Opening

Opening

The information was brief, just one sentence—"According to our assessment, Fleet A under Bespin Planet is highly likely to head for Christophsis in the near future."

Sulama pondered for a long while before turning to the elderly woman in the transmission. "Thank you for your hard work, senator Telse. Please keep as close an eye as possible on developments on Coruscant."

Senator Telse nodded. "I believe your focus should not be on the disputes in the Senate. You should understand that, as the governor of the 19th Army, achieving victory on the battlefield carries more weight than saying ten thousand words in the Senate."

Sulama nodded and cut off the transmission thoughtfully.

On Coruscant, senator Telse watched the hologram gradually fade and sighed. Just then, she heard a door open behind her. Her daughter emerged in an expensive evening gown, dressed to the nines, graceful as a blooming flower. "Well, Mother? Does this dress look good?"

"Oh? What has finally made the pride of our family, our rose, willing to bloom?" Senator Telse asked with a smile.

"Oh, it's an Intelligence Department officer I met a few days ago, Major James Bond. He agreed to attend tonight's ball with me." Her cheeks flushed as she spoke excitedly.

"A major in the Intelligence Department is hardly worthy of you." Senator Telse shook her head.

"If he becomes my boyfriend, then his future will be far more than that of a mere major." Her daughter spoke enthusiastically. "Oh, right! The Right Chancellor of Andara Planet in the Core Worlds—his second daughter will also be attending tonight's ball! I can't let her outshine me. At the very least, I can be certain that my escort will be the most outstanding man there..."

"If it is the Right Chancellor of Andara Planet, perhaps