The exhausting Battle of Hypeh-Tekas II had come to an end.
Sure, combat still raged across the orbit of the alien-occupied planet, but the outcome of this engagement had already been set.
The native aliens suffered massive losses, much of them strategic in nature.
The orbital defense network was ruined. It held out longer than expected and inflicted way more damage to the combined fleet than any human wished, but once the remnants of the native alien soldiers knew they had failed, enemy resistance collapsed like falling dominoes.
There was nothing more for the minions of the Red Cabal left to defend. The mysterious planetary temple complex was the key objective on both sides. The entire battle essentially revolved around this singularly important site.
The Red Ocean aliens apparently needed to defend it in order to facilitate their nascent aliens with the Messier 87 aliens.
