Simati had a sudden realization.
"So that's why the Admiral ordered us to move under stealth, rather than alongside the Silver Fleet."
"The enemy is certainly monitoring the Silver Fleet's assembly, trying to guess where we are. They would never suspect that we've long since turned the Aurora Great Stellar Ring into an impregnable fortress; even the defensive grid here can facilitate our stealth."
"Our sudden strike will undoubtedly catch the opponent off guard."
All of this had been ordered by Helens before they had even departed.
Simati was awestruck by Helens' foresight—how he had grasped the enemy's intent back then based on just a few scraps of information.
"Now we're heading for Feuae b. Once we punch a hole in their line, the enemy's attrition strategy will collapse."
"So this is actually going to be a pitched battle."
By seizing control of a star, one's energy supply would never run dry.
In modern warfare, a star is an arsenal.
If Helens' reasoning held true, then Luna really did have some talent and wasn't just a complete fool.
Unaware of Simati's thoughts, Helens instructed him: "We won't attack the nearest planet, planet b. Investigate the distribution of the enemy fleet; we'll strike their weakest point."
It might require a bit of a detour, but Helens' greatest strength was his caution.
He never fought a battle involving unnecessary risk; if the tide turned, he would immediately retreat and reconsider his options.
But this particular engagement made him uneasy; it was meant to be a swift strike.
The enemy must have gathered a significant amount of data on him, which was why they had made this decision.
Simati was highly capable; in just thirteen hours, he delivered the intel to Helens.
Truthfully, without their extensive sensor network in place, gathering this kind of data might have taken a year or two; distances in space were no joke.
This was their home turf, and they held an absolute intelligence advantage.
"The weak point is planet b."
"Cross-referencing past data and enemy fleet movements, there's no possibility of deception."
"In terms of numbers, the enemy's warship count is consistent."
Helens fell into deep thought after hearing Simati's report.
Rusty surely knew that planet b was on the front line; they had attacked it first. Yet now, they had turned it into a weak point.
This warranted careful consideration.
But after further thought, he understood the opponent's plan.
By making planet b the weak point, he knew I would overthink it, wondering if there was a trap. This would breed hesitation. Regardless of the outcome, the opponent won this psychological engagement.
"Our first clash, then."
"Let's strike planet b directly."
"The enemy may be prepared, but their numbers are too small. They only have 50,000 ships at planet b; they're no match for us."
"Since the opponent is using our own weapon against us, we might as well step right into their jar."
Helens laughed heartily.
Since Glolo had become an upper-tier Star Nation, war had been rare. Especially large-scale campaigns involving hundreds of thousands of ships. Having risen through the ranks during wartime, combat was a part of him; he loved the thrill of the game against a formidable enemy. This time, he found it genuinely interesting.
...
Four years later.
The Golden Fleet suddenly appeared on the outskirts of planet Feuae b, striking with thunderous force. 20,000 warships against 50,000 ships was like wolves among sheep; in an instant, the Rusty fleet was routed, scattering in all directions to escape.
Seeing those ships warping away, Simati congratulated Helens.
"The Admiral's plan is masterful. By taking planet b, the enemy's plot to stall us has been dismantled before it could even begin."
However, upon hearing those words, Helens' expression shifted.
"Something's wrong."
"The enemy's plan is indeed to stall us, but we were deceived on one point: the assumption that the enemy intended to stay within the Feuae star system."
"Their construction of a defensive grid wasn't a real plan; it was just a ruse to force me into a hasty attack."
Simati felt his brain freeze for a moment.
"Then what is their goal? Losing planet b, even leaving the Feuae star system, their foothold..."
"Wait, are you saying the enemy's true objective is guerrilla warfare?"
Simati understood in a flash. It wasn't his fault for not realizing it sooner; he had never encountered a fleet like this before. When he saw in the reports how the enemy ships escaped, everything became crystal clear.
Evasion!
The enemy was a fleet composed entirely of evasion-capable ships.
Moreover, according to the data, these evasion-capable ships couldn't be detected by any known method.
This meant the enemy was essentially invisible, even within the Aurora Great Stellar Ring. Their subsequent targets were unpredictable. There was no way to give chase. The Golden Fleet would always be one step behind.
