Standing abruptly, Admiral Taro Kell slammed both hands on the war table in frustration, causing the holographic feed showing Kollian’s death throes to shake.
“What the f*** just happened?!” he shouted in equal parts rage and incredulity. A tense quiet fell over the War Room as attendants turned to regard their superior. “GLoW really had the Fortitude all along? And somehow the Queils knew before us, and destroyed a neutral world to deal with it,” he took a breath, “and now we’re back to having no idea where that ship could be?”
Across the table, Intelligence Minister Antra gave a heavy sigh, cutting through silence with uncanny calmness. “That seems to be the extent of it, Admiral.”
“You’re forgetting,” Kell continued, “that AlTime broadcast everything! We’ve been embarrassed in front of the entire galaxy and we didn’t even have to show up!” To punctuate the final point, the Admiral pummelled the table again. Antra suspected he did that a lot.
“We couldn’t have known about this,” the Intelligence Minister placated. “Kollian is across the Empire from here. The public will see this as we do: a curveball. They will only judge how we respond.”
Antra’s calm words seemed to work, as Admiral Kell’s seething gave way to plotting. The staff returned to their stations, the background hubbub gradually resuming.
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