Cycle 167, 21-03
Groom system, low orbit around Camillia.

 Admiral Johnson swiftly entered the briefing room, his face looked like he just bit into a sour fruit. The presence of the two officers in foreign uniforms that followed him explained why he convoked all the captains in person rather than using a virtual room or simply a video-conference.

" Good morning everyone, let me start by introducing our guests: Captain Norton from the Camilian Loyalists Navy, and Captain Namal from the Lazian Rebeli... Liberation Movement."

 The slip was obviously deliberate and Namal's face noticeably changed color. But given his superiors had "forgotten" to mention this civil war issue when they contacted the Alliance for help, the pike was harmless. The Admiral continued:

" Those two groups represent roughly 48% of the system's population each. The rest living in regions too remote to be controlled by either group, or are... Independent parties."

 Everyone in the room heard the unpronounced "pirates". Both sides detached parts of their Navy to act as Corsairs against each other's commerce, but the death of Commander Samal of the Scouting division clearly showed that some of those elements took a liking to their new found freedom.

" Obviously we aren't going to unilaterally impose the displacement of the Camillians, as much as the Alliance would benefit from integrating such a large amount of population and technological base, we will abide by the decision of the majority. As such I have convinced both leaders to organize a universal referendum in one month to determine if we proceed or we pack and go. These gentlemen are here both as liaisons with their respective superiors and as observers."

 Johnson quickly looks at each of them to see if they agreed with this description. You notice that they were carefully refusing to even acknowledge the presence of one another. You wonder if they were here to oversee our operations, or rather to make sure the other side did not try to double them under the table.

" However the situation is quite confusing on the ground. They have been in a state of cold war for ten cycles now but their respective territories were more divided from military operations rather than allegiance, and the population is largely fragmented in both camps. As such, organizing a global referendum and ensuring the integrity of the result will be quite a challenge. We can expect at least massive civil manifestations, at worst some military operations. I made sure to remind both leaders that peace keeping is part of the mission of the Alliance, and we will enforce a cease fire until the situation is resolved."

 That last sentence seemed to have upset the two local officers. They were painfully aware that the current Alliance fleet in the system could probably face their forces combined and prevail. Even if not, the rest of the armada would make short work of this backwater Navy anyways.

" In exchange for their suspension of all active operations, we will refrain from recruiting any new members until the end of the referendum. And that's it for the current state of affairs. We have one month to help organize and supervise that referendum, so we have some work cut out for us. Colonel Pallas, we will have to deploy troops in every major city on the planet very soon, to make sure the population does not get pressured into voting one way or another. I want the first draft of plan on my desk by 9." Johnson now looks at you. "Captain Elias, apparently the admiral in charge of the loyal Navy didn't like our intrusion in their system. I can't completely blame him, however we need his active cooperation in this matter. They have a base in the outer system, you'll go there to greet him, and if he doesn't cooperate keep me posted on his whereabouts. Since you will be acting independently you'll have your own liaisons. I don't expect him to do anything stupid but keep your eyes peeled nonetheless. Captain Samuel, you shall be our eyes. Deploy your ships..."

Cycle 167, 22-03
Groom system, near Portia station.

 Your detachment was still an hour away from the station when the comm section chimed. As she listened to the message you could see the officer's shoulder getting tense. The moment she turned to you several signatures deployed from the station on the tactical screen.
 
 " Captain! We received a message from the station, not from their standard comms but from the emergency broadcast system. They say the base is in lock-down and the Admiral took his most loyal elements to escape us. They intend to wage a guerilla war against our fleet until either they push us to leave the system, or they can upset the result of the referendum!"
 
 The Lazian liaison in the corner could not hold in his smirk while her Loyalist counterpart muttered some profanity. The signatures on the screen were a bit more numerous than what was expected, but from their point of view they were fighting the invasion of their home. You order your communication officer to contact those ships in an attempt to disarm the situation, and put the crew on alert. They were already at their stations just in case and it only took a few seconds for all sections to report Combat Ready status. Your force closes in on the rebel ships, vaguely hoping for a peaceful resolution, but clearly prepared to deal with it otherwise.