The enemy's pause in the Feuae star system and their disregard for the Star Cities as leverage was a ploy to draw the Golden Fleet out from the shadows and onto the stage. A "quick battle" was simply a way to force them to reveal themselves so that their roles could flip: the hidden would become the visible, and the visible would become the hidden.
"Precisely."
"By taking Feuae, we confirmed our earlier suspicion: they likely intend to seize the two neighboring star systems. Rusty's tactics are indeed aligned with this, but they want us to guess, to guess which one they'll strike."
"If we guess correctly, they'll simply keep running. If we guess wrong, they'll attack that system. If we split our forces, they will further fragment the Golden Fleet until they are strong enough to deal with us."
Thinking about such a slippery enemy, Helens found the situation troublesome. Despite participating in hundreds of campaigns of all sizes, he was encountering an enemy like this for the first time.
"Evasion-type ships, it's no wonder the Frost Blue Star Nation wants Rusty."
"The previous White Dragon class was limited to stealthy ambushes; I heard it achieved impressive results on the front lines. Although countermeasures were developed later, any slight lapse in vigilance still meant falling into a trap. Rusty eventually stopped production."
"But now, the void-class has taken it a step further, pushing this advantage to its absolute limit."
Helens' analysis was sound. Seven months later, they had indeed lost all traces of the Rusty ships.
Helens' brow furrowed deeply.
However, Simati brought good news.
"Admiral, we've observed the trajectory of the Rusty fleet."
"If the evasion-type ships block the four fundamental forces, then it follows that once they enter evasion mode, they cannot change course. Therefore, the destination they are heading for must be Yaeao 27."
Splitting up was out of the question; that would lead straight into an enemy trap. They had to choose one path and gamble. Since there was a clear target, Helens decided to head for Yaeao 27.
"Have the entire army depart immediately!"
...
The Golden Fleet made for Yaeao 27.
While it was considered a nearby star system, the distance between them was still 2.4 light-years. At the Golden Fleet's top speed, the journey would take at least 5.8 years.
Five years into the chase, Helens felt a pang of unease.
"Theoretically, the opponent should have reached Yaeao 27 by now. Why hasn't there been any movement or signal from Yaeao 27?"
Simati found it strange as well, but he truly didn't know the specifics.
"Perhaps the data we saw was another deception, meant to lure us while they target a different star system."
"But the only star system directly in that line is the xanh lam thủy star system, and that's already 14 light-years away, it's not even part of the Aurora Great Stellar Ring."
Losing intel. This was a cardinal sin in warfare.
But there was no way around it; they simply couldn't observe the enemy. Helens didn't blame Simati.
"Should we head to Yaeao 27 first to observe?"
"Stopping to observe is better than heading in the wrong direction."
Even so, Simati still harbored doubts about his own judgment. He didn't know what to choose now.
Helens pondered: if the enemy hadn't reached Yaeao 27, and given that their ships couldn't change course while in evasion mode, then where would the Rusty fleet go?
Continuing forward? Impossible.
Leaving the Aurora Great Stellar Ring would eventually weaken Rusty, as they'd be ground down by the fleets dispatched from every other star system. They could certainly capture a few systems to rest and refit, but in the long run, they would still be at a disadvantage.
Despite his earlier guess that Rusty wanted to stall for time, leaving the Aurora Great Stellar Ring was still not a sound plan.
Because Rusty's harassment was meant to prevent outside help from reaching the Aurora Great Stellar Ring, allowing them to erupt from within and slowly erode the Ring. If they fled outside, the entire plan would fall apart.
Therefore, Rusty had to stay within the Aurora Great Stellar Ring.
Even leaving it briefly would be a waste of time.
Yaeao 27 was empty. Going forward was impossible.
Helens suddenly struck upon a possibility.
"Simati, was the Rusty fleet accelerating or decelerating when they flew off?" he inquired.
Simati almost blurted it out instinctively.
"Accelerating, obviously. Why would they ever, "
But before he could finish, his eyes went wide.
Because searching his own memory, he realized he didn't have the answer. No one had even questioned it.
Why would a massive fleet, moving collectively in one direction, be decelerating?
Now, Simati was breaking into a cold sweat.
He pulled up a long string of data to search. It took nearly half an hour of processing time on the mainframe before he finally located the data. It required extreme precision.
