When the applause died down, Augustus motioned for Warfield and the others behind him to take their seats at the conference table. Warfield sat alongside Harnack and Lundstein, while Kerrigan remained standing at Augustus's side, refusing to sit.
During Augustus's speech, Lisa and Kerrigan had already crossed eyes more than a hundred times, their gazes sharp, like blades hidden within them, wary as mongooses on the grasslands.
"Now, I will announce my new decision." At this moment, Augustus was the only one still standing in the hall. Everyone else had to look up to meet his eyes.
"Abandon the plan to attack and seize the northern hemisphere's high-energy gas refineries. Cancel all orders related to it."
Augustus continued: "Recall the two brigades and one Goliath combat robot company from Sinar Singh. Order them to advance on the capital district, seize, and hold Mar Sara's Defense Force's Gaso-4 Heights for no less than forty-eight standard hours."
"The Raynor's Raiders brigade in Lorenzana Province will continue their eastward push. Tychus's Wolfhounds will set out at once to join Mira Han's Dead Man's Port Brigade, then move south to encircle the capital district—but encircle only, not attack."
As Augustus spoke, a three-dimensional holographic projection map appeared above the conference table at just the right moment. The artificial intelligence identified and marked each of the locations he named, drawing arrow after arrow to indicate the marching routes.
"Marshal, I'm concerned that the forces from Dead Man's Port may not be able to fulfill the duties you've assigned them."
The others, including Warfield, said nothing. The one speaking was a deputy political commissar from the Revolutionary Army's First Division. His primary role was to deliver Augustus's highest orders and the latest revolutionary ideology to the Pan-Terran Revolutionary Party organizations and their members within the army.
"Although these recruits from Dead Man's Port have already completed the four-month training camp and have served for more than five months, they've never participated in a major battle. Not to mention, their commander is just a young girl," the commissar said.
Because Augustus's forces lacked senior officers, it was common for a sergeant—or even a private first class—to be promoted at rocket speed to lieutenant or field officer.
For example, Jim Raynor of the Revolutionary Army had once been nothing more than a corporal squad leader in the Terran Confederacy Marines. Under normal circumstances, even during wartime, it would have taken him at least five years to reach the rank of general officer. But Raynor's rise through the ranks had been nothing short of meteoric.
Now, seventeen-year-old Mira Han, after joining the Revolutionary Army, had learned to operate CMC-powered armor in less than three weeks, completed all her courses, and achieved perfect scores in subjects including marksmanship. After graduating early, Augustus assigned her to Corporal Faraday's Guard Company.
Once the more than seventy thousand recruits drafted from Dead Man's Port finished their training, Augustus transferred Mira to a battalion formed from these new soldiers, where she served as deputy commander with the rank of captain. Soon after, Mira Han's rank and position leapt forward again and again in less than four months, until she became lieutenant colonel and commander of the First Brigade, First Division of the Korhal Revolutionary Army's Dead Man's Port Corps.
Mira Han had indeed demonstrated outstanding talent and leadership in military command and in leading soldiers in many respects. By combining reward and punishment she had built prestige among the rank-and-file and junior NCOs, and with her cheerful, vivacious temperament—yet never lacking in dignity and responsibility at critical moments—she had won the trust of many senior officers.
Among the three Marine divisions and one semi-mechanized mixed infantry division of the Deadman's Port Legion, the First Marine Division, to which Mira belonged, was the unit that reached combat readiness earliest; their organizational ability and discipline also exceeded those of the other divisions.
When it came to dealing with the undisciplined soldiers in Deadman's Port who didn't understand restraint or discipline, Mira Han's tough measures proved more effective than those taken by officers from Korhal within the Revolutionary Army. Given time, had Mira Han not joined the Revolutionary Army when Augustus passed through Deadman's Port, she might well have become its "queen" a decade or so later.
"I have said many times that Mira Han's talent merits a field-grade officer," Augustus said. "She has already proven her ability through several strikes against Terran Confederacy bases."
"No doubt. I appoint by ability alone—anyone capable will be given the position they deserve." He continued, "We lack officers, especially senior officers—we are desperately short. Having Deadman's Port men command Deadman's Port men is the best choice."
"Let officers and political commissars lead together, and do the ideological work among the new recruits from Deadman's Port. I believe that with a bit of seasoning they will be forged into an army of steel."
After replying to that Second-Rank Political Commissar of the Pan-Terran Revolutionary Party's doubts, Augustus then laid out the troop-movement orders in detail: exactly how much equipment each unit should carry, where and when they should depart, and where and when they should arrive.
