"Eleven days earlier than I expected."
Lin Yuan enlarged the telegram summary intercepted by Ye Qingluan at the center of the tactical display, his fingers pausing against the edge of the desk for two beats.
Sheng Lan stood beside the communications terminal, her memorandum opened to a blank page, waiting.
"Director, the Federation Ministry of Defense called it a request for security cooperation, but Ye Qingluan's analysis team reconstructed the attachment."
She pushed a decoded document onto the secondary screen.
"The attachment contains three specific terms. First, Orb must open all its ports for United Army vessels to berth. Second, Dawn Society's technical database must grant review access to United Army technical departments. Third, all Archangel personnel must be extradited."
Lin Yuan's gaze rested on each of the three terms for a second.
"The deadline for refusal is seven days. What happens after that?"
"The telegram does not explicitly state the consequences. But the Pacific Front's seventeen ships are assembled seven hundred kilometers from Orb's territorial waters. That distance is itself the consequence."
Lin Yuan turned his chair toward the communications terminal and pressed the contact key for the East Asia Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A secure receipt from the Asia-Pacific Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs popped up forty seconds later.
Sheng Lan glanced at it.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends observing for now. Original text: Given that Orb is a neutral nation and has no alliance obligations with East Asia, it is recommended that we refrain from making a statement for the time being and closely monitor developments."
Lin Yuan closed the receipt and tapped the desktop once.
"Will the Ministry of Foreign Affairs still be closely monitoring developments when the Atlantic Federation lands in Orb seven days from now?"
Sheng Lan closed her memorandum.