“It’s too late to leave now. That gap is too small. The Swarm can close it at any mont, trapping half of us while chasing the other half. If that happens, we’re truly finished.”
The frontline commander, feeling the weight of the responsibility, decided it was too heavy to bear alone. He gathered key officers to discuss strategies and, in the process, share the burden.
“Exactly, we can’t retreat. And we shouldn’t keep falling back either. We need to conserve our energy reserves and prepare for a major battle.”
“Our advantage lies in our intact formation. We must not undermine our own strength.”
“But headquarters said the Swarm’s reinforcents haven’t stopped coming. If we keep stalling like this, it’s just a slow death.”
“Right. At this rate, we might not last eight months.”
“Wait!” A Yuntu staff officer suddenly shook his head and said, “We’re not calculating ti correctly! The Swarm doesn’t have unlimited ti to besiege us. They must retreat before our reinforcents arrive. Unless they’re confident they can completely destroy us before then, they’ll need to leave ti to disengage and enter warp travel. Given our strength, the Swarm has no chance of wiping us out in eight months.”
“That makes sense. To disengage from the battle and leave enough ti to enter warp travel, they’d need at least three months. So, we only need to hold them off for five months, and they’ll retreat on their own?”
“Not necessarily. All your calculations are based on the assumption that the Swarm will retreat. What if they plan to destroy both us and our reinforcents?”
“Are you saying this is a trap? That there are more Swarm forces hidden nearby, luring our reinforcents here to ambush them?”
The Yuntu staff officer who had spoken earlier shook his head. “Although the Swarm cleared the surveillance equipnt in this area, the coalition has since replenished it. Even if the Swarm has hidden forces, they can’t be that nurous.”
“That’s true. Given the current numbers on both sides, it’s unlikely the Swarm has a decisive hidden force. So, the Swarm’s available troops are probably just what we see. But with their current numbers, it’s hard for them to defeat us, let alone take on our reinforcents as well.”
“Exactly. The Swarm’s current forces are insufficient for a pincer attack. But don’t forget, their reinforcents are endless!” The staff officer’s expression turned grave.
“Their current numbers might not be enough, but that doesn’t an they won’t be sufficient in eight months. Take our situation, for example. Four months ago, the Swarm had about a hundred million troops here. Now, according to the latest intelligence, they have at least two hundred million. In four months, they added a hundred million troops. At this rate, in eight months, they’ll add another two hundred million, totaling four hundred million troops. How many reinforcents do we have?”
The staff officer paused before continuing, “Before the eting, I did so research. There are seven reinforcent forces in total—three on our side and four on the Sangqie side. How many troops do our three reinforcents have? Combined, just over a hundred million. And that’s the total. Rember, they’re not arriving together but in three waves over a year. So, do you think a Swarm force of four hundred million could destroy us and then take on these reinforcents?”
The commanders and staff officers quickly ran the numbers in their heads and reached the sa conclusion. The staff officer was right. If they were the Swarm, they’d probably choose the sa strategy.
“So, what do we do now? Retreating is out of the question, and holding our ground isn’t working either.”
“Simple. Since neither option works, we have to choose to attack!” The fleet commander, who had been silent since the eting began, suddenly interjected. He had already considered what the staff officer said, and when the responsibility fell on him, he had made his decision.
Before this, if he had suggested attacking the Swarm, he would have faced strong opposition. Although he was the fleet commander, he couldn’t ignore the opinions of his subordinates. But now, after the discussion had ruled out retreat and holding the line, it was the perfect ti to present his decision.
“This isn’t appropriate…” Several Yuntu officers began to protest but quickly realized they had no grounds to object. Retreating and holding the line were both dead ends, while attacking, though seemingly reckless, offered a glimr of hope.
The Swarm currently had two hundred million troops, while the Yuntu had over fifty million ships. The ratio was about 1:4. Although the disparity was significant, considering the Yuntu’s superior individual ship size, firepower, and technological advantages, the odds weren’t insurmountable.
While waiting eight months would an fifty million Yuntu ships plus fifty million less advanced reinforcents facing four hundred million Swarm troops, the coordination and command issues between different races, as well as questions about whether non-Yuntu forces would fight wholeheartedly, made attacking now a better option.
After so thought, everyone realized this was indeed the best choice available.
“Then, let’s vote.” Seeing the expressions on everyone’s faces, the fleet commander spoke solemnly.
The Swarm had few intelligent entities within the Yuntu fleet, and unfortunately, none were present at this high-level eting. Thus, it wasn’t until the orders reached the lower command levels that the Swarm learned of the Yuntu’s decision to launch an offensive.
“Your Majesty, it seems the Yuntu have found the key to breaking the stalemate.”
“No matter. We anticipated this. It’s just surprising they waited this long to take the gamble. They deserve a poor rating for their indecisiveness.”
“Your Majesty, how should we respond?”
“Since they want to fight, we’ll oblige. However, while the Yuntu’s decision-making has been hesitant, we must respect their strength. Order all Blades and Knights, and mobilize all Hive Queens within our authority to join this battle. We must eliminate the enemy while minimizing our losses.”
“As you command, Your Majesty.”
Watching the Blades depart, Sarah narrowed her eyes as she gazed into the void. The Overlord had delegated command of this war to her, and she couldn’t afford to disappoint him.
Fortunately, everything was proceeding according to the Swarm’s plan, even more smoothly than expected. The coalition’s strongest forces were encircled, while other units had either turned back or were crawling forward at sub-light speeds.
The strategy of buying ti had largely succeeded. Now, the goal was to weaken the coalition’s strength as much as possible before they reached Swarm territory.
The upcoming battle with the Yuntu presented an excellent opportunity.
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