front vessel next to it. A person familiar with the Solarian military may recognize this vessel as a Mississippi-class transport, a vessel commonly used by the Solarian Marine Corps to transport troops and heavy equipment. Its position in the orbit of San Colette likely only means one thing. “Good evening, and thank you for tuning into the Xanu News Service,” van den Soeterik begins. “Unsettling news has reached us from the besieged San Colette, where a loose alliance of pro-Solarian groups have been fighting against the extremist Solarian Restoration Front. We go now to our expert on the Front, Delphine Deschamps. Delphine?” The camera’s view splits into two, revealing a tired-looking Deschamps. She smiles and begins speaking, attempting to fight through an exhaustion she is feeling. “Thank you Mariska. While we didn’t expect for the Esmeralda to be destroyed, its destruction allows for the Front to menace Nueva Isabel and San Colette’s space elevator, assuming they’re able to fly transports that far. With that said, roughly fifteen minutes ago the Colettish government’s military sent out this message across the system. I’ll play it for you now.” Deschamps reaches for something offscreen and a recording of a voice identified as Admiral Emerico Tolentino, the overall commander of the Colettish Civil Guard, begins to play. “Citizens of San Colette,” the Admiral begins. “Know that this is our Republic’s darkest hour. The Front, which seeks to destroy us and our proud nation, has come to San Colette and now seeks to occupy it by force. This is a desperate effort by deserters who will be defeated, but it remains a dire threat to our nation. Just now, the crew of the railgun station Esmeralda gave their lives to destroy their station rather than see it fall into Front hands. As a result our proud capital, Nueva Isabela, and our space elevator in Nuevo Villaviciosa are now under direct threat. The coming days will not be easy, but our Republic will endure. All Civil Guard personnel, militia, and others willing to fight should report to their assigned stations across San Colette immediately. Those who cannot fight should report to appropriate bombardment shelters. Remain strong, and know we will survive and endure this.” The camera switches back to a view of Deschamps and van den Soeterik. “It sounds quite dire,” van den Soeterik says after a short pause. “It’s a very difficult situation, yes, but the Coletters are confident they can hold, and recent events at the Solarian border — and rumors of the Navy being directly involved in confrontations with the Front — have helped to keep morale high. However, we have received rumors — unconfirmed ones, mind you — of Front troops landing near Nueva Isabela.” “Thank you, Delphine.” “Of course!” Deschamps disconnects, leaving solely van den Soeterik. “The Xanu News Service will do its best to ensure you remain informed during these unfortunate times. Liao Qi, our reporter in the area, has advised he is safe and currently in Nuevo Villaviciosa, where he intends to capture the events as they unfold. For now, we will return shortly.” The broadcast fades out.

Front Forces Reach San Colette’s Last Orbital Defenses Act 4 Article 12 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera opens, as it typically does, to XNS analysts Delphine Deschamps and Ajit Gopal standing by a map of Nueva Patria — San Colette’s home system. Colettish and Pact forces, alongside FSF mercenaries, have held their ground near D’Anzin admirably, but the Front itself has pushed through Nueva Patria and is now almost at San Colette itself. Between it lies only a thin line representing the Spears of Saint Colette: a series of modern railgun stations which have inflicted grievous damage upon the Front so far, but now find themselves under siege. “These fourteen stations,” Deschamps begins as she clicks her PDA, causing the screen to shift into an image of San Colette proper with the Spears floating above it, “represent the last major obstacle for the Front before they reach San Colette itself. Their forces, after months of fighting, have been worn down, but remain capable of mounting serious assaults — and threatening San Colette itself.” “Do they have enough to reach San Colette and invade it?” Gopal asks. Deschamps considers the question for a brief moment. “They may be able to, but I doubt they can destroy every station. The Spears are, for the purpose of conveniently resupplying them via San Colette’s space elevator, placed in geosynchronous orbits above San Colette — they don’t change their positions while they orbit, so to speak.” “So in theory they’d only have to destroy or disable one or two stations in order to launch an invasion? Deschamps nods. “—that’s an alarming thought. Has your team thought about which one they might target?” “Of course!” Deschamps nods. “Two are fairly likely.” Deschamps taps at her PDA and causes two railguns to be highlighted. The first El Conquistador is in stable orbit above Nueva Isabela, the planetary capital. The second, Dedo do Destino, is in orbit above the industrial city of Nuevo Villaviciosa, home of the Castrejon Space Elevator. “If you had to pick one, which one is the most likely?” “Undoubtedly Dedo do Destino due to its position above Nuevo Villaviciosa,” Deschamps responds without hesitation. “If the Front can seize or disable the space elevator, they’ve effectively neutralized San Colette’s railguns. Currently, according to some reports, these are the most effective weapons the Coletters have. Multiple Front warships have been lost to them over the course of this week, and D’Anzin’s continued ability to hold the line is due to their continuous fire support.” “I suppose we must simply wait and see, then?” Deschamps nods, then speaks. “That we will — and we’ll be right back.”

