"How is this possible?!" Ishar stared at the battlefield intelligence she had just received, her face filled with disbelief.
How could the enemy have emerged completely unscathed?
Had they deliberately feigned weakness earlier to mislead them?
"Commander, after submitting his battle report, the commander of the Sea Race's Third Fleet also sent a message stating... stating that your improper command had caused his forces heavy losses, and that he reserves the right to lodge a complaint with Military Headquarters," the adjutant said awkwardly.
Ishar rubbed her brow, a headache coming on.
The affair with Gustav had already shaken morale within the Sea Race. Her own blunder now only made matters worse. Her authority as commander had hit rock bottom, and whether they would even follow her orders was an open question.
In truth, Ishar could hardly be blamed for her misjudgment. The Long-Lived One's rate of "health regeneration" was simply too astonishing, far beyond anything normal. The imbalance in information left her groping through a fog, making accurate decisions difficult.
"Order the Sea Race's Third Fleet to rest and refit in place while awaiting rescue. Have the First and Second Fleets reduce speed and wait to rendezvous with our fleet before taking further action!" Ishar ordered.
The interception had failed; that was now a foregone conclusion. For safety's sake, they had to concentrate their forces as much as possible to avoid being defeated piecemeal.
Clearly, the Long-Lived One's strength had made Ishar even more wary.
"Yes!" The adjutant snapped to attention.
"By the way, how are things on Kara Star?" Ishar asked.
Earlier, while pursuing the Long-Lived One, the Winged Race fleet had suddenly received hundreds of distress signals from Kara Star as it passed the planet.
Analysis of the signals revealed that they came from a large number of