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.