[ March 11, 233168 A.D., 13:19:23, the Rusty fleet departed from Feuae c, total ship count, total warship count, acceleration 4.6km/s, final acceleration projected at 43.2km/s ]
[ March 11, 233168 A.D., 14:34:15, the Rusty fleet completed its final acceleration mission, peak acceleration 42.8km/s, average acceleration 26.31km/s, final speed 104,000 km/s ]
[ March 11, 233168 A.D., 14:54:58, the Rusty fleet, speed 103,000 km/s ]
[ March 11, 233168 A.D., 14:59:19, the Rusty fleet, speed 97,000 km/s ]
[ March 11, 233168 A.D., 15:11:37, the Rusty fleet vanished ]
For interplanetary battlefields, a one-year unit is considered relatively small; often, data calculations are based on months and weeks. A day is already detailed to the extreme.
It was quite normal that Simati hadn't checked this anomalous data that appeared in less than 17 minutes.
This was also the strength behind the Rusty fleet doing so.
But looking back, Simati truly wanted to slap himself.
Not meticulous enough.
Missing such vital information.
The enemy, upon completing their acceleration, very quickly entered a state of rapid deceleration.
Calculating Rusty's deceleration at around 22.98 km/s, and deceleration surely goes from less to more, so the final deceleration could reach 30 km/s; being lower than the acceleration was quite normal.
If calculated this way, based on the read data, the Rusty fleet could have decelerated by another 22,140 km/s before entering evasion status, meaning their final speed should have been around 75,000 km/s.
This speed was directly half of theirs.
Theoretically, the Rusty fleet was actually still halfway there, while they had long since overtaken them, arriving at Yaeao 27 first.
"Immediately verify mid-route communications, see if the Rusty fleet has appeared."
"The Rusty fleet would likely choose to reappear for a few minutes when we are halfway through our route, further decelerating. If that's the case, their speed will be even slower."
"Search a wider area."
Helens couldn't help but feel a bit angry now.
It was the first time Simati had seen such an expression on the Vice Admiral's face.
They were being toyed with.
Not long after the Golden Fleet seized planet Feuae b, the enemy began to move. Subsequently, the Golden Fleet did not stay for long before beginning its advance toward Yaeao 27. Theoretically, the Golden Fleet had not fully resupplied mid-route. Although the Golden Fleet had planned for a quick strike and did not intend to stay at planet b for a long-term war, the total wasted energy still accounted for 74% of the fleet's capacity.
Now that they were turning back, the entire fleet's final energy reserves would be less than 20%, making it impossible to sustain a long-term war.
Therefore, at this time, they inevitably had to go to Yaeao 27 to resupply, at shortest for one year, at slowest for two, which was also a significant loss of time.
Returning would take another nearly six years.
Combined, it would consume 8 to 9 years.
The pace of the quick strike was dragged down, and the enemy gained more room for maneuver.
While Helens was thinking, Simati completed the data search.
Sure enough, when they were halfway through their flight, the Rusty fleet had appeared once, but it wasn't caught directly by the probes; rather, its deceleration afterwaves were monitored.
Although the entire Aurora Great Stellar Ring was under the surveillance of Glolo's probes, the probes themselves were not always active.
The probes were basically set to scan the surroundings once every 10 minutes.
What is 10 minutes to the universe? Even light only travels a little over 1 AU in that time.
A massive probe array could absolutely capture all information.
Precisely because there were too many probes and the energy consumption was so high, such an array couldn't scan by the second; the energy consumed over hundreds or thousands of years would simply be impossible to calculate.
Furthermore, spending only 100 million could achieve 99% of this surveillance efficiency.
Wasteful.
More money than sense.
That was the only evaluation.
But there was no helping it; Glolo had now run into the one person who could exploit that remaining 1%.
"Admiral, I request that we increase the scanning frequency of the surrounding probes to the second-level; otherwise, if this continues, we won't be able to track the enemy's movements at all."
Simati had discovered this loophole, so he would patch it up immediately; as long as the mistake wasn't repeated, it would be fine.
Helens also agreed.
After another dozen or so days, they received news of the Rusty fleet's discovery.
Currently, the Rusty fleet is only about two-fifths of the way along the route, completing a turn-around to head back.
