Castaway

Chapter 3 : The Last Adventure Part 2

The repairs took them much longer than expected, not because it was an overwhelming task that could stop their operations. It's not like they are repairing a ship to accidentally build a ship with the amount of materials being used. It's rather the scrapping and recovery of the destroyed ships that reached for multiple planetary cycles. More specifically, it lasted them for 16 planetary rotations. If it weren't for that fact, they would've reach the core human planet within a estimate of 4 or 5 planetary cycles.

To say this decision to temporarily halt the operation wasn't met without any opposition at all is rather a rainbow take, as it was a very heated one.

After the Admiral's embarrassing battle of the human ship, many of the Fleet Shipmasters and Hive Commanders take this chance to put all their anger and impatience at the currently weakened Admiral. Of course, this meant that the Admiral's decision to repair first and scrapping the destroyed vessels were met with great obstacles. In the end however, the Admiral have give up certain command roles to the Fleet Shipmasters and Hive Commanders'  swarms where independence was guaranteed once the invasion begins. To let his scrapping and repair operation be conducted, of course, he was branded as a coward for not doing things the Religiosa way of fighting the enemy with everything they got.

'Those blasphemous bugs! Do they think that the Queen and the Home Council are that easily blinded by mere achievements and fabricated honor?!'

But of course, he could not talk about that out loud, especially with his now limited power to the fleet. He has already given up too many privileges and power to the fools, just to prepare and caution for what is potentially be a very difficult invasion. That means scrapping the Admiral's plan of the Starvation Strategy. Which is operated by completely shutting off any connection to major population centres by taking them out one by one in a methodical warfare. Of course, that meant destroying military targets first and avoiding the large populace to avoid chokeholds. Which the Hive Commanders don't like, as bombardment would've solved that without even the need for them to land first.

The main issue with this strategy is how long it would takes, and that is exactly why everyone is against. This of course angered the Admiral, because it's not about monetary, tactical, or logistical, but simple convenience they are complaining. There is a reason why the Admiral heavily disliked their land dwelling counterparts in the Religiosa military as much as the Air Riders. It's because of how much they crave that mystical Honor and Glory, bloodlusted fools who thinks eradication is always the way of warfare in a one on one. Not letting everyone participate in war is blasphemous for them, because that means the Religiosa that not have participated, lacked Pride and Honor once they molted away to meet with Deity Religiosa.

This of course was rooted with their beliefs again, and how the deity Religiosa, overwhelmed the blasphemous Source of Evil that invaded them and copying their likeness to imitate her greatness. This of course was a half myth and truth, on the Admiral's studies, the real life event it was based on was a battle of several fronts and several planetary rotations of a different intelligent species on the same planet. There was no one big battle on the the same planetary cycle, that is only religious metaphor and propaganda that most were fed at their nymph stages. This is why the Admiral disliked the education and fake innocence of the Religiosa species, as much as he cherished it, he also dislike that side with contempt. Nonetheless, that belief seems to have penetrated deep within the consciousness.

"This will be one easy victory for us again! If it weren't for that old molt's cautiousness, that damned human ship wouldn't have hit our Line 2s!"

The Admiral's antennas perked as he was passing by one of the hive rooms that are occupied by the Hive Tacticians and Commanders. Of course, his name was within their meeting, not exactly a surprise. The Admiral thought.