XNS Exclusive: D’Anzin and San Colette Cut Off — San Colette Itself Threatened Act 4 Article 11 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera opens, as it typically does, to XNS analysts Delphine Deschamps and Ajit Gopal standing by a map of Nueva Patria — San Colette’s home system. D’Anzin, home to the Colettish phoron industry, has been cut off from San Colette proper. An odd, oval-shaped circle marked “Pact Forces” covers D’Anzin and area surrounding it, and this zone is marked as containing three fairly large warp gates — one of which is a type typically used by large freighters and tankers which would have often visited San Colette in more peaceful times. “As you can see by our map,” Delphine begins, “D’Anzin is now effectively cut off from San Colette itself, which is now at risk of a Front assault against Pact positions on the ground — assuming they can break through the Spears of San Colette. This line of railguns and defensive positions now, it seems, is all that stands between the Front and the heart of the system.” “To make matters worse on D’Anzin,” Gopal taps on his PDA and switches the screen to an image of D’Anzin’s surface. “Phoron fires have continued to burn at multiple facilities such as Valle Púrpura as fighting against the Front has continued and, in some areas, intensified. Gopal taps his PDA again and the screen switches to an image of Colettish troops — likely regular Civil Guard infantry judging by their modern equipment and winter camouflage — wearing gas masks standing in a snowy environment overlooking a burning facility nestled within a valley. Purple-black smoke rises from several holding tanks in the facility and destroyed vehicles, some still smoldering and some simply abandoned, are scattered in and around the facility. “This is Valle Púrpura as it now stands. It has, according to information provided by the Pact, been retaken following the recapture of hills surrounding it. The Front appears to have detonated all remaining phoron stores they could not evacuate before the Pact arrived. Supplies of cardox — one of the few things capable of stopping a phoron fire — are insufficient for the current fires across D’Anzin and more cardox can’t be acquired due to the ongoing conflict.” “That’s awful,” Deschamps comments. “It’s simply going to have to burn itself out?” “It will.” Deschamps taps her PDA again, causing the screen to switch back to a view of the entire system. The three gates are highlighted. “These three warp gates,” Deschamps points to the gates, “have been fiercely defended by the Pact and have remained in their hands during the assault. It’s currently unknown why they’ve made such an effort to hold them, but several theories have been put forward. The first is that these gates are estimated to be the most likely point of insertion for the SRF, should they successfully reactivate the warp gates near New Peoria. The second is that these gates will be used by a foreign power to transport their forces in, thus saving San Colette.” “I imagine most are hoping the Alliance will intervene?” “Most are, but we don’t know anything for sure at the moment regarding their plans. For now, it’s anybody’s guess as to what will happen. The XNS, however, will return after a short commercial break.”

After some internal discussion, and surviving the dreaded finals monster, the human lore team has decided to accept this application. Thank you for your contribution, and congratulations!

XNS Exclusive: Battle for D’Anzin Continues — Colettish Forces Hold Act 4 Article 9 of the Amor Patriae arc “Earlier today,” Deschamps starts as the screen behind herself and Gopal shows an image of Nueva Patria showing the SRF and Pact fighting over D’Anzin, home to San Colette’s major phoron facilities, “Colettish forces announced D’Anzin’s defensive line is stable, and there is no immediate risk of further breakthroughs by the Front." On the screen various units of the Front, Pact, Civil Guard, and FSF fight for control of D’Anzin and its surrounding areas as Deschamps talks. The defense, led by the renowned Caravaggio according to the map, is holding steady. “While scattered, reports have also reached us of new weapons utilized by the Civil Guard: phoron-tipped railgun rounds, a potential first for any non-Biesellite force.” Gopal clicks something on his PDA which causes the screen to switch to a blurry still image — likely signifying its origin as footage from a nearby ship — of a Front Taipei-class heavy cruiser which has been impacted by one of these alleged shells. The bow and much of the front of the vessel have been blown apart. The explosion is a brilliant purple-white color and has not yet totally faded. “That effectively confirms it,” Gopal says. “This makes San Colette the first government to use weaponized phoron after Biesel.” Deschamps nods. “Ajit, you’ve been looking into the interstellar response to these allegations of phoron-based weapons. Have you seen anything noteworthy?” “Nothing official as of now — these photos are only a few hours old, so most governments haven’t responded to their use. Chirper and other forms of social media are ecstatic throughout much of Sol outside of Mars, and concerned in many other locations — particularly Tau Ceti and Konyang. Reactions in Hang Tuah’s Rest, a planet on the edge of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone near the Alliance, have been particularly enthusiastic, with the local governor and the Solarian People’s Liberation Fleet hailing this as a clear example of Solarian greatness.” “We’ll have to see what else comes of it, won’t we.” “We will — and the XNS will be back after these messages from our sponsors.” The broadcast fades out.

