Combat log. Battlegroup Commander for Battlegroup III… no. Quaestor of House Palpatine, Stalker Locke Setzer. Day #10 of the Battle of Tkon Rift.

The battlegroup commander in me has nothing good to report. Our attempts to pull back our battered forces have failed. The enemy has regrouped and attacked our retreating forces, catching them at Sector 1208. Our immediate reaction was to try to intercept them, sending our main forces, now recombined, towards Sector 1208 and punishing these Kilji forces for their arrogance.

Unfortunately, our probes have warned us that the Kilji have done the same, combining their forces and seeking to intercept us at the same point. Worse, their gravity wells have caught our fleet, slowing our movement. The numbers recorded by our probes are not reassuring, and the other battlegroup commanders have opted for a strategic withdrawal. I am forced to do the same.

Our forces deployed in Sector 1208 will not be able to recover from this encounter; they will have to withdraw. As a Battlegroup Commander, this is embarrassing, but merely a minor issue. After all, our current strategy called for the Roost to simply make it to P3009 and maintain a position in orbit for as long as possible. There was no real strategic need for the Roost to last much longer.

As Quaestor, however… it is a disaster. I had counted on the Roost to deliver members of the Secret Order to planet P3009, carrying intelligence captured at the Battle of Sector 1307. Now, I am left without knowledge of what has become of them, their intelligence, or their mission. I sense nothing. No whispers in the Force to guide me… instead, all I can do is wait. And hope that my house members have found another route, without the aid of the Roost.

All is not lost, however. Our forces tasked with retaking planet A38Z8 have been successful, facing little resistance. And word from members of House Palpatine inform me that negotiations with the locals have been promising… additional forces have been uncovered that, with an appropriate exchange of favors, will be able to come to our aid in the days ahead. We will need them.

I will do my best to delay a major confrontation with the enemy until these additional forces are in place. It is vital that the Secret Order completes its missions before we engage the enemy head on. Not all share this view, of course, but I cannot help but shake the notion that it is the work being done by the Secret Order that will ensure our success. Our members lay the foundation for victory in this battle… and we must not waste the opportunity to build upon it.

End log.