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The small brushfire war that has sputtered off and on for several years on this frontier world has, within the last week, came suddenly alive. New ships are arriving in orbit daily, and Down Franklin Starport, for many months nearly empty, is now choked with a steady flow of marines and army troopers disgorged from busy fleet shuttles.
Yesterday Colonel Eitan Rahbaan, public relations officer for the newly formed Forty-Third (Provisional) Frontier Army explained in a press conference the reason for the sudden build-up and the general plan of action. The continuing protracted nature of the insurgency action on Efate had been a mounting drain on manpower resources, and had begun to sap the morale of indigenous troops. As a result, the decision was made to concentrate maximum effort to end the conflict in the shortest possible time.
Maximum effort is the only way to describe the amazing build-up that has taken place literally overnight. Already official circulars list eleven brigade-sized Imperial formations deployed on-planet, in addition to four brigades that apparently were here previously. Even now, large transports are off-loading the heavy vehicles of the well-equipped and hard-hitting 317 Air-Mechanized Brigade, and rumor has it that the build-up is still not complete.
This reporter admits to being overwhelmed by this
truly impressive show of force. One can only wonder how long the stubborn
but indifferently equipped insurgents on this world can hold out against
the ultra-modern juggernaught Army Vice-Marshal Lord Calavan, commander
of the 43rd Provisional Army, is preparing to unleash on it? Days? Hours?