XNS Exclusive: The Volunteer Tapes, Tape Four Act 4 Article 3 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera focuses on a short, wiry, and pale woman wearing a battered Solarian Army uniform with a red-and-white armband wrapped around one sleeve. A Tribunalist eye dangles from a necklace around her neck and her blue eyes have a piercing look despite her short stature. A Solarian Army marksman’s rifle, sans ammunition, sits across her thighs. The woman idly pulls the bolt back, snaps it back into place, and looks directly at the camera. “Do I begin speaking?” her Common is heavily-accented and absolutely, without a doubt, Dominian. “You can, yes. We’re recording,” Liao Qi says from offscreen. The woman nods. “I am Branka Buković, formerly of the Imperial Dominian Army and now a volunteer fighting for San Colette. I serve under Commander Forsythe and serve as one of the Battalion’s sharpshooters,” Buković pauses for a moment to clear her throat. Her accent is, to one familiar with the Empire, obviously Jadranic. “While the Empire may be too far to be interested in this struggle, I have taken a different perspective.” “What is that perspective?” “That the Goddess would not wish for us to stand idle while innocents suffer. You and the Coalition,” Buković leans towards slightly for emphasis, “may view us as simply Imperials. The matter is not so simple. Nearly one-hundred years ago the Empire saved my home from starvation. Is it not righteous for myself to save San Colette?” “We’re here to discuss San Colette, not Dominia. But with that said, how has it been to be in the Alliance as a Dominian?” Buković takes a moment to ponder her response. “Unusual. The Alliance places a great emphasis upon its military, much like the Empire, but has long suffered from issues we have not. It is similar but too different to be familiar, I suppose. My faith has been my anchor.” “How has being a sharpshooter been?” “I am familiar with it, though Solarian equipment is different than what I am used to. It is simply a means to an end.” “Right, right,” Qi can be heard clicking his pen. “Do you have any closing comments?” “Only that I will fight until I am no longer able to, and that the Goddess will see us through this. I know She will.” The tape cuts out.

XNS Exclusive: Front Shift Forces from League Assault, San Colette Holds Steady Act 4 Article 2 of the Amor Patriae arc Following the typical XNS jingle the camera focuses on a screen displaying the Northern Wildlands flanked by analysts Ajit Gopal and Delphine Deschamps. Grimly, most of the Northern Wildlands aside from San Colette appears to now be under Solarian Restoration Front control. “With much of its offensive strength lost in its unsuccessful April offensive, the League has not been able to hold onto its remaining territory,” Deschamps begins as she taps her PDA and centers the map upon a thin stretch of League territory which stands on the Coalition’s border. “With the Front apparently content to let this remnant remain most sources indicate they’ve begun shifting vessels to San Colette, likely in order to begin another assault. Ajit?” “Of course,” Gopal pulls his own PDA up and taps it. Various Front and League units appear on the screen, though there are far fewer League units than Front ones. “Most of the remaining League forces are elements of the 67th Fleet, which was — ironically enough — garrisoned in San Colette prior to the Collapse.” “That is a bit ironic,” Deschamps interjects. “Isn’t it?” Gopal clears his throat. “Anyways, the 67th has managed to maintain much of its cohesion during the Wildlands War while others have not. Most other League units, particularly its irregulars, have been fleeing across the Republic and Coalition’s borders.” “And what are they doing there?” “I can’t really speak to Biesel, but in the Coalition it depends. Some are doubtlessly going to make it through Coalition patrol forces and settle somewhere, but most have been caught and detained by naval forces such as those from Konyang. It’s all up to the legal system now. What about the Front’s movement?” “Well with most of the League, as you said, either fleeing or defeated the Front has moved or is in the process of moving most of its forces back towards San Colette. It won’t be surprising if they try another assault once they’ve managed to amass more forces.” “How long do you think it’ll take for them to be ready?” Deschamps waves her hand in the nearly universal “so-so” gesture. “I’m not sure Ajit. Honestly, they’ve got a lot of different drives ranging from brand new Hammer Drives to more dated ones from the early 2400s. A fleet only moves as fast as its slowest ship, so maybe we’ll see something in about a week’s time?” “Maybe. On that note, we’ll be right back! Remember to stay tuned to the Xanu News Network for the premier coverage of the War in the Northern Wildlands!”

