I have again done mr. Ivan Firth a favor, doing some exploration for the Ministry of Internal Order.
This is not sustainable - they treat me like an unpaid mission worker!
Anyway, this secret mission -mostly mapping- has again been in the context of the war against the Drifters, which itself is an escalation of Drifter violence caused by the Deathless' capture of Jovian technology. Initial victories in repelling the Drifter incursions have emboldened not only our Empire, but all four core powers and even pirate factions. There is a real hunger for new Jovian technology, and even whispers of a full-scale incursion into their home worlds.
There is a real belief that we can pull it off, and avenge the death of Empress Jamyl. But this hubris worries me, one should not forget that it is Jovian technology that we would be pitted against. And even if we do capture some shiny new toy, who knows what will happen when we push the big red button on it? The logic is that we need to participate in this race for new weapons, lest our enemies capture it first.
But, in my opinion, arms races are never good. It would be better to discuss disarmament, or a ban on such technology, enforced by Concord.
The previous race, to obtain what turned out to be a shipcaster device, came at a high cost: Republic interference in the testing of a stellar harvester in Turnur ended in disaster...
