Skyfall

[Greywall]

In the center of the starfort called, Skyfall, King Rufus McDonald now recovered from his injuries during the bombings of Baile Glas sat at the head of a war room table where a map of Ouhiri illuminated by a gas lantern mechanism under the table lit up the room. Field Marshall O'Keith, General Hiram Graham of the Northern Gaelic Army, General Thaddeus Hayes of the Gaelic Southern Army and Minister of Defense Isaac O'Mally who was replacing the previous Minister of Defense. Taoiseach O'Donnell was out meeting with industrial leaders on the islands to keep pumping out materials as Ulster-Gaelia began piling up in warehouses thousands of tons of consumer goods, weapons, aircraft parts, motorized equipment, construction materials, and other war materials that would be shipped the moment Admiral Lennon gave the green light.

McDonald listened as Minister O'Mally went over the newest recruitment numbers. 

"We have 800,000 standard infantry, 600,000 heavy infantry, 50,000 new stormtrooper candidates, 1.4 million troops in our new motorized divisions, we're now making 2,500 light tanks, 1,250 medium tanks, 250 heavy tanks are estimated to be ready once we finalize a design with the war department. Then we have nearly 100 warships to enter service, 400 new medium bombers, 400 starwolves and dozens more on the way. Your grace, the empire is at full strength now. We can deploy our troops to Lusatia, Marrlan, Roskana, Koi but I do heed warning here. Our Empire should come first, the colonies are fighting heroically now but eventually they will be overrun. I'm not confident in any of the Toulian savages in helping us in...well. The Frannerri will fall soon, if we deploy troops it should be to Koi." 

O'Keith then spoke up, "Spoken like a true politician, while I agree the Empire comes first that notion and lack of trust with our allies in Touli is why you're sitting there and not your predecessor. If I may your grace, we should strengthen lines we can now, let the good Admiral fight the war on the waves while our Marines take the isles needed to march South and once that path is open we can end the Touli war in a month or two. If Field Marshall Derada's report is accurate." 

O'Mally would interrupt, "Trusting that slop from a Xaspeshi." 

O'Keith shot a harsh stare at the Minister, "The report...is accurate. Derada is one of the finest soldiers of the Emerald Empire. His forces are pushing the enemy Westward but they still need help, help we cannot lend but the allies on Touli can. Trusting them is paramount right now, because we cannot allow Lusatia, Seleucidinia the Eastern nations or most important Koi to fall. We should send reinforcements there." 

McDonald's eyes scanned the room resting on General Graham who had his eyes fixed on the illuminated map, "General" the King spoke at last, "What about you?" the room turned to the General whose eyes looked up. "I think they're respectable ideas your grace. But they ignore certain weak points in the SU battlefield plan." The King tiled hit head, "Oh?". 

General Graham stood up and walked over to point his finger onto Diria, "Here. They are weak. We send an expedition force, troops, armor and aircraft. We scorch them from the Dirian deserts, seize the oilfields and starve the bastards of petrol while liberating the Dirians putting pressure on the Veraki and Southern Galrans. Here we force manpower where it is likely not, Western Diria and create a trifecta that assaults the underbelly of the SU. As for Eastern Reseria. Send a detachment to Marrlan's Eastern territories and begin pushing Grinvel from there. Why Marrlan hasn't done this is beyond me, likely manpower issues but we have it and we can buy the Koians time. Sending troops directly to Koi complicates things we know the Kumo and Amali are sending troops so sending our lot in too will congest an important field of battle. Its not flashy but it where we're needed." 

O'Keith's eyes widened, he knew the general was sharp but everything he said made sense. 

"That's putting our men at risk in foreign lands not directly in the path to liberating our own people. Why help the desert foxes? We should prioritize Touli." Minister O'Mally spoke.

"If we fight for just ourselves we might save our own empire but lose the war." O'Keith defended his general's plan. 

Mcdonald stood up, his chair scrapping the floor. "We do this, Graham, you get 350,000 and have Lennon and the Lustians blow you a path through the Galran fleet. Once that's done your troops land in Western Diria and begin your campaign. General Hayes, I want you in Marrlan, split your forces into supporting Koi and Roskana. For the rest of our troops send them to Lusatia and support the front there. Whatever reserves we have left are to be sent into Touli to shore up our battered Colonial forces. Are there objections to this?" 

The room was silent, just heads shaking against objection. 

"You are all dismissed." 

The Generals began to stand up when a fifth member of the meeting spoke, "Gentlemen." they froze as a now matured teenage Colleen who was in attendance spoke, "Do not throw your men away, we value our own. Galra and their allies...they carelessly treat their soldiers as playthings. Make sure these men get home." The generals bowed and silently agreed, when they left Rufus approached his daughter, "Good. A good Queen loves her people, but Colleen, this is war. We can't avoid sacrifices, sometimes it comes down to brutal calculus and numbers." 

Colleen retorted, "Then we are not men, nor beast, something worse father. Something I refuse to be." she began to stand when Rufus slowly embraced her hugging around his now grown child. "I did not wish for this, I wanted the long peace to last into your reign. But." he pulled away his lone eye looking into hers, the black eye patch covering what was lost. "This has never happened in the history of Ouhiri, no war has gone this length, this scope, and its far from over." 

Colleen nodded, "I shall go to study, I have lessons to attend father. Then I shall attend a meeting with the commerce guild, they're...being chatty about costs." Rufus grinned, a rare sight now making Colleen glow and smile. "Colleen, when you're done. I want you to do something." 

"Yes father? What is it?"
"Have you ever heard of Empress Reito, of Kumosenkan?"