Colettish Government Announces Defeat of Solarian Restoration Front Assault Act 4 Article 1 of the Amor Patriae arc Adelmira de Noi, Presidential Liaison for the Colettish government, stands behind a podium on a stage. A Colettish flag covers the wall behind her and she idly flips through a binder. At an unseen signal from out of the camera’s focus she clears her throat and begins speaking. “Today the combined forces of the Middle Ring Shield Pact and Free Solarian Fleets repulsed an attack on San Colette by the forces of the Solarian Restoration Front. Our defenses will continue to hold the enemy back until they are defeated. Due to the sensitive nature of the defense situation I cannot answer questions at this time.” de Noi closes the binder and walks off of the stage to a door, which she disappears into after a Civil Guard soldier opens it. The camera switches to Mariska van den Soeterik behind her desk. “While the War in the Northern Wildlands continues San Colette, for the time being, continues to stand. We go now to Ajit Gopal and Delphine Deschamps, our analysts for the War.” The camera switches to two shots: one of van den Soeterik, the other of Deschamps and Gopal. Gopal speaks first. “Thank you Mariska. Delphine and I have been observing the Front’s activity elsewhere in the Wildlands.” “The Front,” Delphine interjects, “has continued its assault against the League and has gained some territory, though its pace has slowed due to shifting forces to San Colette.” “Do you think they’ll attempt another assault?” van den Soeterik asks. Deschamps shakes her head. “Not unless they can push the League back further. Ajit’s research suggests they still have a decent amount of forces left, though not enough to mount a serious assault.” “Ajit, Delphine — thank you for your work on this.” “Thank you for having us,” Gopal responds, then his and Deschamps’ section of the screen fades out. “The Xanu News Service,” van den Soeterik says, “will be back after a short break.”

BREAKING: FRONT BEGINS ASSAULT OF SAN COLETTE Act 3 Article 13 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera zooms in on, as always, Mariska van den Soeterik, the dedicated host of the XNS’ foreign news segment. Her augmented eyes glow slightly as she reaches across the table for her PDA. She looks markedly more stressed than she typically appears. “Breaking news has reached us from the Solarian system of San Colette, where forces aligned with the Solarian Restoration Front have begun an assault on its defenses. We go now to a secure emergency communication established between our station and an unknown location in San Colette where our Liao Qi, our reporter in San Colette, is located. Liao, can you hear me?” The camera switches to a video of Qi in a fairly dark room which, all things considered, may very well be underground. He looks exhausted and appears generally disheveled – his clothes are dirty and there are notable bags under his eyes. He is wearing a military-style vest without any visible press tag. “I can hear you Mariska, can you hear me?” Qi’s audio comes through crackly, but audible. “I can. Are you safe?” Qi takes a moment before responding. Connection issues, perhaps. “I am,” he nods. “The situation on San Colette itself is stable – as stable as it can be, I guess – but it’s not good. The Civil Guard and Free Solarian Fleets are holding for now but nobody’s sure if they’ll be able to hold off the entire Front. We’re lucky they opted to do this now – the assault, I mean,” he pauses. “Maybe lucky’s not the right word, but– it’s fortunate, I guess? They could have waited and thrown their entire weight against the Civil Guard.” “How is the civilian population handling it?” “As grim as this sounds, most knew this was coming. It’s a bit of a relief for some to know it’s finally happened – the Front’s finally something they can tangibly defend against instead of the skirmishing that’s gone on over the past few months.” “What about the Alliance? Have you heard anything about them?” “Well,” Qi pauses, then begins again. “It’s complicated. Understandably I’m not really privy to the internal workings of their government, but the general population is certain – or at least they’re confident – that Sol will eventually intervene, that they have to intervene. They simply don’t know when that’ll be.” “And what about you? Any thoughts on the Alliance from somebody who saw their conduct on Mars?” Qi exhales, running a hand through his hair. He pauses for a moment before speaking again. “I’d rather see the Solarian Navy than the Front.” Before Qi can say more his feed turns to static with “SIGNAL LOST” layered over it in Freespeak. The camera switches back to a concerned-looking van den Soeterik. “While we attempt to reestablish a connection with Liao we’ll go onto a brief commercial break. Please stay turned.”

