Recovered voiced logs 4-GA-26
Classification: Level 2 – Strategic Access
Source: War theater logs
Codename: Assessment
Recovery Site: Maincoit Capital, Buctico
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[Transcript Begins]
High Chancellor: The Assembly is now officially in session. All members of Parliament, please take your seats so we may proceed.
[sound of heavy footsteps and chairs being moved]
High Chancellor: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. The primary agenda today concerns the situation on the Eastern Front, along with related matters. High Commander of Defense, you have the floor.
High Commander of Defense: Thank you for the introduction, High Chancellor. I will not waste time and will keep this briefing concise. Current casualty reports stand at 24 million. Projections from General Staff indicate that, should losses continue at this rate, within two to three years we will be forced to expand conscription to include those aged 20 and younger, as well as citizens over 60.
Regarding of communications, all wireless and internet systems were disabled at the onset of war, and we have not been able to establish reliable contact with foreign states. However, as of yesterday, a reconnaissance squad successfully reached the Guiane Republic and established a functional communication line. Two additional squads are en route to Yuina and Panla and are expected to make contact within the week.
And our limited exchange of intelligence with the Guiane Republic suggests that the Machine presence in the western sector of the continent is comparatively weak. Reports confirm only two regiments and one division-sized force operating on Yuina's border, with no indication of Command Centers or Machine Nodes in that theater.
Finally, for the Eastern Frontline itself, we have managed to push them back across the Lois River, located 400 km from our industrial zone. The army is now fortifying with artillery, defensive lines, and anti-air systems. This concludes my report on all the matters.
High Chancellor: Thank you, High Commander. The Assembly shall now open the floor for response.
Minister of Industry: Twenty-four million casualties already… and now you propose drafting the young and the elderly? If our factories lose more workers, our supply lines will collapse before the Machines even reach the capital! And this is already taken in the fact that we are also starting to employ more women into the factories!
Minister of Agriculture: There is also the matter of farming labor. If workers are diverted entirely into the factories, who will sustain the fields? Our food supply will last only three months without farmers, and perhaps six months if half the workforce remains in agriculture. I must emphasize that this situation is dire.
Minister of Foreign Affairs: If so, we should consider the intelligence from the Guiane Republic more carefully. If the western continent is as lightly defended as reported, then perhaps the Machines are overstretched and currently they are restructuring. By linking up with the Guiane Republic, we could secure more manpower, and supply routes might be opened through Yuina and Panla once contact is established this week.
Minister of Finance: And risk diverting forces from the Eastern Front? We do not yet know why the Machine presence in the West is so limited. If we commit forces there, they may simply flood the region with reinforcements from other theaters and crush us with sheer numbers. I also must remind this Assembly that rebuilding the Lois defensive line alone cost us more than six billion crowns in two months. Currency may be weakened and almost useless, but it remains essential to maintaining societal structure. Do we truly wish to risk collapsing back into stratocracy or even worse anarchy?
Parliamentary Opposition Leader: And what is the alternative? Sit behind rivers until we starve? Or when the machine commits a push after securing enough forces? We should demand a western offensive while the Machines are weak there. If Guiane's reports are accurate, the Machines are still constructing their forces. That could mean fabrication facilities or even Command Centers are nearby. If we strike before they consolidate, we might both weaken their eastern front and seize intelligence vital to their command hierarchy by creating a big flank from newly open western theater.
[voices overlap, shouting begins]
"… But we do not have the resources for another front…"
"…our people will not accept children in uniform…"
"…if we wait, we may lose the entire east…"
"…the logistics of this plan will be a nightmare…"
High Chancellor: Order! Order in the Assembly!
High Commander of Defense: If I may clarify, our analysts believe the Machines' main effort is indeed concentrated in the east. Their Command Nodes are most likely anchored there. The west may appear exposed, but opening a campaign risks dangerous overextension.
Minister of Propaganda: The current question is not purely military. Morale is collapsing everywhere. Families see 24 million dead that are their fathers and sons simply gone like that and wonder what sacrifice will be asked of them next. If we are to demand more blood, we must also give them hope. Action is required—even if it means opening a western theater and stretching ourselves thin. Delay is not an option. If unrest breaks into civil conflict here in the capital, then all hope is lost.
[extended silence recorded in chamber]
High Chancellor: [heavy sigh] Thank you for your statements. For now, the matter shall be put to further deliberation. The Assembly will reconvene tomorrow with proposed resolutions regarding conscription laws, reinforcement of the Lois line, and the possibility of western coordination. Until then, this session is adjourned.
[Transcript Ends]
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Archivist's Note
This record illustrates the first major dispute within the Maincoit National Assembly regarding long-term wartime strategy. Although consensus was maintained formally, the divergence between industrial, agricultural, military, and political leadership became evident. Of particular note is the opposition's call for a western offensive and the Minister of Propaganda's warning regarding morale. While no resolution was reached during this session. Subsequent directives would reveal the Assembly's unity in the matter.