Quoted By:
High Admiral Ruhi connected to a secure data trance, shared with members of the Pact Council and various high ranking military officials. The avatars of all present acknowledged her entrance with a respectful bow.
“High Admiral, have you any news?”
“The War goes better than it has any right to. The Imperial counter-attack has been completely negated. Ex-Nihilo have performed beyond expectations; the Imperials are so fixated on the threat posed by Grachs, Chimeras and Ersatz Knights that they have no idea what Glasner is building at Higg.”
“Our losses have been horrific, the current casualty rate is unsustainable. All these victories have done is delay the inevitable.”
Lord Tseng of Kornen, ever the optimist. Though Kornen had not seen much fighting, it paid the brunt of the war’s economic toll. Kornens industry toiled relentlessly, burning out man and machine alike to keep the Pact Fleet supplied and operational. No one was more aware of the rate of attrition than Lord Tseng.
“I have no intention of trying to match the Imperials on an even playing field,” said Ruhi. “It’s time to slip a knife into the Empire’s ribs.”
Ruhi gestured to the avatar representing the Commander of the Covert Strike Group. Like the Alchemist, this person had been disgraced, then given authority and charged with turning the tide, somehow. Stripped of their old identity, they were known only by their codename: Stiletto.
“As Lord Tseng said, we cannot continue to grind against the Imperials at Noto and expect to win. It’s time to take the fight to them.”
“While I am eager to strike a blow against the Empire, the last time we decided to launch such an operation, it was a disaster. How do we know this time will be different?”
“Things are different now, the CSG gained valuable experience harassing the Imperials during the Noto counter-offensive, we have more assets in play and many of the kinks in the early stealth frigate designs have been worked out.”
Several displays of different star systems sprung up at the center of the mind space.
>cont
