Free Web NovelChapter 1724: Chapter 980
In the Holy Terra Orbit, madness of another kind pervaded the ’Base Holy Grail’ orbital fortress.
Galaraldo, the Prime Minister of the Military Affairs Department, gazed at the tactical star chart. Each of those glowing dots represented a ship, divided into two piles. The stationary pile consisted of the Solar Fleet stationed in the Holy Terra Orbit. On the other side, the advancing force was the Expeditionary Fleet led by Robert.
What was displayed on the tactical star chart was far from exciting. Both sides were at such close proximity, yet there were no beams of light, missiles, or the glow of Colossal Cannons being fired; instead, some ships seemed to be closing in on each other.
He knew the reason why.
Robert, leveraging relationships with the navy generals captured in the previous lunar battle, had established contact with many of the Solar Fleet’s commanders.
As the Prime Minister of the Military Affairs Department, Galaraldo had close ties with the military, especially the Solar Fleet he focused on developing. Through the connections he built within the Solar Fleet, he held much of the information concerning the current engagement between the Solar Fleet and the Expeditionary Fleet.
In fact, many of the interactions between the two sides were instigated by Galaraldo, urging those commanders and fleet officers who followed his orders to act.
And today’s mission was the objective.
"Do you think it would be so easy to let you in?"
He let out a cold laugh.
Seated before his desk were several individuals.
One of them asked, "Prophet, should we start now?"
"Yes, it’s time."
One person nodded slightly and left the room.
Galaraldo’s gaze returned to the tactical star chart.
The change occurred swiftly.
Suddenly, a batch of ships erupted into action, launching an unprovoked attack on the Expeditionary Fleet amid ’friendly exchanges’.
Moreover, the number was significant.
This sudden betrayal and act of treachery was something the Terra Expeditionary Army had not adequately prepared for.
Even though they quickly managed to react and counterattack, the sudden turn caused them significant losses.
However, the direct losses experienced by the Expeditionary Army were only one aspect; a greater impact was their inability to discern who was truly an enemy.
Was it a fraction of the ships? Or all of them?
At that moment, as retaliation began, it became extremely difficult to differentiate. The Expeditionary Fleet under Robert’s command could not precisely determine who was an enemy and who was an ally.
Within the Solar Fleet, besides those who suddenly backstabbed, some ships were completely unaware of the occurring events. They received various contradictory and conflicting orders.
There were orders claiming that these so-called Expeditionary Fleet ships were traitors, and Robert’s identity as the Son of God was fabricated. It was a meticulously planned ambush previously kept secret; now, the battle was termed a great success, and it was time to seize the opportunity to pursue victory and eliminate as much of the enemy’s manpower as possible! freёwebnoѵel.com
The credibility of this order was quite high, bearing the signature of the Empire’s Imperial Navy’s Grand Marshal - Lee Li, along with endorsements from two vice-commanders of the Solar Fleet and signatures from multiple fleet commanders.
Consequently, many ships unwittingly obeyed the order and fired upon the Expeditionary Fleet.
Can they be blamed?
It’s hard to say.
They tried to verify the order with their superiors, but responses were either delayed, and the constantly changing space battle wouldn’t allow for hesitation, forcing them to make a decision—to fight or not—with no third option.
And some received direct instructions to open fire.
No matter the confusion, they could only follow the orders with doubt.
The core reason they obeyed the orders wasn’t necessarily Lee Li’s signature.
Although he was the highest commander in theory over the entire Imperial Navy, the title itself seemed too grand.
Is the superior’s superior my superior? freēwebnovel.com
It’s hard to say.
Moreover, would a high-ranking figure like Lee Li directly issue combat orders to frontline captains? Is that normal?
Furthermore, if truly following the commander’s orders, why wasn’t the signature of the Solar Fleet Commander-in-chief - Song Min there?
Still, all the signatures pale in comparison to those from fleet commanders.
They are the direct superiors to many captains.
Among the ships that obeyed the order and opened fire, there were also ships questioning the orders.
However, few had the courage to immediately contact the Expeditionary Army and defect on the spot, firing upon their former fleet comrades.
The utmost they could do was to simultaneously question both sides, reveal their stance, and then maintain full alert, activate the Void Shield, and withdraw from the battlefield, aiding no one.
Yet some ships merely feigned neutrality, then unexpectedly switched sides, unleashing their firepower on the Expeditionary Fleet.
And some ships, without receiving any orders or receiving orders from superiors to remain inactive, proactively shut down communication channels and launched aggressive attacks on the Expeditionary Army without hesitation.
The situation quickly descended into chaos.
The Expeditionary Fleet was unable to discern who was friend, foe, or neutral.
If faced with less extreme conditions, they might as well treat all visible ships as enemies.
