Wein sighed softly. The blade still hummed faintly in his hand, as he retrieved the discarded shaft, sheathing the sword before retrieving his suit.
He opened the door, there was an officer standing with the guards staring at him as he straightened his tie.
"Report," he said, voice steady.
"My lord, urgent transmission. Numerous houses have issued support for House Ulix. Currently no major house has responded except for the ducal house Aurrelion."
Wein's eyes narrowed.
"They sent an inquiry to the Imperial family about this, for now it's just a statement, but the ramifications…"
"I know" Wein interrupted.
Aurrelion was a massive force in the empire, they were watching. Of course Wein knew the empire was watching but for a house like that to issue support meant only one thing. They were testing Wein to see how he would respond.
And on the other side, Ulix was drawing up support and taking the narrative. He moved and returned to the chamber where the rest of the officers gathered.
***
When the doors opened, conversation ceased immediately. Holographic projection filled the room, Ulix fleet positions, current state of Voss's force in Ulix-Ultra and the news outlets regarding the invasion.
Wein stepped forward.
"Explain."
A projection expanded, showing the reactions from the other houses. An officer spoke up.
"Five houses that could be considered neighbours have issued support for Ulix…"
As he explained the display cycled through their statements one by one. Most condemned Voss, a military powerhouse in the region, for attacking Ulix.
They argued that Voss was abusing its strength despite it being a barony and not following protocol.
The houses were from systems neighbouring Voss and only one was the opposite side of the empire.
The final projection dimmed and silence lingered in the chamber.
The five houses and possible more to join, their message was the same. 'reckless aggression,' 'inexperienced lord' and 'hot headed'.
The message was the same though the statements were different that Voss had acted above its station.
Wein's gaze remained fixed on the fading hologram. Five houses. Five, and none of them from the far side of the empire where his true rivals and threats sat. They were a new risk, who sat quiet and watching how he would respond.
This felt like vultures circling a wounded animal. It was irritating.
"They are not defending Ulix," Vern spoke calmly. "They are worried about their authority and your response."
The officers turned to Wein. He and they knew that all this was about him and what he will be going forward. Was he an aggressive leader, hot-headed or wise? The houses did not care for Ulix but wanted to know if their houses were in danger or not.
At least everyone in that room understood the houses were not a danger but there was another major issue Aurrelion. Though they hadn't said a word yet, that was the problem in itself.
A house that size did not need to speak to be heard. The invasion hadn't even been a day and there was already movement. This act sat over the region like a looming danger, knowing that a small prey had caught the attention of a behemoth predator.
Still, there was a way.
"Make sure the evidence is ready, it's time to respond" Wein said.
The room shifted immediately into motion. Most officers took to their seats and the data streams fell through their pads as they communicated with their subordinates.
Vern stepped closer.
"The conference room is ready and will be connected to news outlets linked empire wide."
"Thank you, let's get going. Did you finish the script?"
Vern smirked as he followed Wein out.
"It was made by our best, my lord."
"I am fortunate to have you Mr Vern."
The two of them walked through the corridors to the room opposite, inside were already news reporters and cameramen quietly waiting. At the centre was a podium and a pad, when they entered. An aide came to fix Wein's suit, straightening the tie that had gone askew.
After Wein walked to the podium and pressed on the pad revealing the script he would be reading from. He stared at it for a while.
Several lines scrolled upwards, points to make and carefully phrased diplomatic restraints. Just by reading it, he could even win the trust of the enemies of House Voss. It was perfect.
The room shifted, silence and all attention focused on Wein who rested both his hands on the podium as the video cameras pointed at him. The broadcast began.
"Today, House Voss began a campaign against House Ulix and with that action we have drawn scrutiny."
He did not grip the podium. His hands rested flat, open, the posture of a man with nothing to hide.
"We understand that." He continued remembering to look up at the cameras.
"Several houses have expressed concerns that Voss acted outside of protocol. That we moved without arbitration and escalated into war. We did not mobilize lightly."
He paused letting the words settle.
"For years prior to today's operation, House Voss has been under attack by unknown hidden forces. These forces aimed to disrupt our trade, cause unrest, and insecurity among our people."
