Esperanza’s contribution to the ‘Orphée patrol’ arrived in system this week, en route to Orphée. They request permission to refuel.

The New Colchis authorities are suspicious of the Esperanzans’ intentions, since this task force is almost one-hundred times larger than that suggested by Joyeuse when the Orphée patrol was first proposed.

They are placed in a holding orbit 100 diameters from New Colchis, and not allowed to refuel while this week’s courier carries a request for further information (and proof of good intentions) to Esperanza.

New Colchis sends two Swiftsure class couriers to Orphée to monitor the situation there.

A present from the Esperanzan government of 250,000t of starship drop tanks arrived this week. The New Colchis authorities seem unsure how they should react to this bizarre gift.

Grand Admiral van Dawn of the Serendip Belt Navy arrived in the New Colchis system this week. She is commanding the huge Asmodeus class battleship Mephistopheles, with an escort of two destroyer squadrons.

Admiral van Dawn has instructions to negotiate an “alliance based on mutual defence terms” with King Magnus.

It is unfortunate that this arrival is coincident with the arrival of a courier from Serendip Belt which carries reports of the annexation of Zuflucht by a hostile Belter force.