Esther's gaze fell upon Reinhardt, her tone sincere yet suggestive.
"As for Marshal Reinhardt, I wonder if you could persuade the elders of your house... to cede a portion of the interests in the Opal Star Sector. If the families willing to provide military aid can also benefit from it, I believe many would be inclined to help. They would be more than willing to assist you in driving out the Federation and recovering the four lost star systems!"
These words precisely struck a chord with every Marshal present. After all, the various families of the Empire had always prioritized profit above all else.
As soon as she spoke, many in the conference room responded in quick succession.
A Marshal dressed in a dark formal suit was the first to speak, his voice firm. "If the Reinhardt family is willing to yield interests, my Cavendish family is willing to deploy two Joint Fleets!"
Immediately after, another Marshal followed suit. "The Novakovsky family is willing to deploy two Joint Fleets!"
"The Habs family is willing to deploy four Joint Fleets!"
...
Responses rose one after another. Most of the Marshals expressed their willingness to provide aid, and the previously stagnant atmosphere instantly became lively.
A faint smile appeared on Esther's face, but she said nothing more. She simply turned to look at De Bourbon and Alvarez, her eyes offering a subtle hint.
De Bourbon's expression remained cold. After a moment of silence, he spoke frostily. "If the Reinhardt family is willing to let go and offer sufficient interests, the Bourbon family can deploy one Sequence Fleet!"
The room erupted in a commotion. An entire Sequence Fleet—that meant a hundred thousand warships. It was an immense gesture.
Beside him, Alvarez nodded in agreement. "Our Alvarez family can deploy four Joint Fleets!"
Having received their answers, Esther nodded with satisfaction. She then turned and bowed slightly toward Cassius, speaking with solemnity.
"Our Esther family is also willing to provide five Joint Fleets to help the Reinhardt family overcome this crisis!"
The attitudes of all the families were now clear. At this moment, every eye in the conference room focused squarely on Cassius Reinhardt, waiting for his final decision.
Reinhardt felt as though he were a turkey tied to a roasting rack.
Sitting in the circular seating, his fingertips tapped lightly on the armrest as his gaze swept over the summarized list of military forces below. An indescribable feeling of nausea welled up in his heart, as if he had swallowed a fly.
The list clearly showed 7 Sequence Fleets. Such a scale of force, combined with the original defensive fleets of the Opal Star Sector, would be enough to sustain a sector-level decisive battle.
He couldn't help but recall a few months ago. When the Stargate Breakthrough Plan was launched, he had personally visited these families one by one to invite their support. At that time, they had either made excuses about their family fleets needing respite or claimed their defensive zones were too strained to divide forces. Not a single person had responded.
As a fellow noble, Reinhardt knew their thoughts all too well. The Opal Star Sector was far on the fringes of the Empire. Even if the Federation's Ten Stone Starfield were conquered, it would be difficult for their influence to penetrate here. Without tangible profit, no one was willing to make a losing trade.
Back then, to support the front line, he had been forced to grit his teeth and wait in the imperial palace for three days and nights just to beg the Emperor for the Himiel Fleet—the only reinforcement he managed to secure.
And now, simply because he might cede interests in the Opal Star Sector, these people were like leeches smelling blood, swarming forward in a rush. Each of them shouted slogans of military aid, but their eyes held nothing but naked greed.
Reinhardt slowly withdrew his gaze, and the tapping of his fingers abruptly stopped. He knew better than anyone that the promises of these families were never free. Once the 7 Sequence Fleets entered the Opal Star Sector and drove away the Federation Fleet, they would never simply retreat. By then, the entire Opal Star Sector would likely be completely carved up among them.
The air in the circular conference room seemed to freeze in Cassius's silence. Seeing this, Esther spoke slowly.
"If the entire Opal Star Sector is lost, then there will be nothing left at all."
The hands Reinhardt had placed on his knees suddenly clenched. He gritted his teeth, his voice low and grating like grinding metal.
"Once the Federation fleets are driven away, then we shall discuss the interests!"
Although these words were not a direct concession, they were certainly not a refusal. The atmosphere in the conference room instantly livened up.
De Bourbon leaned back in his chair, a barely perceptible sneer curling the corner of his mouth. Alvarez exchanged a glance with De Bourbon, and both wore smiles of absolute certainty.
They both knew that once the fleets entered the Opal Star Sector, the division of interests would no longer be for the Reinhardt family to decide.
At Esther's signal, the staff quickly projected the list of reinforcing forces onto the circular light screen. The organization, assembly time, and supply plans for the 7 Sequence Fleets were finalized one by one, and no one raised an objection.
However, when the light screen switched to the column for the Commander, the recently relaxed atmosphere fell back into a deadlock. A critical question now faced everyone.
Who would serve as the Commander of this relief force?
"The fleets of the various families can absolutely not be handed over to Strauss for command," De Bourbon was the first to break the silence, his tone cold and resolute. "He is of the Reinhardt faction. Moreover, the crushing defeat in the Ten Stone Starfield is fresh in our minds. Over 80,000 warships were lost to fewer than four hundred Federal Starships. Such a commander is not fit to lead the joint forces."
His words were immediately echoed by Alvarez. The latter spread his hands, his tone mocking. "The soldiers of the Empire are not cannon fodder. We cannot hand over the elites of our families to someone who has just suffered a catastrophic defeat."
The Marshals present nodded in agreement. Since they were deploying troops for profit, it was naturally impossible to hand over the command of their own fleets to another. The devastating loss Strauss had just encountered in the Ten Stone Starfield became their most righteous justification.
Their trust in him had plummeted to freezing point. No one was willing to risk letting a defeated general lead a decisive battle that determined the ownership of a star sector.
Despite knowing that hope was slim, Reinhardt still wanted to fight for Strauss. He spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of persistence.
"The failure of this operation was not General Strauss's fault! As a Theater Commander, he did well enough. It was simply that the officers beneath him were negligent and derelict in their duties, which gave the Federation an opportunity..."
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the mocking voice of Valentino Alvarez.
"If the fault isn't his, are we supposed to blame you? Marshal Reinhardt, we wouldn't dare blame you for poor personnel choices. After all, Strauss is a Theater Commander whom you personally promoted."
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