Elinor
Elinor said her goodbyes to her father and others on Bastion before the ‘Skreap’ prepared to leave the system. The Crown Prince had informed them shortly after the wedding that they would be leaving to rejoin the task force, and heading to the far off Grimsly system. The further eastern system in the Commonwealth and the Dragon’s Head Nebula.
Members of the crew had been returning non stop as they finished their leave on the world and enjoyed the celebrations throughout Bastion. The decks of the ‘Skreap’ were abuzz with talk about the week.
Elinor listened as Lt Commander Webb briefed them with the latest information on the Grimsly System. It was the first time Elinor heard they were going to the system, but it was hard to keep a secret on a starship, and she along with most of the crew had known that they would be traveling to Grimsly for days.
“Grimsly is one of the lordships of Clan Weylin,” Commander Webb said. “Their homeworld is the world of Warwick, where they once served as minor lords in the Kingdom of Warwick. They were granted the lordship of Grimsly along with the lordship of Bloom by the King after the fall of Clan Brand.” The Lt Commander let out a sigh. “Look, I’m not going to go into the long history of Grimsly, it’s in the briefing folders.”
Elinor listened to the Lt Commander. She knew a little about the Grimsly System. It was often a hard hit system from Furse raiders since before the days of the Great Savage Host and King Osgar the Great. In those times Clan Wild of the kingdom of Warwick had also controlled it.
“Lord Tristin is the Lord of Bloom. He is the most powerful lord in the Bloom sector, but Furse raiders still threaten the eastern reaches of the Sector, and Grimsly is the only major system east of Bloom and the Fabian Gates. On top of that, it is the further east of any system in the Commonwealth. The Crown Prince would let to setup a base there to launch patrols and defend the lightly guarded systems.”
“Because you know the lords of the sector wont defend their own fucking worlds,” Sub Lt Pilgrim said with distaste.
“Don’t forget that Tutha raiders from Kaledon are known to make it down as far as the Bloom Sector, and that most lords don’t stand a chance against major Furse Raids alone,” Lt Commander Webb said.
“The Crown Prince looking to build a naval base in the system?” Lt Fairhart asked.
“If granted, but doubtful,” Commander Webb said. “The King won’t grant his son more funds, the Commonwealth Forces doesn’t have the funds for such a endeavor. If granted, the Crown Prince will setup what ground bases and outposts he can, but mainly he wants intel gathering mission setup.”
“Long way to go to setup some intel gathering missions,” Lt Fairhart commented.
“The Crown Prince wants to show a presence, so the people that the Commonwealth hasn’t abandoned them.” Lt Command Webb looked around the room. “Grimsly is the largest part system in the Commonwealth of trade with Furse Space.”
“Which means half the people of the system won’t trust us, and the other half will be too scared to do provide any intel,” Lt Fairhair said mildly.
“No one said it would be easy,” the Lt Commander replied. “It’s a task that we have been charged with though, a task that the Crown Prince is committed to. There is a wealth of information that flows through the Grimsly System, and it could help stop the next attack.”
“Do we have any local contacts?” Pilgrim asked.
“None that are willing to be shared at this time. The Crown Prince wants new contacts. So study the briefing files, and learn about the system. Know it better than your homeworlds. We are the eyes and hears of the ‘Skreap’ and the Crown Prince.” The Lt Commander looked around the room at the Intelligence officer. “We have a few hours before the ‘Skreap’ departs, get what information you can from the local net of Bastion. Get to it. Dismissed.”
