"Tactical Deterrence!"
Lieutenant General Turwen himself had never imagined that a non-civilized force would use such a tactic against them.
Yet that was exactly what he had done, and so far, he had done it very successfully.
So now, the choice had once again fallen to him: follow or not.
If they followed, it would mean officially starting a war—not merely attacking one person, but launching an all-out assault on the planet Whalehorn Alpha.
Admittedly, judging by the strength their opponent had displayed so far, they might not necessarily be able to take it down.
But they could afford to follow through. Setting aside the activation of a true civilization-level war, even activating the Third Star Spiral's "First-Level Alert" would allow them to enter "Infinite Troop Production Mode." This "troop production" did not merely mean mass-producing weapons; it could even mass-produce "officers." Under a true war mode, ethics were always the first thing abandoned.
But there was still that question: What if they lost?
What if they called upon the Third Star Spiral's "troop production" but still failed to suppress their opponent—or spent a dozen, or even several dozen planetary years, wiping them out?
That would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to the reputation of the Garen Republic.
The Garen people would rather destroy this resource planet than do that.
And if he really did so, Lieutenant General Turwen's military career would be over as well.
But if they truly retreated, wouldn't that mean falling right into their opponent's scheme?
After so many years in the military, he had long since trained himself to remain unmoved by honor or disgrace. Within the circle, he was known as a scholarly general. But this was the first time he had felt a suppressed anger rising within him.
As for the military staff