"The Third Star Destroyer Formation, turn to the rear flank! Eliminate the incoming enemy in Sector U-97! General Nadir, I'm placing the 17th High-Speed Fleet under your command. You must protect the Starlight Pursuer-class Aircraft Carrier! District NL-14... Damn it! Order the Black Snake Commander II-class Dreadnought to block them with its hull! Let them fire! The Separatist fleet must not be allowed through this area!" Admiral Gillard Perine rapidly issued command after command before the holographic battle map.
He had already done everything he could to keep the Imperial fleet in formation, but it remained incredibly difficult. The Imperial fleet had first been thrown into disarray by the betrayal of Planet Glee Anselm, then battered by more than 1,500 Undertaker-class Light Cruisers, and finally caught in a pincer attack by the Geth fleet. Countless unexpected developments had long since left those warships at a loss.
Gillard Perine was, after all, only the overall commander. The orders he issued could only set the broad direction for each sector; specific tactical command was determined by the War Zone Commanders and the captains of each warship. To go into even finer detail, even a gunner operating a single turret aboard a particular Imperial-class Star Destroyer might have ideas of his own.
The fact that the Imperial fleet had endured until now without descending into chaos was already proof of Gillard Perine's exceptional command ability.
Moreover, Gillard Perine had grievances he could not voice. He had to grit his teeth and hold on; under no circumstances could he issue an order for everyone to retreat on their own. In truth, how many routs had begun with precisely such an order? On the surface, that kind of retreat seemed as though it would allow more warships to escape, but in reality, only the first