Chapter 38: Realization

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November 20, 1639
Esthirant

Vice Admiral Balus felt the critical eyes of Chief Matal piercing through his skull, judging his failure to give adequate orders to the panicking Centris Island commander. Two manacomm devices stood on the desk — unmoving statues reminding Balus of his actions. Silence permeated the room as the two men reviewed the results of the battle, one seemingly calm and collected and the other struggling to maintain composure. No longer able to bear the guilt and disappointment, he apologized to Matal, "Sir..." he strained his courage in an attempt to look the wise man in the eyes. "Forgive what I have done. I failed in my duty as Vice Admiral... I did not know enough about the enemy to give appropriate orders, and I feared giving a fatal order."

Matal's expression remained as neutral as possible, unchanging — creating an atmosphere of anxious suspense for Balus. "That was my intention all along," Matal finally spoke.

"Sir?" Balus shook his head slightly, confused by the statement.

Matal clasped his hands behind him and paced around while he firmly explained, "I never expected the Centris Island base to accomplish anything but provide us with information. I had my suspicions that the Americans are capable of attacking from afar, with accuracy and precision so exact that even our best blinding techniques are incapable of putting up a defense. My proposal to set up an ambush was merely to convince His Excellency to move forward with the plan. My true goal was to study the Americans and their battle tactics."

"A sacrifice..." Balus muttered, thinking of the resources and men that had just died in vain.

"A sacrifice," Matal repeated, "for a greater cause. Tell me, Vice Admiral, what conclusions do you derive from the battle's results?" After seeing Balus struggle with his words for a few seconds, he continued, "Please, speak your mind. I will not reprimand you if you find any unsavory conclusions."

Emboldened by Matal's words, Balus summarized his thoughts, "Sir, we now know that the Americans can bypass our magical shrouds. Their homing light arrows, once thought to target particular magical readings, are not impacted by the signal generator. Their light arrows are certainly limited, but not small in number. If we are to assume that the reports of American wealth are indeed true, then it may very well be the case that these people have more light arrows than we do ships. I must admit, I do not know how we can possibly counter their attacks."

"Neither do I. Despite my previous achievements as an accomplished leader; despite the experience I gained from hundreds of battles, I have been unable to develop any true tactics against these people. Their technology may simply be far too advanced for us to put up any resistance."

Balus, eased by Matal's honesty, opened up a bit more. "It is as if we are the barbarians and they are the glorious Parpaldians. Our ships do nothing to theirs, much like the Fennese are incapable of even scratching ours. This war is..." Balus paused, debating on whether or not he should finish his sentence. After a review of Matal's words and actions, he decided to speak truthfully. "Hopeless."

Matal said nothing, only turning and reaching for the second manacomm. He sighed, causing Balus to tense up in terrified anticipation. "It is. And there is only one way out of such hopeless situations." He activated the manacomm. "Lieutenant, any updates?"

"Sir, Commander Mitan is surrendering to the Americans."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," he said. He returned his attention to Admiral Balus. "This is a smart man. There is no winning this war. I realized this long ago, but needed solid confirmation to convince others of the futility of extending this war."

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