XNS Exclusive: The Volunteer Tapes, Tape Three Act 3 Article 12 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera focuses on a broadly-built and middle-aged Solarian man with a well-maintained, though slightly grey, mustache. His Solarian Army uniform is one of an officer and appears well-maintained, though it has obviously seen some signs of recent combat. A kepi perched upon the man’s head marks him as an officer of the famed 12th Silversunner Coastal Infantry Division, also known as “Mistral.” The kepi features the rank insignia of a Lieutenant Colonel upon its front — a very high rank to be present in San Colette, where he is nominally a deserter from the Solarian Army. “We’re recording, you can start,” Qi says from offscreen. The man nods. “I am Lieutenant Colonel Hale Kaohi, commanding officer of the Second Colettish Volunteer Battalion. It is my honor to fight for the Alliance while so many of my fellow soldiers will not,” Kaohi narrows his eyes in seeming disgust for a moment. For any familiar with Silversun, the Lieutenant Colonel has a quite strong Silversunner Native accent. “Did you come here directly from the Army?” “Yes, with many of my troops. We must preserve our Alliance even if the Navy is too cowardly.” “Doesn’t that make you a deserter, to speak technically?” “I am a patriot. Something you colonials,” Kaohi points to something unseen behind the camera, presumably Qi. “Could have learned back in ‘75. But I am not here to discuss the mistakes of the past, only the concerns of the present. I agreed to this interview to implore the Alliance to aid us.” “Do you think the Pact can hold without the Alliance?” “No,” Kaohi responds bluntly. “We can only delay our inevitable deaths. My soldiers are aware of this, and we do not intend to die without having made a difference.” “Have you seen any combat since the encirclement?” Kaohi shakes his head. “None. We’ve been training Coletters on how to be soldiers in the meantime, and working with the First Battalion to coordinate our efforts.” “Forsythe, the other battalion commander, is a veteran of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion. Has that impacted your relationship at all?” “It has not,” Kaohi responds bluntly yet again. “I do not believe the Legion is at all equal to the Army, but anyone willing to come and stand against Frost’s fascism and communist insanity is worthy of my respect.” “Do you have any closing comments?” “I intend to die on my feet. I’ve lived a good life, reporter. It’s better I perish fighting for something I believe in than die knowing I could have made a difference.” The tape shuts off, with the last image being the Lieutenant Colonel’s serious gaze seemingly attempting to drill a hole through the camera’s lens.

LEAGUE RETREAT BECOMES ROUT — FRONTLINE RETURNS TO PRE-OFFENSIVE BORDERS Act 3 Article 11 of the Amor Patriae arc Following the typical XNS jingle the camera focuses on a screen displaying the Northern Wildlands flanked by analysts Ajit Gopal and Delphine Deschamps. The League thrust towards San Colette has completely collapsed and the League itself appears to be in a full, general retreat across its frontline. This is almost certainly the worst-case scenario discussed by the XNS several days ago. “While the League’s retreat has been fairly orderly,” Gopal begins, tapping the screen and bringing up an image of a destroyer Mumbai-class battleship in League colors, “the loss of the Wallbreaker to a phoron tanker used by the Front as an IED several hours ago caused a general breakdown in cohesion and widespread panic, which caused the retreat to collapse as it turned into a route.” “And you believe this has effectively ended the League’s offensive capabilities?” “I do. Most of their capital ships were, according to OSINT, committed to this offensive and few survived the retreat. With their supply lines to Gadpathur cut and insufficient port facilities under their control, there’s not a lot the League can do at this point beyond trying to hold its ground and hoping San Colette will distract the Front for long enough to let them regenerate some of their losses.” “Considering the Front’s chatter, I don’t know if they’ll give the League the chance. Most Front officers who are present on the Extranet seem to believe the Front will push forward until the League is eliminated, thus securing the entire Wildlands. After that there will be nobody to stop them from taking San Colette and its phoron reserve.” “Nobody aside from the Alliance, at least,” Gopal replies. “What’s the latest on them?” “It’s a mixed bag, Ajit. Some parts of the Front think Sol will officially recognize them after they take San Colette, and Frost-aligned Navy officers will coup the government to make this happen. In San Colette the hope is for intervention, which has become popular across the Alliance. The Solarian Navy is, for better or worse, as tight-lipped as ever.” “Do you think they’ll attempt an assault before they defeat the League?” “It’s always a possibility but doing so would ensure they can’t commit their full strength to San Colette, and the planet’s defenses will be difficult to break through with anything less than, say, a full battlegroup, probably.” “Only time will tell, right Delphine?” “Right, Ajit. Unfortunately, it’s time for us to go on a short break. Stay tuned for more on the War in the Northern Wildlands.” The broadcast fades out.