The staff officers and advisers voiced opinions about some minor flaws in the details, but no one flatly rejected Augustus's orders—unless his orders seemed outrageous or inhumane to them, no one would offer untimely objections.
Augustus was the true commander-in-chief and the final arbiter; by contrast, the General Staff was only responsible for advising him. Because of Augustus's exalted position and prestige within the Revolutionary Army, almost nobody thought there was anything wrong even if his style increasingly bordered on autocratic.
For most of the time when directing operations, Augustus remained in his closed office studying maps of Mar Sara and star charts of the Koprulu sector. He drafted many plans himself and selected the best among them; when he relayed these plans to his aides and adjutants, it usually meant he had already thought them through thoroughly.
"We will encircle the Mar Sara capital district for at least forty-eight hours while continuously applying pressure on the garrison. That way, the Governor of Mar Sara will be compelled to urgently request reinforcements, and once Alpha Squadron arrives it must dispatch landing forces to retake the lost ground," Augustus concluded.
"We must find a way to lure Edmund Duke into Mar Sara, or disperse his fleet—only then can we achieve a phased victory in this star system."
"So I need to show myself on the front lines, make Duke believe I'm right there on Mar Sara's surface." Augustus continued, "Just question Duke's courage, and he'll take the bait."
"I can guarantee it. Once Duke is provoked, he turns into a mad viper." At this point, Warfield spread his hands and said, "If it were anyone else, I'd never put it this way—but since it's Duke…"
"He'll definitely fall for it. Kick him hard enough and humiliate him, and he'll sink his fangs into you no matter the cost."
"But we still have to consider the possibility he doesn't bite—even if that chance is slim." Warfield raised a concern: "Duke's temper is just as rotten as the rest of his blood kin. He's very likely to fall for it, but he's bound to have subordinates who are calm and level-headed."
"Yes, we must take that possibility into account." Augustus agreed with Warfield. "Duke has almost never lost when facing enemies far weaker than himself."
"As far as we know, none of his victories relied on brilliant tactics. Every time, Alpha Squadron has simply smashed their enemies quickly—either through frontal assaults or by overwhelming them with superior firepower."
"My plan is to feign weakness," Augustus went on.
"Duke can't possibly know how many battlecruisers we have—just as we can't know how many ships Alpha Squadron fields. As long as we make him believe our fleet is much smaller than his, Duke is bound to grow careless."
"Of course, to ensure nothing goes wrong, we also need to draft several contingency plans. That's why I've called you all here today."
From there, the officers and military advisers began methodically drafting strategies and sketching maps. They worked until dusk before settling on the final plan and transmitting the documents to every level of the army.
After the meeting, Augustus's subordinates either returned to their offices in the Hinterland Region government building or boarded transports back to their fleets. As for Augustus himself, his schedule demanded he board a shuttle to the opposite side of the Sara system, where he would convene a meeting with all fleet captains—before hurrying straight back again to rejoin the army on Mar Sara's surface.
Before leaving, Augustus reassigned the positions and tasks of Warfield and the others.
Now, only a few people remained in the conference hall. The wooden ceiling and floor, along with the rose-colored marble walls, were all bathed in the faint blue glow of the wall lamps. Warfield and the Heaven's Devils stood waiting for Augustus to speak.
"Warfield, I need you to return to your flagship and take command of the fleet," Augustus said.
"I've been a Marine for more than ten years, and now you want me to command a fleet?" Warfield spread his hands. "I'm still an outsider when it comes to that. Back on the Iron Justice, I was nothing more than a vice-captain of a single battlecruiser."
"Choosing the tallest among the short ones, General," Augustus replied. "Other than you, I have no one else to rely on."
"As for Harnack and Lundstein, I'll need the two of you to each command a division."
"No problem." Harnack eagerly accepted Augustus's order. He had long grown tired of the peaceful life on Umoja and was itching for action.
"I will fulfill my duty." Lundstein merely nodded, his expression showing no trace of emotion.
"You—Lisa, you." Augustus's gaze then turned to Lisa, the former Heaven's Devils medic, who was staring straight at him.
"I knew it. You're trying to pack me off to a hospital," Lisa said, wrinkling her nose.
"Lisa." Augustus looked at her, his tone leaving no room for argument. "The First Field Hospital urgently needs a director. I also need you to prepare for the establishment of the Revolutionary Army Medical Academy, to train more of the medics our army so badly lacks."
"…Alright." Lisa froze for a moment, then realized that her conflict with Kerrigan would only irritate Augustus. "As long as it's something you want me to do."
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