"During the time Baron Neilson was in mourning for the losses after the great war, these incidents only grew. Criminal syndicates grew. They turned to influencing our politicians. They brought in drugs, arms and trafficked our people taking advantage of our weakened state."
"We have been faced with too many continued destabilisation and we now want to put an end to it. With our investigation, we found that Ulix was involved and sponsored the following…."
"…Ulix began this and we will end. To all the empire and everyone watching know this. Voss will not be taken advantage of no matter who you are."
With a final breath he inclined his head and the broadcast ended with the crest of Voss remained on screen.
Wein stepped back from the podium as the broadcast concluded. The lights above the stage dimmed slightly. For a moment, no one in the room moved. Then the reporters began murmuring among themselves
Wein stepped aside and left the room, Vern and other aides followed him for a briefing of the current state of the invasion and to also release evidence and tackle Ulix insinuations.
"That went rather well," Wein said as Vern joined him. "The script was good now we just need to release the related evidence and see how they react."
"Yes, my lord"
They continued walking down to the command room where the real battle would begin. When the doors were opened, the officers stopped their tasks and rose to receive Wein.
Most of the details on the projections involved Ulix-Ultra and the Ulix fleets position and their possible reinforcement. But the good news was that on the map, Wein could see the marked locations that had already fallen under Voss. They were significant and would make invasion easier.
Wein stepped forward.
"Status."
One officer expanded a display, zooming into Ulix-Ultra.
"Ground forces have successfully secured two primary landing zones," he reported.
Several red markers on the map shifted blue.
"Marshal Velis reports there was a clean dropship deployment. They were able to safely send down 75% of the first wave."
A younger voice cut in from the side, less steady.
"However, Ulix fleet formations are pushing back against our aerial support, which will make drop-offs harder."
The projection shifted, revealing several Ulix ships moved from the other side of the world to the area congested with Voss ships whereby hour by hour, dropships transported Troopers to the surface.
The attack would force Voss to back off, taking away Voss air support and leave the Troopers stranded.
Wein studied the projection quietly. The Ulix fleet had moved with surprising speed, a Destroyer was leading the charge with support carriers converging towards Voss.
"They want to force us to abandon our air support role," spoke one officer.
Wein nodded slowly.
"If we are pushed back, the first wave will be isolated behind enemy lines, and the remaining will be exposed to cause a diversion."
No one moved. A tablet chimed somewhere and nobody reached for it. Wein had run situations like this himself, back when he was a strategist in the army. His fingers twitched toward the projection controls, an old habit. He stopped himself. This was Alexandria's call to make, not his.
"My lord," spoke one. "If the ground troops go into hiding and we pull away, it could solve our problems. Then Ulix would have to divert their attention."
The officer's words landed somewhere Wein hadn't reached yet. He looked back at the projection, Voss forces peeling out of Ulix-Ultra airspace, Ulix reinforcements already forming up. It clicked into place.
Ulix had reached the same conclusion. That, or their planetary cannons were already charging.
Either way, the battle was entering its next phase and he did not need to issue any orders because at this, despite being lord he was not the tactician in the room. So he let the experts deal with it and left the judgement call on Alexandria. Whether they succeeded or not lay solely with her.
***
Far across the Salven System, at the world House Ulix called home deep in the Helvix System. There alarms echoed through the upper halls of their orbital command citadel.
Below the station, the blue-white world of Ulicion turned slowly in the darkness of space, the seat of power for Ulix for over millennia. The planet was similar to Velmora in size but where Velmora remained less advanced, beside the oceans and the unitised lands, everything else was built of white metal.
Inside the command chamber dozens of tactical projections filled the air, the image of Ulix-Ultra dominated the centre. The room was filled with Ulix officers scurrying around punching numbers and going over the developments that had happened.
At the centre of the room, a man dressed in a dark noble attire stood still, watching the display carefully. Lord Simon Ulix said nothing. His hands, folded behind his back had gone white-knuckled at some point without him noticing. His eyes were narrow watching his fleet try to reclaim air superiority over Ulix-Ultra.