BATTLE FOR STARS

The greatest advantage of this approach was obvious.

For the cost of building one starship in the Confederation, the Hill Empire could produce one and a half—or even two.

More extreme still, the Hill Empire operated a class of vessels known as "bare-hull ships."

These ships carried only a thin layer of armor. One or two missile hits—or even a single strike from a battleship's main gun—could cripple or destroy most of the vessel.

Yet such ships were far from rare within the Imperial fleet.

The reason was simple.

While their defenses were drastically reduced, their firepower remained unchanged.

On the battlefield, they could still deliver the same offensive output and contribute to victory.

As a result, whenever conflicts erupted, the Hill Empire typically fielded more starships than the Confederation.

They compensated for weaker armor with overwhelming firepower.

After countless clashes over the years, the Hill Empire had emerged victorious in the vast majority of engagements.

That success only reinforced their obsession with firepower.

For ordinary soldiers, however, serving aboard a bare-hull ship was like climbing into a living coffin.

When death would come depended largely on luck.

Combined with the Empire's military merit system, these ships helped create an army that fought with almost fanatical aggression.

After all, rather than relying on luck to avoid getting hit, it made more sense to destroy the enemy first.

That was the best way to stay alive.

After disembarking from the liaison shuttle, Vivian and the others boarded a specialized transport system inside the starship—the Bullet Car.

The name came from its appearance.

It looked exactly like a bullet: pointed at the front, rounded at the rear, and extremely compact.

In fact, each vehicle was so small that it could accommodate only a single passenger.

The Bullet Cars traveled along dedicated routes throughout the ship.

Their greatest advantage was speed.

They allowed personnel to move rapidly across the vessel, especially between the outer hull and the inner core.

After all, on a starship several kilometers long, walking simply wasn't practical.

Other flying vehicles were equally inconvenient to operate inside the ship.

Of course, the vessel also featured automated transit systems, elevators, and high-speed corridors.

Those were used during normal operations.

In wartime or emergencies, however, Bullet Cars handled nearly all transportation duties.

The Duir Republic's rank structure was broadly similar to that of the Kramic Kingdom, though the symbols differed.

Using terms familiar to people from Earth, different materials represented different ranks.

Gold, silver, bronze, and iron.

A golden sword signified a General.

A silver spear represented a Field Officer.

A bronze shield marked a Junior Officer.

A gray dagger denoted a noncommissioned officer.

As for ordinary soldiers, they were represented by a simple wooden insignia.

Above them all stood the purple-gold trident—the symbol of a Marshal.

Unfortunately, the Duir Republic had not produced a Marshal in many years.

Although the war had never truly ended, victorious generals were rare, and none had accumulated enough achievements to meet the standards required for promotion to Marshal.

Officers holding silver-rank insignia or higher were assigned personal Bullet Cars.

Everyone else shared the public transportation system.

Vivian and Yudora boarded their private vehicles, while Elizabeth took a standard Bullet Car.

In less than a minute, all three had traveled from the starship's rear docking section to the captain's office.

Of course, this office was merely Vivian's private workspace.

During combat operations, she commanded directly from the ship's command center.

The use of Bullet Cars—and the choice of a private office—served a single purpose:

Secrecy.

After all, battle plans concerned the lives and deaths of countless people.

Though completely sealed within the starship, the room's walls could project immersive three-dimensional scenery.

Combined with artificial breezes and carefully simulated scents from the environmental systems, the office could feel like a beautiful resort rather than a compartment buried deep inside a warship.

Naturally, such luxuries were reserved for a Fleet Commander's quarters.

Ordinary soldiers still lived in four-person or two-person cabins.

Their environments could be customized as well, but the experience was nowhere near the same.

"Can you tell me the plan now?" Vivian asked as she motioned for Elizabeth to sit across the desk.

Elizabeth didn't move.

Instead, she glanced toward Yudora, the aide standing nearby.

There were still other people in the room.

A barely noticeable frown crossed Vivian's face.

She turned toward her aide.

"Captain, take position outside the door. This is a top-secret discussion between the Major and myself."

"Yes, General."

Yudora saluted and promptly left the room.

"That should satisfy your security concerns," Vivian said, turning back to Elizabeth.

Without another word, Elizabeth reached into an inner pocket and removed a small box.

She opened it.

Inside was a storage chip.

"This contains the operation plan," she said. "Before you review it, however, all recording systems in the room must be disabled, including your Personal AI Assistant."

Vivian raised an eyebrow.

"You mean I'll have to rely entirely on my own memory?"

For an operation of this scale, remembering everything without assistance from a Personal AI Assistant would be extremely difficult.

"That's correct."

Elizabeth nodded.

"Today you're only reviewing the overall framework. The detailed operational instructions will be transmitted shortly before the campaign begins."

She paused.

"Don't worry. Four-Lion Grand General Homuge reviewed the plan under the same conditions."

Homuge was currently the highest-ranking military officer in the Duir Republic.

He also served on the Standing Committee of the National Congress and held the position of Vice Chairman of the Military Commission.

In military matters, the Chairman frequently followed his recommendations.

This operation itself had ultimately received the Chairman's approval, which was why preparations had proceeded so smoothly.

Even so, Vivian couldn't help feeling surprised.

A security protocol this strict could mean only one thing.

The operation was extraordinarily complicated.

And its objective was enormous.

This was clearly no ordinary campaign.

Elizabeth and the Kramic Kingdom military had every reason to be cautious.

The resources invested in this plan were staggering.

Although the Confederation functioned as a unified military alliance and maintained its own command structure, things were far more complicated than a single independent military organization.

After all, it involved the armed forces of four separate nations.

When the scale of a war was small, coordination remained manageable.

Deploying a few thousand starships was rarely a problem.

But operations involving ten thousand, twenty thousand, or even more vessels required special authorization from the governments of every participating nation.

Such campaigns inevitably meant enormous expenditures and losses.

Originally, Confederation forces had not required government approval.

During the most dangerous periods of the war, Confederation Headquarters could directly mobilize starships and military assets from all member states.

But as large-scale warfare declined and conflict became routine, no major campaigns had occurred for centuries.

Gradually, national governments reclaimed more and more authority over their own fleets.

The reason was obvious.

No government wanted its fleet dragged into costly wars.

War consumed money on a colossal scale.

That was also one of the reasons the Confederation's front lines had steadily retreated over the years while the Hill Empire continued to advance.

Overall, however, the member governments remained willing to act under a unified command structure.

Especially in recent years.

As the Hill Empire launched increasingly aggressive offensives, support for military operations had grown significantly throughout the Confederation.

A complete operational plan appeared before Vivian as a holographic projection.

She studied it intently.

Time passed.

Only after a long while did she finally lift her eyes from the display.

"Do you understand it?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes."

"Is there anything you'd like me to explain?"

Vivian closed her eyes for a moment and reviewed the plan in her mind.

Then she opened them again.

"Put simply..."

"We serve as the bait and lure the prey in."

"And your side acts as the hunter that delivers the killing blow."