When Hanako approached Helen, she thought inwardly; What? Am I going to get a hug too? Most people think black panels mean a hug will result in a stab. Indeed, no hug, just shop-talk... and that suited Helen just fine.
"Taisa... it smells rotten." Helen stated simply as she heard the assessment. "While I was within the Matriarchy, I was able to gain a keen insight into the way the colonies functioned in regard to social behaviors, ideologies, and their state of vigilance... and they are quite vigilant, eyes always outwards." She started as she set out the pieces to the puzzle, moving them about in her mind. "It has been too long for the NMX to have been involved in the black-out, they would have already made their strike, or would not have bothered at all with a blackout, in favor of decimating the UOC's fleet capacity in a head-on battle. A direct confrontation allows the NMX to herd the UOC's assets together to make it all the easier to eliminate them, reducing the commitment needed to take the remainder of the colonies. This blackout leaves pockets of resistance, and places the UOC's assets on high-alert... that is entirely counter-intuitive to an NMX plot." Helen stated as the start of her assessment.
"As I said, I've grown to have an understanding of the people out there. They're a peace-loving lot, but they're nervous about it. Taiie is fresh in their minds, their manufacturing firms were putting out enough ordinance to supply their ranks twice over. They would have been prepared for a conventional communications blackout, it would have been an entirely foreseeable event and they would have had a contingency plan. I figure the blackout was likely intentional, maybe something executed by their own leadership to snap their populace into a state of alert, possibly to lure the NMX into some sort of baited trap." Helen looked thoughtful as she pressed her purple-clad lips together in thought, shaking her head. "Even if it were an internally executed blackout, it has gone on too long. It attracted our attention, thus our mission out there. I imagine, by now, the Lorath Matriarchy has also become involved and if anyone knows what has happened, it would be them. If you want to know what is going on for certain, I would suggest asking them. I could advise you on how to conduct such a communication for best results, ma'am."
"Though... back to the issue of the NMX fleet. No doubt they're preparing to hit a target out there. It is inevitable, considering Mitsuya, the E-7 outpost scuffle which I heard of through the LSDF, and the data we have regarding their fleet movements at Bizankro. It could be prudent to send another task-force, one with a direct confrontation in mind, which would be able to conduct defensive operations. Even if the UOC is apart from us, and even if the Lorath Matriarchy loathes us, they still hate the Mishhu more than us. If we help them defend against the Mishhu, it would likely encourage them both to devote their resources into the war, and considering our current situation, it could turn the tide favorably. At the very least, we could help them lift their blackout so they could see the NMX coming."
Helen's explanation was lengthy, but informative, at least she thought so. She wanted to make sure that every possible view on the topic was covered, and she wanted to make sure to provide the Taisa with a full scope of what the situation could be. Helen figured, it could be the difference between coming out of the situation sitting pretty, and coming out of the situation with a bloodied lip, and limping back to a star fortress... like they just did.