Spinward Flow
SOC-14 1K
In other words, "hot conflict" ... also known as A State Of War.
An unanticipated report of "there's a previously unaccounted for FLEET 12 parsecs away in the hands of a group of cultists" does not rise to a level of being a "crisis" on the same scale as an interstellar war between major polities.
The report would definitely be a cause for concern ... and arguably a good reason to cut some orders and dispatch some assets to investigate/deal with the report ... but not something that would put an entire subsector (let alone sector) on a wartime footing upon receiving that report.
The IN is not going to be (preemptively) "declaring war" on a bunch of cultists hoarding a fleet of antiques.
Yes, the IISS undoubtedly assists the IN with intel gathering and reporting (here, there and everywhere) ... but your stock and standard Type-S Scout/Couriers aren't necessarily the fastest (or even best) way to go "a subsector over thataway" for a sneak 'n' peek then report back. If TIME is not a factor, then letting the IISS do the job is certainly a viable option. Giving an outside force additional time to potentially make a Tigress-class equivalent battleship spaceworthy ... at which point the IN would potentially have even bigger problems.
To put it politely ... the information contained within the report the PCs turn over to the IN is not a fine wine ... it does not get better with age.
Have I made my point clear?