The Rusty fleet showed no fear, directly accelerating to 117,000 km/s, clearly burning massive amounts of energy to quicken their return.
"Once they get back, they'll have plenty of time to resupply and then likely repeat the same old trick."
"What should we do, Admiral? If they keep playing hide-and-seek like this, we'll never be able to eliminate them."
Simati hadn't been very concerned about this war initially.
He thought Rusty was walking right into a trap.
But now, before the war has even truly begun, his perspective has shifted.
The enemy's actions are undoubtedly calculated.
It's still unclear, but by the time their hand is revealed, it might be too late.
This is deep space, after all. Communications across the vast Rusty Star Nation are measured in years; even if a problem is resolved, decades would be considered fast.
"This simply doesn't feel like a war!"
Simati was fuming.
Can't these guys just hold still and die?
This was his first time on the battlefield with Vice Admiral Helens.
Yet his performance so far had been a major disappointment.
The main issue was that the Rusty fleet refused to play by the rules.
"War is fluid; there are no fixed rules. Any method is valid as long as it leads to ultimate victory."
"It's clear we lost this round, but no matter. Now that we understand their plan, we just need to arrange a counter-measure."
"Simati, the Silver Fleet has finished assembling. Mobilize them for the front, not for a direct assault, but to hold positions around the Feuae star system. Since they want to play, I'll play along."
Though Helens was also irritated, he regained his composure quickly and formulated the next step.
Simati's eyes lit up.
He understood exactly what Helens planned to do next.
The Feuae star system was the weak point of the Aurora Great Stellar Ring; if Rusty wanted to dismantle the entire Ring, this was the easiest place to start.
As long as they stabilized the other star systems and then restricted the movements of the Rusty fleet around Feuae, the outcome of the war would be set in stone.
Seeing through this wasn't difficult.
But for Helens to formulate a counter-plan so quickly proved he was truly Glolo's sharpest blade.
"I'll see to the orders immediately."
...
Feuae star system.
Tier 1 Fleet.
Luna had returned.
She had toyed with Glolo's Golden Fleet.
Buying herself several more years of time.
"Resume the deployment of the defensive grid. The previous sections weren't destroyed. I'm giving you five years to complete at least the first phase of the grid's installation."
Mevisi, who managed these operations, quickly spurred the personnel into action. Within a month, the previously stalled progress on the defensive grid was underway once more.
The military dispatcher left, Toma K had departed, and the subordinates assigned a secretary to assist Luna.
The secretary's name was Soumia, quite handsome, with no discernible racial traits on his body.
The first thing Luna did upon seeing him was ask: "What species do you belong to?"
"I am an artificial being, Strategos!"
Artificial beings. In the Federation, such things were only found in laboratories, but here in the Star Nations, they were much more prevalent. When Luna had boarded the ship to Glolo previously, there had been many artificial beings.
However, Soumia was somewhat different from those.
He possessed a complex genetic makeup, categorized within the Star Nations as a Generation 6 Human.
Generation 1 Humans were those with original, unedited genes. Generation 2 consisted of genetically modified humans; the vast majority of both the Federation and the Star Nations fell into this category.
Generation 3 differed significantly from the original human form. This included those who had altered their physiques and appearances so much that they merely resembled the human race, Generation 3 made up over 20% of the Star Nation population, while being nearly non-existent in the Federation.
Generation 4 Humans belonged to the "exotic" types and were relatively rare. While they might look similar to Generation 3, their genetic level had undergone specific adjustments. Generations 4, 5, and 6 were essentially "utility humans," created for specific purposes. This included taking a Generation 3 base and enhancing strength, increasing body size, or further modifying oneself into a monstrous form, or even refining oneself to look more classically human.
While some Generation 4s belonged to the upper class, Generations 5 and 6 were almost entirely from the bottom rungs of society. They were experimental products, modified without regard for their own independent consciousness.
Artificial beings didn't strictly belong to a specific generation, but the reason Soumia was classified as a Generation 6 Human differed slightly from the norm.
Usually, a Generation 6 was a lab-grown product, but Soumia was the offspring of a human and an artificial being.
