The strength of Neville Magrin and the Unrelenting was the chief reason why the Golden Skull Alliance struggled with the Cenatus Prospecting fleet.
The suspected vulture fleet was too strong to be ignored. Its threat towards the Larkinsons, Glory Seekers and Crossers meant that it was impossible for the expeditionary fleet to relax.
For all of the talk and arguing during the meetings, the leaders came no close to agreeing on a single strategy.
It was clear what the Cross Clan wanted. Patriarch Reginald Cross was spoiling for another duel against an ace mech and he didn't care too much about the circumstances. Since Reginald supported a direct confrontation, that meant that the rest of his clan was also behind this extreme decision!
The Larkinson Clan preferred to ignore the Cenatus Prospecting fleet as much as possible. There was little profit to be gained from attacking a fairly powerful pioneering fleet and it was considered dishonorable to launch an unprovoked attack against another human force.
"We have already made enough enemies." General Verle argued. "The last thing we should do is turn a possible opponent into a certain enemy by antagonizing Cenatus Prospecting with our actions."
The Glory Seekers leaned towards the stance of the Larkinsons but preferred to be more proactive. They suggested that they should employ covert methods to inflict damage onto the target fleet.
Marshal Ariadne Wodin shook his head. "I am sorry General Verle, but we do not agree with your passive approach. Cenatus Prospecting and its leader are anything but honorable and innocent. Their past record is replete with impropriety. Otrus Magrin is a vile and deplorable brute with many victims to his name. Who is to say we won't be next? We must show him that we will not let him trample over us as easily as his previous targets. The best way to do this without triggering an all-out battle is to infiltrate enough ships and sabotage their FTL drives so that they will remain anchored to this location."
"That is too aggressive, marshal! There is no way we can deny our involvement in such a strike if we somehow manage to pull it off. Otrus Magrin will definitely set his sights on us and do everything in his power to retaliate."
"We only need to delay his fleet long enough for us to finish our business and depart from this border region." Marshal Ariadne calmly pointed out. "The Red Ocean may be smaller than the Milky Way, but it is still enormous. The chances of encountering Cenatus Prospecting once again is minimal."
All of this talk about sabotaging the starships of the opposing fleet sounded extremely difficult to Ves.
There was no way that Cenatus Prospecting was incompetent in terms of internal security. Otrus Magrin would have lost his forces a long time ago if they were vulnerable against infiltration and sabotage!
While it was true that Saint Neville Magrin could not possibly prevent infiltrators from sneaking aboard every possible ship in the Cenatus Prospecting fleet, Ves was sure that the defenders prepared other countermeasures to catch infiltrators before they could do much damage.
Ves turned to his spymaster.
"Director Calabast, are the Black Cats up to the task?"
The woman frowned. "No. I suspect it will not go well. In the last few years, we have invested enormously into expanding our intelligence network and bolstering our information gathering abilities. If you want to obtain the inside details of Cenatus Prospecting, then we will be able to hand over a detailed report about much of this group's dirty dealings within the week. If you want us to sabotage their starships with infiltration teams, then I cannot guarantee success. My agents will do it if the necessity is great, but they will make great sacrifices in the process."
This was less than ideal. Ves was disappointed by the lack of confidence from the Black Cats, but there was a limit to everything. It took a lot more effort to train an excellent infiltration force.
"Let us take responsibility for this operation." Marshal Ariadne Wodin said. "Unlike your Black Cats, we have the support of an entire colonial state. The Hex Federation has provided us with new generation warp-capable stealth vessels that can deliver elite DIVA commandos onboard the target ships. You of all people should know how effective they are, Calabast."
As a former DIVA agent, Calabast most certainly knew. She had been trying to raise the Black Cats to the standards of the intelligence agency that she used to work with in the past, and she had made a lot of progress over the years.
However, it wasn't as if DIVA stood still. The need for intelligence services only grew over time.
The Hexers were surrounded by many different colonial states and pioneering forces now that they had relocated to the Magair Middle Zone. It was essential for them to develop a good understanding of all of their neighbors and ensure that none of them would have any reason to gang up on the Hex Federation!
If there was one lesson the Hexers had learned from the disastrous Komodo War, it was that relying too much on brute force could be counterproductive. Finesse could be just as effective.
If a goal could be achieved by employing a scalpel rather than a rocket launcher, then it was best to use the former!
Several people glanced curiously at the Glory Seeker delegation.
Ves couldn't help but ask for clarification.
"I think I vaguely read a report about the new corvettes and frigates that has joined your fleet as of late, but are they truly up to the task?"
The marshal maintained her confident expression. "Those vessels are developed by the state institutions of the Hex Federation. They have incorporated the latest stealth systems developed by our state and are also equipped with warp drives that allow them to reach their targets sooner and quickly escape enemy pursuit if detected."
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