If Sobeck had refused after things had gone this far, his colleagues might have ostracized him and bullied him at work. Besides, even though they'd been left battered and humiliated by Yu Lian, they weren't the ones most responsible, so they didn't feel too much pressure.
He adjusted to the strangeness of the situation, then steeled himself and sent an urgent communication to Sade.
Sobeck knew the rear-area command headquarters had probably already received a battle report. It might not have been as detailed as the one the front-line troops had, but they would certainly have heard of Lieutenant General Kalaman's death.
That made his face-to-face report all the more important. In a sense, it might even decide whether the front-line commanders kept their posts—and what their futures held.
Old Marshal Ikenroga was a generous, broad-minded man of great stature. Perhaps he could understand the difficulties faced by those of them working on the front lines. Unfortunately, the pursuit fleet had been assigned by King Shazamen, and he was the one they had to report to.
Fortunately, the prince wasn't angry. He only gave a mocking sneer. "So this is why all five of your detachments—five dreadnoughts, twenty-four battlecruisers, and eleven hundred warships—have been hesitating at the entrance to the nebula? Major General Sobeck, do you think that's reasonable?"
It did sound unreasonable. Sobeck forced out an awkward, apologetic smile. "W-Well... it was a decision we reached together. We had to be cautious for the sake of our men. Your Highness, we're facing that man, after all. We had to be cautious."
"So concerned for the safety of your men? That's an extremely rare quality in the Imperial Army. Major General Sobeck, you're a good commander with a sense of responsibility." The king sneered. "But, Major General Sobeck, have you