Admiral Palosong's words brought a brief silence over the room.
For proud Imperial Navy officers, how could they possibly see the enemy and not destroy them? Besides, setting aside that Enlightener warship, the number of Earthling ships in this system was at most a tenth of their own.
Yes, this fleet might be the last mobile force the Galactic Empire had left. Most of its warships were still "rookies" fresh out of testing. But so what?
They were still members of the Empire's invincible Imperial Guard Fleet. They were supposed to carry on the spirit of fighting whenever they encountered the enemy.
There was still a long way to go before the outcome was decided. Their side was taking hits, but they still had a chance of winning. Were they really going to retreat already?
A year ago, just voicing such a suggestion would have been enough to provoke the officers' discontent. The disciplined Imperial military would never have killed their commander and gone off on their own, but earnest, impassioned objections would certainly have followed.
Now, though, the silence dragged on, and not one person showed any defiance in front of the commander. Many felt humiliated but helpless, and quite a few even felt relieved.
When had the Empire's glorious space fleet changed?
Just then, beams from the other side poured down like a violent storm, as dense as festival fireworks, yet efficient as the Reaper himself.
Fortunately, this time it wasn't the "Ghost's" arc main guns, just its ion cannons.
Unfortunately, the enemy's ion cannons were unnaturally accurate.
"Cruiser Nazarik Fourteen has sustained heavy damage... Communications have gone silent." The report rang through the communications channel, utterly devoid of emotion. It wasn't so much calm as numbness.
Of course, since the Ghost's ion cannons could reach them, their