The old general turned his head toward the other man, looking puzzled.
As the fleet assigned to hold the rear, they were doing well just to keep the line while the enemy pounded them. He couldn't imagine what else they could do.
Deng Zhengqing then explained that the enemy had intensified its offensive, apparently hoping to pin them down here. However, it was clear the birdmen and goat-heads still weren't coordinating very well. The most obvious sign was that the Bakvi birdmen's fleet consisted of heavily armored ships, which were sluggish and not very maneuverable, and whose firepower left much to be desired. The Laitalins, on the other hand, were like a cut-rate version of the Empire, balanced in every respect.
If they wanted to attack, they should give the Laitalins room to maneuver and let them lead the assault.
The problem now, though, was that the enemy had started out on the defensive. Switching to the offensive at this point was bound to cause confusion.
If there had been an experienced Imperial general on the scene, perhaps they could have arranged the fleet's movements in advance.
But in fact, the absence of any Imperial forces directly under the Empire's command in the enemy fleet in the T2 system was one of the key reasons the Sylvester Fleet had chosen to strike here.
As soon as Deng Zhengqing finished explaining, an explosion erupted among the enemy fleet ahead. It hadn't been caused by their fire. A Laitalin destroyer had accidentally collided with a Bakvi patrol ship while advancing.
"...Their coordination is bad, but this is downright amateurish."
"It shows they weren't prepared. They're psychologically unready and have no contingency plans, whether for launching a counterattack or defending against one. The Bakvi and Laitalins only wanted to hold the line from