The Star Nations were quite liberal; the desire to attempt procreation with these artificial beings was not considered strange. The technology was simple, requiring only a few genetic tweaks to ensure compatibility with a normal human's reproductive cells.
That was how Soumia came to be.
He was generally humanoid, standing about 2.75 meters tall; Luna estimated she would only reach his chest. His skin was a pure, stark white, not the "white" of a Caucasian person, but the flat white of A4 paper. He had no hair or pores. His skin was covered in fine, down-like scales, each one a tiny, delicate diamond shape.
Luna found his physiology fascinating; it had been a long time since she had studied biological subjects.
If she were to dissect him, she would likely discover many unique structural differences.
This was Luna's immediate reaction after asking her question.
Soumia was unaware of Luna's thoughts, but he felt a sudden chill run through his body.
Is something wrong with my body? Soumia wondered.
Generations 5 and 6 often suffered from genetic defects, so Soumia was prone to worry. He held a high position for someone of his generation and was quite wealthy; he had already invested in fine-tuning his genome, so he wasn't overly concerned about sudden genetic collapse.
In truth, he could even replace his entire body, but that would require traveling to a much larger Star Nation. Rusty lacked the necessary technology, and Glolo might not have it either, or if they did, the success rate wouldn't be guaranteed.
He had heard that such technology was highly mature in the Federation, though it was strictly prohibited there.
Luna suppressed her urge to experiment on this new lifeform and spoke to Soumia: "There won't be much happening in the next two years. You just need to monitor the docking positions of all the warships for me. They shouldn't be clustered too closely. If the enemy feels the potential gain outweighs the cost of shattering the Feuae system, we'll be hit with super-range weapons."
"Also, have the surveillance soldiers watch for movements in the surrounding sectors. This is crucial for our next steps and must be constantly monitored. Provide me with a data report once a week."
"Then there's the other star systems. I need information from them. Toma K will transmit data back after every completed task. These messages must be received; if they aren't, you must notify me immediately."
"We also have operatives inside Glolo. If you receive any messages that use brackets [ ] and each phrase is preceded by an adjective, those are for me. Pay close attention; these letters use standard punctuation, but there will always be exactly three errors. If there's even a single mistake beyond that, make sure to flag it."
"Right, and regarding the soldiers within the fleet: you need to track their morale. If anyone is suffering from psychological issues, deal with it immediately. Do not hesitate; psychological problems are contagious in the military."
"And furthermore..."
Luna continued for half an hour. Soumia was stunned.
This is what she calls "not much"?
By his count, he had over thirty tasks to manage, many of which were long-term, and more would likely be added.
But Soumia didn't dare complain. He went straight to work, filling his daily schedule to the brim. Fortunately, he could use the mainframe to plan his time; with 24 hours in a day, he might manage thirty minutes of rest, otherwise, he'd literally work himself to death.
Luna didn't think these tasks were particularly difficult; if she were doing them, she could resolve everything within fifteen hours each day.
It was wartime, after all; everything had to be managed down to the smallest detail.
Of course, her primary focus remained the Golden Fleet; they were the greatest threat.
Luna still didn't know exactly who her opponent was.
Honest Tin?
As the Admiral of the Golden Fleet, Hua'a had frequently mentioned his prowess in both politics and military affairs. Generally speaking, he was adept at balancing relationships and securing significant resources for the Golden Fleet on the political stage.
Then there was Helens, a man whose talents were entirely focused on military matters.
Luna had toyed with them this once, but there wouldn't be a second time.
"The weakness of the Aurora Great Stellar Ring lies in Feuae and its surroundings; we must secure this area firmly."
"The only remaining obstacle to resolve is the Golden Fleet."
Luna's objective had remained unchanged from the start.
How to neutralize the Golden Fleet.
A direct confrontation was out of the question.
In fact, no amount of schemes or tricks would likely destroy that fleet.
The gap in power was simply too vast.
Based on the data, the White Dragon class had indeed managed to destroy many Federation warships on the front lines. The Golden Fleet wasn't necessarily stronger than a Federation fleet, but it depended on the situation.
The White Dragon class was only able to defeat Federation warships because it had been supported by a fleet composed of other warships.
Currently, however, the Tier 1 fleet under Luna's command consisted almost entirely of logistics and transport ships. How could they possibly pose a threat to the Golden Fleet?
