Fwurg

[Senator Ardios Eldrilith]

((OOC: This meeting is private to Minister of Defence Ardios Eldrilith, Lady Alexandra Koniova of the Sundarian Federation, Lady-Admiral Amira Suzumia of the Stellarian Triad Federation and Zatiri Ferumdra of the Praetorian Empire))

The committee was invited to a meeting with the minister of defence to discuss the military intelligence budget.

The meeting took place in the same meeting room where the committee first met. Ardios Eldrilith was already in the room looking at the holographic star chart that displayed all the locations of the Union military fleets. On the other side of the room Zatiri Ferumdra was quietly waiting for the rest of the committee.

[Amira Suzumia]

Amira stepped inside, again dressed in her full military uniform.

"Minister." She said as she snapped him a salute. "Zatiri." She nodded to the woman.

Then she sat down to wait for Alexandra so they could begin.

[Alexandra Koniova]

Alexandra was the last member of the committee to arrive.

" Minister," she said as she bowed, "Amira, Zatiri. I'm sorry im a bit late, I however wanted to ensure my information is up to date with regards to the Sundarian Intelligence."

[Senator Ardios Eldrilith]

"Welcome all. I wanted to meet your committee in person. I am Ardios Eldrilith and represent the Praetorian Empire since they joined the Union. I have been minister of foreign affairs and had diplomatic relations with the Echani in this period after which we started investing in our spy network in the Mandalorian sectors. This is already a year ago.

As you all might have heard we have troubling times ahead of us with the Mandalorians coming our way. It is still hard to say when and how the situation might develop which makes our intelligence crucial to the situation."

[Zatiri Ferumdra]

Zatiri nodded when Ardios spoke about the troubling times.

"Since the Mandalorians are apparently taking their time it might still take some time for them to actually come. Should we focus on this possible conflict?

Alexandra what information do you have to offer on Sundarian Intelligence?"

[Alexandra Koniova]

" Well," Alexandra said, "What I can share is two-fold. Not only is one of our fleets, the Beyond the Horizon, currently patrolling the boarder at 6, -7. This operation is joint by several Hiocan observers that we have taken onboard. This fleet however, has only limited capabilities to monitor sector's efficiently, which brings me to the second point.

Our second fleet, the Edge of Darkness, is currently being modified with expanded capabilities in the from of a Passive Hyperspace scanning array after which it will be stationed at the Hiocan border as well, while the Beyond the Horizon will also receive this upgrade."

She then paused for a moment to look up a report she had brought with her.

" Currently our commanders have reported no suspicious movements, neither in sector's 6, -6 or 6, -7. Once the Edge of Darkness has received the upgrade, we will be able to monitor the boarder much more efficiently."

[Amira Suzumia]

"Minister, please keep in mind we are purely an advisory comity. If you want information on the Mandalorian fleet movements I suggest you contact the intelligence division directly."

Amira had a stern look on her face.

"I agree that it is cause for some concern and even warrants additional funding for intelligence in that area. I have little doubt that the Sundarian Federation's scanning fleets will provide excellent early warning."

[Senator Ardios Eldrilith]

"At ease soldier.

I am well aware of the role your committee has.

Thank you Alexandra. It is good to see that the Sundarian Federation is looking out for Union security.

What is your advice for the upcoming period? "

[Alexandra Koniova]

"Thank you Minister, we do what we can." Alexandra said, "Should you wish to coordinate our intelligence efforts more closely, I would suggest that you contact the Embassy. I'm sure that Senator de Montrève would welcome a word with you on this matter."

Not sure whether the question was direct at her or at the entire committee Alexandra waited a bit, offering the other members of the committee the opportunity to respond.

[Zatiri Ferumdra]

"Let us discuss the financing of Union Intelligence. What are your plans for the upcoming period Minister? I think that we should invest in research while we still can. The upcoming war will force us to implementation when it is there."

[Senator Ardios Eldrilith]

"We have invested enough in the Mandalorian intelligence for now. I plan to invest in scanning solutions that remove our weaknesses all around the Union. One of my research teams is currently looking at integrating long range scanning into the Bozzy Spine network. This could give us scanning capabilities in all sectors around the Bozzy Spine, making sure that nobody jumps onto the Bozzy Spine without us knowing it."

[Alexandra Koniova]

"Hmm," Alexandra started while she considered the proposal done by the minister, "that sounds like an ambitious plan Minister, but it also sounds very expensive and hard to sell. While investments in such a safeguard can be a good idea, I believe that some members would prefer a more direct investment in the Union military given the rising tensions.

Moreover I believe that, while this idea does have merit, our priorities might lay elsewhere and it might be better to increase our abilities to gain intelligence outside of the Union, instead of monitoring the internal traffic on the Bossy Spine and its surrounding sectors."

[Amira Suzumia]

"Senator, if I may." Amira started.

"While being able to monitor the Bozzy Spine more closely might be advantageous in some areas. I don't think it will help to improve the security of the Union as a whole." She spoke carefully and calm. "I believe a more effective approach would be to place monitoring stations along the Union border. That way we will notice immediately if someone enters Union territory."

[Senator Ardios Eldrilith]

"I might have been unclear in what I said before. We already have scannig capabilities in the sectors that contain the bozzy spine and the sectors that contain a Union member homeworld. What I propose is adding scanning capabilities to the sectors around the bozzy spine that do not contain a Union member homeworld. This should give us scanning capabilities around the full border of the Union. This should be an implementation project as far as I know.

Another option would be improving our intelligence network in the sectors around the Union. We could start a research project on systematic organized covert intelligence around the Union.

These things are not mutually exclusive of course. The question is whether your commision supports a research approach or a direct implementation approach in the upcoming period. "