Brigadier General Eleanor Bonaparte felt that after fighting in the New Continent campaign for so long, she should count as a seasoned flotilla commander. And it was precisely because she was seasoned that she understood: taking the Thirteenth Fleet and this joint fleet made up of "allies" from the other side into battle here would be a brave choice, but not a smart one.
Neither side had openly broken with the other yet. Whoever struck first would have to shoulder the blame for starting a war.
The problem was, her side was a legitimate Earth fleet, while the other side was nothing more than a bunch of the Empire's cronies.
They said that those with nothing to lose feared no one. The saying didn't quite fit here, but everyone got the idea.
Besides, as a core member of the Youth Club, Eleanor had access to battle reports from the Tianshu System. She had a good idea of the combat capabilities of the newly acquired Tiger and Leopard Cavalry Type 6 assault ships, as well as the tactics best suited to them. But she had no intention of using secret weapons and tactics against these "allies" of the Empire.
A divine sword was meant to slay dragons. What was the point of using it to butcher the kobolds raised by one?
A seasoned commander had to have at least that much strategic restraint.
As for the minor skirmish with the Principality of Haiyar's fleet last week... Eleanor maintained that those seal people had brought it on themselves. If they hadn't gotten in the way, the Thirteenth Fleet really wouldn't have let those pirates escape. Then the seal people had turned around and accused them of colluding with the pirates. Ha. They were just a bunch of seal people who'd only survived