[All information is as of the end of chapter 9, which is not yet posted as of this going up. In universe that means all information is as of the midday of April 5th]

At the beginning of the First Contact War, the Xingyun Cluster was a Cluster just getting out of its early exploration phase, with small human settlement and research stations appearing in a small number of locations across the Cluster. The majority of systems were only home to Alliance automated Outposts and the occasional ship, usually Alliance exploration cruisers or patrols.

While most of the exploration assets used by the Alliance during the Cluster's earliest period of exploration have been reallocated to different clusters, both the 10th and 31st Exploration Flotillas continue to operate within the Cluster. The 31st, consisting of new Francis Drake class exploration cruisers, was originally a part of Task Force Sagittarius, planning to go beyond Relay 314. With the initiation of first contact and conflict breaking out in the Cluster, the majority of the Flotilla has been moved to Da Ling San, there fabricators being used to improve the defenses of the System. Two of the Flotilla's cruisers have been moved to the Ymir System in order to expedite the repairs of the Athans with their assistance. The 10th Exploration Flotilla, the one deployed in the Xingyun Cluster itself, is spread out across the Cluster. Two of the cruisers, the SSV John Cabot and SSV Amerigo Vespucci, are part of the Baikonur Expedition, and currently reside in the Da Ling Liu System, helping with the construction of the research base. The cruisers SSV James Cook, Idn Battuta, and Abel Tasman are spread out across the Cluster, with the Cook in the James Cook 2157-4 System doing a standard survey, the Battuta in the Ibn Battuta 2157-4 System doing the same, and the SSV Abel Tasman is traveling to the John Cabot 2156-9 System to investigate a report of an abandoned prothean mining operation by a prospecting ship. All of the exploration cruisers have been recalled, but none have received the order as of the Admiral's arrival in the Da Ling Liu System, the

The majority of Alliance naval assets are concentrated in Admiral Hawking's task force formed in response to the confrontation at first contact. This task force consisted of 15 ships, the cruisers SSV Hamburg, Belfast, and Lagos, alongside 12 frigates, of which 3 were destroyed in the 2nd Battle of Da Ling Er. The remaining Alliance military assets are concentrated in the Da Ling San and Da Ling Liu Systems. Da Ling Liu contains a trio of corvettes allocated from the Midgard Outpost's patrol force alongside a single Independent Squadron deployed in its Outpost. Da Ling San also has a trio of corvettes and Independent Squadron, but is also serving as a rallying point for all Alliance forces drawn from nearby clusters. This force, as of the Admiral's task force's arrival in Da Ling Liu, consists of 5 frigates, the remains of the 56th Flotilla alongside the majority of the 58th. The SSV Baltimore, the final cruiser of the 6th Squadron, is soon to arrive in the system.

Within the nearby Ginnungagap, the majority of Alliance warships have already been stripped from their posts and sent to the Xingyun Cluster, but a total of 15 corvettes remain across the Cluster's systems. The 3rd Exploration Flotilla is also in operation within the Cluster, and it has been recalled to Ymir, though only 2 of the cruisers have received the order. The SSV Athans is under repairs at the L4 point of Midgard and its moon, supported by two cruisers from the 31st Exploration Flotilla and the colonies rudimentary space facilities. The cruiser's repairs are nowhere near complete, with several days still being needed to get the ship even partially combat ready.

In nearby cluster, several Squadrons are in operation, but none have so far been called upon to provide forces for fighting against the turians, though the 5th Cruiser Squadron has been ordered to deploy two of its cruisers in the Ginnungagap to replace the vessels of the 6th Squadron diverted to Xingyun.