XNS Exclusive: The Volunteer Tapes, Tape Two Act 3 Article 9 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera opens to a typical-looking Solarian woman sitting in a chair. She is wearing fatigues which appear to be about two sizes too large for her and has a blue Legion beret upon her head. Glossy hair, softly glowing eyes, and the way she seems to never blink indicate this individual is most likely a synthetic. “Should I introduce myself?” she asks in a relatively strong Silversun accent — an Expatriate one, for those familiar with the planet — with a steady, almost mechanical intonation. “Yes, we’re rolling,” Liao Qi responds from offscreen. “My apologies. I am Cynthia, Commander Forsythe’s aide-de-camp. My duties mostly consist of radio work for the Commander as my nature makes me simply more efficient at most administrative tasks.” “Why is that?” “It is quite literally what I was built to do, Mister Qi,” Cynthia smiles slightly, crossing one leg over the other. “It’s not the same as working in a shuttleport as a radio coordinator, but it’s certainly similar. I never thought I’d be calling in orbital fire l when I was handling shuttle schedules and launches.” “How did you come to be in the Legion, and meet Forsythe?” “It’s a long story, but I can summarize it. I was working on Mictlan during the Collapse and, well, our shuttleport collapsed,” Cynthia shrugs. “Getting purchased by Idris didn’t seem like a great prospect, so I cashed out and signed up to get citizenship. I ended up in Forsythe’s unit on Mictlan.” “What did you do on Mictlan?” “I don’t want to talk about it,” Cynthia responds quickly as a sudden darkness crosses her face. “We did what we did for a cause we believed in at the time, and that’s all I’ll say.” Qi, for his part, recovers fairly quickly. “Right. As a free positronic how has it felt to fight for a Solarian member-state, considering the Alliance’s stance on positronics?” “It’s an odd feeling. Most Solarians we meet assume I’m Battalion property, when I’m my own woman. They tend to get confused if you explain it, so I sometimes act as if I’m just augmented. The Battalion itself is more accepting, even if the Dominians tend to stare.” “Why come here if you’ve only been met by confusion?” “If the Front beats San Colette and the Pact, they’ll go for Biesel next. I cannot stand by like so many do and wait for the crisis to come to us. We have to stop it here, and stop it now. Evil can’t be left to fester.” “Any closing remarks?” “I’ve heard about what the Front does to people like me — synthetics, I mean. I’m not going to let myself be captured in a functional state and be turned into a political officer. Cynthia pauses a moment before speaking again. “And if I die here, at least I died doing something other than working in a shuttleport until decommissioning.”

LEAGUE BEGINS RETREAT FROM SAN COLETTE - FRONT FORCES BEGIN COUNTEROFFENSIVE Act 3 Article 8 of the Amor Patriae arc Following the typical XNS jingle the camera focuses on a screen displaying the Northern Wildlands flanked by analysts Ajit Gopal and Delphine Deschamps. The League thrust towards San Colette has begun to contract in response to the threat from Lhokgon, where the 35th Fleet has pushed the League back even further. “As predicted a few days ago,” Deschamps says as she points to the League forces near San Colette, “the League had begun a retreat from its positions near San Colette due to Front gains near Lhokgon which threaten to cut off their forces. The question for us as observers is now if the League can maintain the order of its retreat until they’re safe, or if the situation will collapse.” “Posts linked to League forces near Lhokgon indicate many believe they can’t hold their positions for very long. Most of the League’s best forces were diverted for the attack on San Colette, which has left many of the units left to hold Lhokgon demoralized. Compounding this,” Gopal zooms in on Lhokgon, causing the 35th Fleet marker to split into the Fleet’s squadrons, “is the presence of the 35th Fleet on the Front’s side. Delphine?” “The 35th Fleet is perhaps the most battle-tested part of the Front as it invaded Biesel in 2462, though at the cost of much of its effective strength. It’s regenerated to full strength since that point by integrating Navy defectors and is still centered around the veteran core of the Fleet which invaded Tau Ceti. They’ve been in charge of the offensive near Lhokgon and have rapidly pushed the League back near it.” “Do you think the retreat will collapse?” “Collapse in what way?” “Either by being cut off or by having the fighting retreat break down,” Gopal clarifies. Deschamps ponders the question for a moment, then clicks her tongue. “If the Front advances much further near Lhokgon and keels to their current rate of advance,” she says, “it’ll cause a panic which leads to the retreat collapsing. That’s my theory.” “What’s the worst-case scenario for the League?” “The absolute worst-case scenario here would result in the League effectively ceasing to exist as an offensive force, particularly against the Front, if they lose a significant number of units during their retreat.”

