My Space-Time System

A general pushed the two mighty doors of the room open, attracting the gaze of all those seated around the war table, causing him to shudder involuntarily. 

As soon as the general reached the war table, he cleared his throat and began his report.

"As suspected, the attacks from the bunkers of the Synder empire have increased exponentially since the last meeting." The general paused for a short while before he continued. "Thankfully, due to the directives provided by Lord Cassius, casualties from these attacks have reduced drastically."

Hearing this everyone seated on the table nodded with approving looks on their faces. The general looked up hoping to gain a reaction from Cassius but he still carried the same look as always making it difficult to discern his thoughts.

"And the death cannons?" Dorian's question pulled the attention of the general while also promoting a questioning gaze from Tidewalker. 

According to the information they received during the last meeting, the death cannons could be considered far more dangerous than the bunkers of the Synder empire, so it's only natural for them to be more interested in them.

"Errm." The General muttered, not looking as confident as before.

"Just spit it out." Third Sea Lord said in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, of course. As for the death cannons, unfortunately, the casualties are still as high." The general said while scanning the faces of those seated around the war table. "Because of this, we keep losing forces before we can put them to use."

The general stepped closer to the war table as he tapped a few spots on the display screen, bringing up a few charts, revealing the casualties suffered by them in the past month. The figures alone made everyone seated across the table wear twisted expressions. Only Dorian still carried an air of calmness while looking at the figures.

"Taking into account the number of forces lost during sieges, surprise attacks from the enemy bunkers, and the death cannons, it is safe to say, that our casualties are not too far from that of the Synder empire in this war." The general said with a stern look on his face. "Even if we win, we will not come out unscathed."

"We need to end this war as quickly as possible," Dorian said as he leaned back but his piercing gaze never left the display screen. "They are employing guerrilla tactics and it only benefits them since all they have to do is reduce our number, while we have to capture cities to make progress." He added with a slight hint of frustration which was almost unnoticeable in his tone.

Hearing this, the second Sea Lord nodded in agreement before shifting his attention to the general.

"Since our soldiers have been doing well against the surprise bunker attacks, surely they must have caught some of these Synder rats and interrogated them?" Second Sea Lord asked with a deep frown etched across his face.

The general revealed a defeated sigh before speaking.

"True. Our soldiers have managed to catch a few of these Bunker units but unfortunately, we have failed to extract any information from them." The general said with a bitter smile on his face.

"What do you mean?" The second Sea Lord asked with raised brows.

"I mean, those who have been caught, end up committing suicide even before they could be interrogated." The general said. "We have even tried to get our hands on their warp devices, unfortunately, they self-destructed even before we could find out anything important." 

"Hmmm" Everyone was lost for words as they situation was a very complex one. 

"What are your plans for Calton?" Blake who has been quiet all this while finally spoke up, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.

Although he was higher in authority, his knowledge concerning warfare was still lacking in comparison to that of those present in this room. More importantly, he wanted to make sure their plans would not affect his friends.

"I know you are worried about your friends but this is war, we cannot guarantee anyone's safety. However, If any of your friends are spotted during the siege we will make sure to inform you." Emperor Tidewalker answered.

"I appreciate that," Blake responded with a grateful nod as he knew that even the safety of the Sea lords weren't even guaranteed.

"Calton siege is extremely important because of the possibility that our forces may encounter a battle angel." Dorian suddenly spoke up.

"Prince Bryon!" The 4th Sea Lord four sneered with disdain audible in his tone.

"Even worse, the other 3 councillors may be present," Tidewalker said with a deep frown.

"That's why we are here." The 1st Sea Lord said calmly. "Once they show their ugly faces on the battlefield, we will be sure to make our moves."

Upon hearing this, the other Sea lords nodded in agreement. Listening to them speak, Blake couldn't help but silently acknowledge that this could potentially become the hardest siege since the beginning of the war.

-----------------------

Since the fall of Dustar, the city of Calton has been on high alert. Soldiers mounted on every outpost, with steady rotations of shifts to make sure they were never caught off guard. 

Soldiers armed to the teeth patrol the walls of the city night and day, waiting for the attack that never seemed to come. Signs of formations being set up have always been their main focus but so far there has been nothing, until today.

A few soldiers looked ahead on the horizon only to notice large movement! But the problem was that it wasn't humans.

"Is that water?" A soldier stationed in one of the outposts asked with a look of disbelief written all over his face.

He held the edge of the wall, sticking out and squinting his eyes as if he were trying to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

"Shit! That is water!" He screamed in terror with a face that looked like that of someone who had just seen a ghost.

"Where the hell did they get so much water from and how did it get here undetected?" Another soldier asked in disbelief.

"The ocean?" The first soldier said with a tone that made it seem even he found it hard to believe his words.