March 27^th, 3069

It seems like I only find time to write when I'm burning away from New Avalon. At least our stay was longer than the first time. With the help of the high and mighty Precentor Geist, we managed to secure some real-estate easy enough. He wasn't there those three weeks on New Avalon, but just because we couldn't hold the capitol of the Federated Suns with a single Division, we're suddenly inferior to him. What a toad.

Turns out it was too easy, just like Precentor McQuinn and I had been saying to each other. Apparently Jackson Davion's quite adaptable. He'd planned for our eventual return, and prepared numerous fallback sites, independent little supply stops and hiding places where a small force could bivouac for a while, then more on. Perfect for the kind of mobile campaign that drives our orbital eyes, few as they are, crazy. We had no idea where they went.

The plan extended beyond what was on planet to the reinforcements. All at once they appeared, each at their own Jump Point. Five groups, and our ships could only engage two. The Red Angel managed to eradicate the Light Guards, chasing them all the way until their last ships burned up in to New Avalon's atmosphere. The Divine Forgiveness took a bite out of the 3^rd Guards but was far less successful, even though he did waste their Conquistadore. Nice of the Davions to put so much of importance in one convenient-to-blast package.

All remaining troops had approached under their own vector, and then split off again once in New Avalon's atmosphere, each to their own dropzone, and all to the parts of New Avalon we didn't control. The forces immediately disembarked and went in to hiding. The sites were well-picked to facilitate this. Amazing how big a planet is. Both WarShips managed to nail a few Droppers as they were unloading or as they took off, but the vast majority succeeded in disembarking and disappearing. They did not give pursuit in order to support us for the "inevitable" massive attack Geist was predicting. And he was keeping his precious mini-nukes in reserve for the same purpose.

He never got off of that prediction, not even till we finally called our retreat a year later. He never listened to anything any of the 31^st had to say. We were no more than mercenaries to him. A year of constant guerilla warfare, with the Davions striking at us where we were weak, retreating before orbital could be provided, or soon after it was engaged. They're always spread out now, neutralizing the damage we can do from orbit, and they seem to have developed a knack of figuring out our randomized orbits. I think I know how those Jaguars felt, back in the Dinju Pass.

We kept losing troops and real-estate, bit by bit, and Geist kept telling us the major assault would come any time now. Just like he said reinforcements would come any time now.

In truth, we lost the Second Battle for New Avalon before the 36^th even landed. I can see that now.

High command doesn't care about New Avalon anymore, I'm sure. They'd have sent enough troops to get the job done, or to root out their guerillas.

Everyone believes we're monsters now. Everyone is our enemy. All I had to do was look in the eyes of the people who share my birthworld to see.

I don't believe we're fighting for any high goal anymore. Our dreams for the Third Transfer died that day, on Tharkad, two years ago. We can't force them back in to the League. And we can't purify them with fire so that humanity can be reborn. No, we're fighting for our survival. That is clear to me now. There is no other way for us anymore. They will never accept our surrender. They won't stop until we're destroyed. They now only seek our destruction.

I pray for any of who are captured. What fate awaits them, to be punished for the sins of others, for sins they never committed?

That I would live to see a day in which Blake's name has become synonymous with that of the Usurper…

It is difficult to see a way out of this that won't end in our extermination.