XNS Exclusive: The Volunteer Tapes, Tape One Act 3 Article 8 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera zooms in on, as always, Mariska van den Soeterik, the dedicated host of XNS’ foreign news segment. Her augmented eyes glow slightly as she reaches across the table for her PDA. “Good evening and welcome to XNS’ foreign news hour. I’m your host Mariska van den Soeterik. With San Colette surrounded by the Front communications from it and Liao Qi, our on-location reporter, have become sporadic at best,” she swipes something on her PDA. “However, with the assistance of the Colettish government, we have been able to acquire a series of interviews done by Liao shortly before the encirclement. These interviews, which feature members of the First Colettish Volunteer Battalion, will be aired on XNS over the coming weeks per Liao’s request. Without further ado, here is the first of what Liao refers to as the Volunteer Tapes.” The camera switches to a feed of a woman in Solarian fatigues sitting in a chair inside of an office. The windows, distressingly, appear to have been covered in sandbags. She looks tired, but enthusiastic, even if her blonde hair is a mess. “Hey! Do I need to introduce myself?” “Yes, just for the record,” Qi replies from somewhere offscreen. “Sure! I’m Alexis Watts, from the 37th, currently serving as the two-eye-sea for the First Colettish Volunteer Battalion. That’s, uh, the second in command for folks who don’t know Army talk.” “You said you came here to fight the Front. How have things been since our last interview?” Watts exhales upwards, unintentionally blowing one of her messy bangs into her face. She shifts it back to the side. “It ain’t been great since then. We were on Nova Igman before it collapsed and we were one of the last Pact units to exfil. The League ain’t as good at fighting as the Front, but they’ve got a lotta ships and a lotta idiots who signed up ‘cause they think they’re saving Sol from the megas.” “What would you say to these League soldiers, if you could speak to them directly?” “Depends. Do I got a rifle?” “Not this time.” Watts shrugs, then leans back into her chair. “Shit, I dunno. I’ve never been much of a philosopher, man. Guess I’d, uh, tell’em they’re mostly just enriching their own bosses, yeah? Then ask why they’re not invading Biesel instead, ‘cause they’re real corporate.” “Why do you think they’re not invading Biesel?” “Simple: they ain’t actually anti-corp, they’re just a bunch a’ looting assholes — sorry if you gotta beep that out — who wanna make money off’a people who ain’t able to defend themselves. They’re more like Frost than they think, ‘cause they’re all—” a beep plays and Watts looks at the camera. “Sorry, that one’s for sure gotta get beeped, right?” “It does, but don’t worry about it. You were saying?” “Yeah. They’re attacking the Pact ‘cause they don’t wanna fight anybody who can beat ‘em, and Biesel’s mercs can probably give ‘em a good whipping, which means they ain’t gonna be able to loot as much as they wanted. That’s why they only started fighting after the Front attacked. They’re cowards, and they’re gonna die like cowards when the Alliance shows up. Count on it!” The tape cuts out at this point.