Luna was self-aware.
Therefore, meeting the Golden Fleet on the front lines was impossible.
Initially, she had planned to stall for twenty years.
In reality, seven or eight years had already passed.
By the time the Golden Fleet returned, it would be around thirteen years; she just needed to stall a bit longer after that.
But she still had to prepare for how to drag out those last seven years starting from the thirteenth year, or perhaps even longer, depending on other variables.
Pondering this.
Luna instructed Soumia to organize a briefing.
These plans had to be understood by every high-ranking officer; otherwise, when the fighting started, they would each have their own ideas.
As the briefing began, Luna listened to the officers' enthusiastic discussions.
"By the time the Golden Fleet gets back, our defensive grid will be complete. We'll make them regret it."
"Let's just do it. They're just a fleet of warships. Without their Archon Commander, they're just weaklings. We've been running circles around them, ha ha ha!"
"Even if we can't beat them, we can just enter evasion mode and stay hidden for decades. I heard our people are stirring up trouble all over Glolo; we can just wait for things to descend into chaos before we strike."
Every officer was incredibly optimistic.
Luna sat down, and only then did the entire meeting room fall silent.
She began, "I see you were all very optimistic just now."
"It seems I am the only one holding a pessimistic view of this war."
"The enemy is strong and we are weak; a single slip-up and we will be beyond salvation."
"You think that simply stalling for time is enough, but do you truly understand the significance of that time?"
"The time we buy is meant for us to secure Feuae and its surrounding star systems. The burden remains on us, and the challenges ahead will be nothing short of walking through a mountain of knives and a sea of fire."
Her words clearly caught the crowd off guard.
This was a complete dampener on their spirits.
The war hadn't even truly begun.
The officers were confused, but Luna didn't offer further explanation. She simply pointed out the theme of this meeting.
[ On How to Evade Direct Conflict with the Golden Fleet ]
"As you can see, we must avoid the Golden Fleet."
"And not only avoid them, we must capture the Feuae star system during the process of evasion."
"I will not tell you our next move yet. Instead, each of you will write a report on your understanding of this objective. Submit it to me, and once I have reviewed them, the meeting will truly begin."
These officers could not afford to relax.
Luna was highly likely to seize Glolo, but it wasn't impossible for her to fail. Anyone can fail.
Luna had failed before.
Facing the Olive Branch Civilization had been a massive defeat; turning the tables later was merely winning a gamble, an arrangement of fate rather than a display of raw power.
With over 200,000 ships, the number of officers in the meeting exceeded ten thousand.
Ten thousand people began writing. Luna gave them two hours. Once the time was up and the reports were submitted, a large portion was blank; they had pondered for the entire duration without knowing what to write. Another portion had written something, but it was essentially meaningless.
Luna did not believe they lacked the capability; they were simply unsure if their ideas were correct. She ordered them to rewrite. If they still failed to produce any insights, their positions would be swapped with their respective deputies.
This time, the officers were truly panicked.
Luna spent another two hours reviewing the reports. When the new batch was submitted, some officers still had nothing to show. She gave the direct order: those officers were to leave immediately, and their deputies were to take their place.
In short, she would keep at it until everyone had produced a satisfactory report.
This process took over twenty hours, not a long time, all things considered.
After twenty hours, Luna finished reviewing all the reports. She then filtered and selected a portion of them to be distributed to everyone for review.
After another two hours, Luna instructed the officers to write down their reflections on what they had read and any potential improvements.
This time, she didn't require everyone to participate; she received over two thousand responses.
She read for another five hours, selected the viable ones, and redistributed them for everyone to see once more.
This repetitive process served to deepen the officers' understanding of the battlefield.
Luna treated everyone equally, including herself. After the reflections were shared, she combined the insights from her nearly thirty hours of reading with her own perspective and intelligence to write a conclusion. This conclusion was also given to all the officers to read.
This time, she gave them only half an hour. After that, the meeting officially commenced.
"I trust you now clearly understand the true disparity between us and the enemy."
"Though many of you wrote about how to counter the enemy, none of you truly hit the mark."
"We must retreat, and we must attack."
"The enemy must retreat because of our offensive; only then will our external preparations be meaningful."
"You must understand why we are here."
