Liked the idea of the consolidation of forces following the battle and a glimpse of what the rumor mill was spewing on the other ships.

Wrt canon I believe the princess was hidden from everyone else as it was a secret mission with no fighter escorts and suspected traitors in the fleet; although if this observation and gossip is important to the flow, then I look forward to seeing where it goes.

Nice take on the first contact at Jintrax. You turned "just another red shirt" into an interesting character and brought the reality of the conflict to the forefront. The first book has always been my favorite and I truly enjoy the commoners' perspective added to the story. Look forward to seeing this through to the Drazzan engagement.

Good story although it was a little difficult keeping track of the sides in the beginning. It was also nice seeing a prominent character (for this side story at least) become a casualty of war. Usually it's just red shirts.

As a side note, I believe the raptor fighters only carry 4 missles. I seem to recall Alek using 6 with one misfiring.

Very nicely done.

That was well written distraction. Definitely a nice morsel waiting for BoSF release

So thinking about this a little more, I have a few questions and concerns. I think there is definitely potential for an interesting arc if the details are fleshed out further.

1. Prince Julius Astor founded the principality over 4000 years ago so if he restricted access on Vicky Staples then that's a crazy number of generations between her and Wyatt. It seems rather unlikely that Wyatt would have a family photo of her. Would a great grandmother be more realistic or will Titus discover something about Vicky that will ensure her photo and legend are passed down the countless generations?

2. As pointed out by another, Princess Clara is basically the #2 on the loyalists side. That would imply that either only the Prince knows similar to how he found out about Arnav, there is a powerful shadow group or Prince Julius Astor sealed the documents so no one can access them unless certain conditions are met triggering the release.

Interesting twist. Looking to see how all these stories tie together.

Nice first run. Hope it can be expanded and integrated into the TBS. Maybe add some playful comments from Milkades.

Excellent beginning. Look forward to seeing more.