Fighting Continues Near San Colette, Front Halts Lhokgon Offensive Act 3 Article 6 of the Amor Patriae arc Following the typical XNS jingle the camera focuses on a screen displaying the Northern Wildlands flanked by analysts Ajit Gopal and Delphine Deschamps. While San Colette remains mostly unchanged, Front forces near Lhokgon have managed to push the League back and have relieved pressure on a nearly-surrounded 31st Fleet force in the process. A black square labeled “35th Fleet” is currently positioned in Lhokgon and appears to be pushing the League back. “As you can see by the map,” Gopal begins, “the League’s decision to withdraw forces from Lhokgon and commit them to San Colette had effectively ended its offensive operation there, particularly with the arrival of the elite 35th Fleet earlier yesterday. This places their entire offensive towards San Colette at risk.” Deschamps nods her head, then speaks. “It’s hard to imagine the Front not capitalizing on its gains near Lhokgon, assuming it has enough fuel, if the League can’t withdraw from its positions near San Colette quickly enough. Do you believe they’ll be able to, Ajit?” Gopal shakes his head. “If we’ve seen anything so far in this ‘civil war’ the League has proven it’s often unable to effectively coordinate, which may be due to its lack of a strong leader such as the Front’s Admiral Verglas. However, the coordination issues are likely another symptom of its ongoing supply issues following the end of Gadpathurian support.” Deschamps seems somewhat surprised. “It’s impacting them that badly?” “It is. Most League-connected Chirper accounts we can find have become increasingly desperate for donations — any donations — over the past few weeks as fighting has worn them down. The Front’s situation will likely become this bad in the near future but, for now, their reserve of Solarian Navy equipment has allowed them to sustain operations much more effectively.” “Why attack San Colette then?” “I don’t know. They were presumably trying to encircle the Front near Lhokgon but couldn’t finish the circle, which let the Front reinforce and break the League’s positions.” “Do you think they’re spent as an offensive force?” Goal nods. “I think they are, unless they can retreat in good order. We’ll have to judge they after the break!” The camera fades out.

BREAKING: LEAGUE OFFENSIVE SMASHES THROUGH FRONT DEFENSES, SAN COLETTE CONTESTED! Act 3 Article 4 of the Amor Patriae arc Following the typical XNS jingle the camera focuses on a screen displaying the Northern Wildlands flanked by analysts Ajit Gopal and Delphine Deschamps. While Lhokgon remains a focus between both the League and Front, an unexpected change is featured on the map now: a red corridor showing a rapid advance by the League which has reached the outskirts of San Colette, where — judging by the map — it appears to be actively engaging the Front in a pitched battle for control over the siege. Between Lhokgon and San Colette a significant Front force belonging to the 31st Fleet appears to be engaged on all three sides in a desperate attempt to stop itself from being encircled. “It appears,” Gopal begins, pointing to Lhokgon, “this attack was most likely a diversion intended to distract the Front from its defense of San Colette, which is now actively engaged by the best units in the League’s forces.” “So it would seem! The Front’s forces are in a difficult position due to the remnants of the Pact being present in San Colette, which has effectively trapped some of their forces in a position where they cannot defend or retreat. Take a look at this video discovered on Chirper by one of our analysts.” The camera switches to a brief introduction which displays a fluttering League flag set to low-quality Plutonian electronic music, which Deschsmps appears to promptly mute. The introduction switches to an external camera mounted on, judging by text on the camera’s screen, the SRFV Purity of Will, a Yincheng-class light cruiser. The vessel is burning quickly towards a field of asteroids when an alert appears on its screen in bold, red Solarian Common characters: DANGER: MUNITIONS INCOMING — BEGIN EVASIVE ACTION. The camera rattles and shifts as the entire vessel shifts into a hard turn to port, but manages to identify an unknown cylindrical object incoming to the light cruiser before it impacts. The railgun shell punches through the shield and frontal armor in the blink of an eye. Before the camera can fully register what has happened a series of explosions rock the front of the vessel as it pulls further into its evasive maneuver. A larger explosion amidships rocks the camera once again, but it manages to capture a shocking sight: the front of the Yincheng losing power entirely and, with a silent scream, falling off of the vessel entirely. The stern of the vessel, apparently trapped in its doomed evasive maneuver, continues onwards. The feed cuts out shortly after this and transitions to the League’s flag again, where “Comrade Smith” of the 67th Fleet promises this will be the end of all corporate traitors and notes the footage was recovered from an adrift black box. The camera switches back to Deschamps and Gopal. “There’s going to be more engagements like this over the coming days as the League and Front continue to fight over control of the siege,” Deschsmps says. “I’m not sure who’s going to win.” “Neither am I,” Gopal replies. “It seems like most of the League’s heavy assets are committed to this offensive, and they’d still have to break through the Pact’s lines if they defeated the Front. It’s risky.” “It is.” “Unfortunately that’s all we have for today. Our coverage of the Northern Wildlands will continue as the agitation develops.” The camera fades out to the two analysts discussing something amongst themselves which is not, for whatever reason, picked up by the camera.

I fail to see how a German pharmaceutical company from 1863 and a horse deworming medication are somehow more meaningful for tajara. You have been advised to change it and it by staff and it will not be put in until you do so, per Cybs.