"It is not to annihilate the Golden Fleet, nor is it to kill as many enemies as possible. It is to dismantle Glolo and occupy it. That is all."
Defining the objective was crucial.
Focusing solely on the Golden Fleet would lead to a dead end.
Her single sentence was an epiphany for the officers.
Stepping beyond the Golden Fleet and looking at Glolo's overall landscape, they realized that if Glolo was unstable, even the Golden Fleet would be powerless against them.
Once the meeting began, a Commander stood up and said: "Toma K's deputy left presumably to disrupt the situation across Glolo, but that isn't enough. I believe the Strategos must have other preparations."
"Assuming the exterior is already in chaos, we won't need to worry about reinforcements; the force we face will be a fixed quantity."
"Since the Strategos stated our task is a combination of defense and offense, can I interpret it as wearing down the enemy from both the outside and within?"
"Glolo is powerful, but their resources are not concentrated within the Aurora Great Stellar Ring. Therefore, if the attrition here is high enough, a single moment of weakness from the Golden Fleet will mean our victory."
"Thus, I believe the essence of this war is to never let the Golden Fleet stop."
"Isn't the enemy massing Silver Fleets? They'll likely become active soon. At that point, we intercept the Silver Fleets, and the Golden Fleet will be forced to pivot for support. Once that's over, we'll vanish and head to any star system, letting the Golden Fleet continue their pursuit. We should also deploy a portion of our ships to harass the Golden Fleet; we cannot let them remain so stable."
The plan was a rough outline, sounding quite incomplete at first.
But this was only the first speaker. The purpose of the meeting was rapidly being achieved.
Luna had brought these people's perceptions onto the same horizontal axis as her own; from here, the discussions became meaningful.
She had a plan. But she couldn't just throw it out at the start.
Having been a leader for so long, Luna knew that if she simply handed her ideas to her subordinates, at least 90% of them wouldn't use their own heads. They would simply copy the plan mechanically, and the final results would only achieve 80% or less of the requirements, completely failing to meet the standard.
Because these people wouldn't even know what they were doing.
Luna had long since mastered the art of running meetings: make them think for themselves. The results they came up with could even be used to refine her own plan.
By the time the final deliberation concluded and discussions were finished, she would have completed her revisions. The plan presented then would be the best possible one.
"Now, take a look at my plan."
"You must read these carefully afterward. When the real war begins, I don't want anyone dragging their feet."
Once every officer had received the plan, the meeting room fell silent instantly.
Because they had already been immersed in this game of strategic thinking, they were quickly drawn in, reading these military plans as if they were engrossing novels.
After they finished reading, they marveled at the plan's intricate detail.
Once again, they began to discuss the Golden Fleet and the campaign with the same ease as before.
However, the difference was stark: their initial talk was superficial and wouldn't have stood up to scrutiny, but this time, it was rooted in genuine confidence.
"Rest easy, Strategos. With a plan like yours, even a pig sitting in the command chair could see this through."
The officers joked, making bold claims.
Luna remained expressionless.
She knew the quality of her plan.
If it could be executed smoothly, it would undoubtedly yield the best possible outcome.
But that was a massive "if."
"Meeting adjourned."
"The next meeting will be held in three years to conduct further discussions."
After everyone had departed, Luna called for Soumia.
Soumia reported on the latest intelligence he had gathered.
The key points were the repositioning of the Glolo Star Nation's probes and the mobilization of the Silver Fleet.
Soumia was clearly uneasy; he wasn't a fool and realized that Glolo's actions were aimed at completely sealing off their movements.
"Hm, this was all anticipated. There's no need for alarm."
"Just keep observing."
Luna's composure had always been the best sedative for the military's nerves.
Soumia had his own interpretation of the previous meeting's content, and he told Luna: "Strategos, I believe we should take the initiative. Isn't it said that the best defense is a good offense?"
"Yet the meeting just now seemed focused entirely on defensive matters."
"It feels a bit off."
He could see through it.
Luna replied nonchalantly: "That is precisely why there is a meeting in three years."
"For these next three years, monitor the communication systems closely. Do it yourself, and don't let anyone else know. I will grant you fleet-wide authority."
Soumia nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.
"I will certainly get it done!"
"That's what I like to hear!"