Super Mothership
“What exactly are they trying to accomplish?”
At the head of the conference table, Isabel frowned and voiced the same question that Nie Yun had asked.
Yes, Isabel had officially been appointed as the supreme commander of Rock Fortress, although the position was only temporary.
For the time being, all the military forces assembled at Rock Fortress were theoretically under her command.
Over these two months, not only had the Shattered Star Domain undergone tremendous upheaval, but the officer corps of Gemini's Gallente Star Zone had also experienced a major reshuffle.
Because a large number of senior officers, including Grand General Girard, had perished in the previous white dwarf trap, there was suddenly a temporary vacuum among the upper ranks of the military.
Even though forces from the rear were continuously gathering at Rock Fortress and the military command had begun urgently assigning new commanders, filling the vacancies left by dozens of senior officers was not something that could be accomplished easily in a short period.
The military had a long-standing tradition: if the regimental commander died, the battalion commander took over; if the battalion commander died, the company commander took over.
Gemini was no exception.
Naturally, several senior officers who had luckily survived, including Isabel and the others, were entrusted with important responsibilities during the crisis and given exceptional promotions. At the very least, they were promoted by one rank.
As the saying went, fortune came from taking risks.
In the eyes of the military, these promising officers not only possessed valuable combat experience gained from fighting the enemy, but were also heroes who had risked their lives for the sake of their civilization.
Promoting them not only boosted morale, but also served as a reward for those who had rendered meritorious service.
The temporary command structure urgently established at Rock Fortress was essentially built around the surviving officers from the previous battle.
Of course, Isabel's rise to power naturally couldn't have happened without the maneuvering of the political families behind the scenes.
Just as Nie Yun had predicted, the alliance formed by Isabel, Arthas, and Renault had suddenly become one of the small groups with the greatest influence among the surviving officers after the war.
That was simply how military politics worked during wartime.
If you wanted to rise through the ranks, it wasn't enough to compete based on ability. You also had to compete over who could stay alive longer...
However, this small group still needed a public leader to represent them.
Nie Yun knew very well that Arthas lacked sufficient seniority, so he decisively gave up his own opportunity to rise to the top. Instead, he proactively contacted the Cruze family and threw his full support behind Isabel.
With the Assad and Cruze political factions joining forces, combined with the fact that Isabel really was the most suitable candidate at present, everything naturally fell into place.
“Could it be... that they're trying to force us into a decisive battle?”
The person who spoke was Beckman, seated just below Isabel.
Since Isabel, Arthas, and the other Feathered were given exceptional promotions, the Sea Clan naturally couldn't be left behind.
As the most promising candidate favored by the Sea Clan, Beckman had performed slightly imperfectly during the previous infiltration operation, but he had nevertheless been promoted to head of the General Staff this time, giving him considerably more influence within the new leadership team.
This was also a way of maintaining the balance through mutual compromise between the two races.
“Judging from the current situation, because we've voluntarily abandoned the peripheral star systems and our homeland continues to be destroyed by the invaders, enormous amounts of wealth have been reduced to nothing. The Parliament and military are already facing considerable opposition from ordinary civilians.
There are already people online questioning why we haven't deployed the ‘Death God’ again, claiming that we're deliberately avoiding battle. And these voices are becoming increasingly intense.
Could the enemy be trying to exploit this situation, forcing us to make a hasty decision to engage them in battle?”
Beckman analyzed the situation.
Although Gemini was an interstellar civilization, its political system was quite similar to the two-party system on Earth, with the two sides taking turns governing.
If it triggered widespread public dissatisfaction, it would definitely become a major headache for the ruling party.
Starting a war that everyone knew was a mistake simply to divert domestic conflicts was hardly unprecedented on Earth. It wasn't an impossible scenario.
“Hmm! That makes some sense, but wouldn't that mean they're acting a little too urgently?
According to the intelligence we've obtained, they possess considerable industrial capabilities and an overwhelming numerical advantage. As long as they proceed steadily, devouring our territory one star system at a time, it would be extremely difficult for us to turn the situation around. They would also be able to obtain greater benefits.
At best, we would retreat all the way to the Minmatar Star Zone.
Under such circumstances, would they really need to be so eager for quick results, using such an extreme ‘scorched-earth strategy’ as destroying planets to put pressure on us?”
Isabel nodded, then shook her head.
Perhaps forcing Gemini into a hasty decisive battle was indeed part of the enemy's plan, but there had to be more to it than that.
“Could it be that their rear isn't secure, which is why they want to end the war as quickly as possible? After all, judging from the number of invasion fleets, they've practically committed their entire force this time. Their garrison forces in the rear must inevitably have been affected.”
Isabel looked at Beckman with a hint of appreciation.
Someone whom the Sea Clan regarded as a prodigy truly did possess an impressive strategic vision.
In fact, this was also the most likely reason Isabel herself had suspected for the enemy's desire to end the war quickly.
Isabel turned her gaze toward Nie Yun.
“Arthas, have we still not received any intelligence from the other side of the wormhole?”
Gemini had very few sources of intelligence regarding the Locke Consortium. The pirate intelligence network that Arthas had previously established was undoubtedly one of the few available sources.
“No. We've already lost control of the wormhole. Under these circumstances, even if there is intelligence from the Shattered Star Domain that they want to send over, it's simply impossible.”
Nie Yun shook his head.
Of course he had intelligence.
And far more than anyone could possibly imagine.
However, there was no way he would pass that intelligence to Gemini under the identity of Arthas...
“Actually... if we want intelligence, we don't necessarily have to get it from the pirates...”
Nie Yun deliberately hesitated for a moment, appropriately allowing a trace of reluctance to appear in his eyes.
Isabel immediately understood what he was implying.
“You mean... the All for One Society?”
The Woolf Empire Encyclopedia, 128-TB Limited Collector's Edition (Gemini-language translation).
This was the precious intelligence they had previously obtained from the All for One Society. It was only then that Gemini had finally learned about the formidable strength of this cross-civilization organization.
But buying crucial intelligence concerning their very survival from an organization whose allegiance was unclear was obviously less reassuring than obtaining it through their own people.
What if the other party harbored ulterior motives and deliberately provided false intelligence?
They wouldn't even need to fabricate everything. Simply making a few subtle alterations here and there, mixing truth with falsehood, could potentially cause Gemini to make disastrous strategic decisions.
For this reason, although Gemini knew that the organization had the ability to obtain intelligence, they had never considered purchasing information from them again.
After all, they still had their pirate allies as an alternative.
But under the current circumstances...
“Sigh! Although I really don't want to admit it, if we want to obtain intelligence from the other side of the wormhole, they're probably our only choice right now.”
Nie Yun sighed, his expression filled with helplessness.
Everyone nodded in understanding, and the way they looked at Arthas changed somewhat.
Almost everyone present knew that the One-World Society had once attempted to assassinate Arthas in the Solar System.
Furthermore, Arthas had never concealed his hatred of the All for One Society in his daily life. He had always strongly opposed cooperation with the organization and was practically the spearhead of the anti-All for One faction.
Yet this time, for the sake of their civilization, he had set aside his personal grudge and actually taken the initiative to propose compromising with their enemy...
Such magnanimity was truly admirable!
Feeling a little guilty under everyone's gazes, Nie Yun couldn't help rubbing his nose.
I'm just trying to drum up some business for my own shell company. Do you guys really have to look at me like this? You're making me embarrassed...
Mechanical Bug: “...”
TL Note- Business...
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