“Combat log. Battlegroup Commander for Battlegroup III, Vice Admiral Locke Setzer reporting. Day #8 of what is now being referred to as the Battle of Tkon Rift.

And it is a battle now, truly. On Day #5, when the Challenge and assorted ships from the other battlegroups encountered nothing more than a mere support ship invading G5406, I was beginning to worry that we would never encounter the true bulk of the enemy’s forces. But that concern was quickly put to bed, when reports came in from the MC-40 Roost: the enemy fleet had been engaged.

We knew they were close; both forces had engaged their gravitational wells, preventing either from traveling a great distance. But the enemy found us first.

The numbers were not favorable; our forces were both outgunned and outdefended. Fortunately, battles are never resolved simply by comparing numbers on a page. Our pilots and officers showed up, as I knew they would. The battle was not a victory, certainly, but it was far from the loss that simple mathematics would have predicted. And there was more at stake than a simple force of arms…

As instructed, certain Secret Order operatives managed to sneak aboard one of the Interdictors during the chaos of the battle. My hope is that their intelligence gathering mission was successful… but only time will tell. Reports tell me that both Interdictors were destroyed - whether by battle or by sabotage, the reports do not say. But my feeling is that not all of the destruction can be attributed to battle damage alone.

In either event, we have destroyed a sizable portion of their forces, but not their main ship. And the losses for us have been deep. While the Hammer and the Relentless remain operational for this battle, the majority of Battlegroup III forces that I had allocated to the Roost have been depleted. It is my hope that we may repair the Roost in time for a final offensive, but that remains to be seen. Both forces have withdrawn from sector 1307. The Roost now limps towards P3009, carrying the intelligence gained by the Secret Order, and further instructions to perform planetside. I trust the Secret Order members to carry out their mission, no matter the methods. If that means abandoning the Roost instead of linking up with the fleet, so be it. They must do whatever they see as best for our chances at victory.

The other battlegroup commanders have opted for consolidation of their damaged fleet. And the rest of the fleet will join up as well. This very moment, the Renegade is on its way to meet up with us, aiming for a quick counter offensive once we rejoin with the rest of the fleet. Soon, the largest ships of the Battlegroup will be reunited.

I’ve deployed the A/FRG Citadel and M/FRG Kryat's Claw towards a Kilji held world, in the name of liberation activities. In truth, these ships carry more members of the Secret Order, intent on raising local help to aid us. Whether by inspiration or by fear… the methods don’t matter. Only the results.

Reports continue to come in of other worlds falling, of invasion by the Kilji. So be it. Let their actions fuel our own activities. Let the Kilji think themselves victorious, for the moment.

It will not last long.

End log.