Kintsugi Posted Thursday at 20:21 Posted Thursday at 20:21 Elyran Expeditionary Force Clashes With Mutualist Militants NGAI, KIRINYAGA (GST) - After arriving on Kirinyaga and spending several days setting up a forward operating base on the outskirts of the city-state of Ngai, forces under the command of the Kirinyaga Economic Concern have begun efforts to retake lost facilities from the control of the Frontier Mutual Defense Union. Using the General Al-Hamid Brigade as their primary offensive force and contractors from Jackal Incorporated to hold recaptured ground, the Elyran expedition has experienced several early successes against the Mutualist forces, but have allegedly experienced much difficulty in locating the bulk of the mysterious militant group’s fighting strength — or in engaging a substantial force altogether. Instead, the Mutualists appear to have shifted to a decentralized strategy, in which small cells engage in ambushes or hit-and-run attacks against Elyran convoys or combatants on the march. While initial intelligence reports indicated a large presence at the captured KEC headquarters in the Ngai region, volunteers from the General’s Brigade who were sent to assault the facility found only a motley force of seemingly low-ranking fighters, many of them recruited directly from NCPs captured during the initial attack or found to be mercenaries supposedly hired on behalf of the group’s shadowy leader, Commander Hugo. Adding to the mystery of where the Mutualists are operating out of are indications that a large temporary command post had been set up in the headquarters, before being disassembled and secretly relocated — leaving behind only a mountain of burnt documents and destroyed personal items. Indeed, strict information discipline seems to be a recurring aspect of Mutualist doctrine, with many reports by Economic Concern volunteers stating that recaptured facilities were awash with documents and data storage units that had been destroyed before their arrival. Though the strategy of seemingly ceding ground to Elyran forces is proving successful at preserving the strength of the Mutualists for the time being, analysts with the XNS have opined that such tactics are not sustainable in the long run, and Elyran naval intelligence ships in orbit of Kirinyaga are believed to be aggressively searching the surface for signs of the militant group’s main force. As the KEC expeditionary force regains captured outposts and industrial facilities with only modest resistance, it seems that it is only a matter of time before the Mutualists are forced to aggressively respond, lest their presence on Kirinyaga end as quickly as it seemed to have arrived. As fighting continues, citizens of the Elyra-aligned city-state of Ngai interviewed by the XNS had this to say: Quote Gladys Njoki, Master Jeweler, 39 - “I can’t say that I’m very happy about all of this fighting. These foreign terrorists have no right to start a confrontation on our homeworld, and I can only hope that as little further harm as possible is done at this point. The sooner that peace returns, the better.” Quote Neway Endale, Apprentice Salvager, 21 - “Elyra has always been a good friend to us. I think we should be doing more to help them get revenge against whoever these people are. If they had attacked Ngai, I am sure that Elyra would do the same for us.” Quote Daniel Kamau, Master Luthier, 57 - “Whatever needs to be done should be done. Otherwise, I expect the Armed Constabulary to keep this away from our city.” Further Reading: Marsha Stangl Speaks Out About Time In Elyran Custody SIIB Refuses To Comment On Kirinyaga Crisis “The Powderkeg” Book Review: All You Need To Know About The Southern Spur
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