Taylor laid out everything they had experienced and all the information they had learned from Jafar. He simply nodded in agreement with each statement. Admiral Huber was orchestrating the meeting and was the first to speak.
'This Planet Killer must obviously be stopped. That is not an option. We therefore have no choice but to engage the enemy in space. We cannot fight them on the land as before.'
There were grumbles in agreement. Nobody could see an alternative.
'What strikes me here is that we still have a great many things to learn from you, Sergeant… Jafar. You would be far better stationed on the Washington, or even sent back to Earth to assist with our intelligence gathering and understanding of the enemy.'
Jafar shook his head.
'We could order you to do as such.'
'And I would refuse. My brother and I allied ourselves to Colonel Taylor and gave our word to protect him. I cannot perform that duty anywhere else.'
'You're in the Marine Corps now,' spat Vega.
'Yes, with a responsibility to my fellow marines. I will not leave Inter-Allied or cease to serve the Colonel through any means but my death.'
Vega opened his mouth to continue, but Huber stopped him.
'Captain, it seems to me that these are exceptional circumstances. The Sergeant has proven invaluable to us in the field and continues to provide vital intelligence from his current position. As a member of the fleet, he can carry out all that is required of him. Jafar has taken a leap of faith for us. Let us do the same for him.'
'Thank you, Admiral,' replied Taylor.
'Is that what you desire?' asked Huber.
'Yes. I am a warrior. All I know is how to fight, and that is what I will do.'
'Okay, then tell us what we can expect from the fleet which is bearing down on us.'
Everyone in the room had their attention on Jafar. Many had never seen an alien with their own eyes before, and yet now they were fixated on one.
'To Lord Demiran, the Gezgen K'til is everything. It is the unique feature of his family and their reputation. It is his symbol of power and control among the other Lords. It would also be impossible to replace. The Gezgen K'til will not be an easy target to strike. It will be preceded by a wave of far smaller ships. Skirmishers if you like. But these ships, they are a power unto themselves. If you want a shot at the Gezgen K'til, you must destroy them quickly, before the Planet Killer reaches Earth. If you do not, you will never withstand the onslaught of their combined power.'
'How many ships are we talking about?'
'I grew up on stories of the Gezgen K'til. I have never seen it being used. From my knowledge, I would expect ten to twelve cruisers, of which I have encountered. They are collectively known as The Purge, and will carve their way through everything in their path to make way for the Gezgen K'til.'
'Then we should make an impassable wall with our fleet,' stated Vega.
'No, you will not stop them. Not like that. They will smash through anything. You cannot use a barrier defence. You need a tiered defence. Allow them through a weak frontline and funnel them into a gauntlet of mines and warships.'
'We are familiar with the strategy,' replied Huber. 'One that has been employed many time in our history.'
'For their size, their armour is thicker than anything you have ever seen. Reinforced prows to cut through other ships and reinforced hulls with their bridge at the core, much like this ship. They are almost unstoppable.'
'Then how do we stop them?'
The only weakness of The Purge vessels is that they have few crew. Their massively thick armour compromises them in that way. Each ship is crewed by just thirty or forty. If you can get near them, and breach with marines, they are finished.'
'Sounds like the exact opposite of what anyone would expect to do. You see something like that and you keep your distance,' replied Huber.
Jafar nodded in agreement.
'How can marine parties get so close if they are so heavily armed?' asked Taylor.
'The Purge does not consider fighters and smaller craft a threat. They have relatively little defence against such.'
'Maybe that's for a good reason,' replied Huber.
'Yes, it is true that the hull of these vessels is almost impossible to breach. However, I did once go aboard one in the fleet. They have only one weak point; one thin point in their armour, the Captain's quarters. A view out into space is a valuable thing, and something no Krycenaean would go without.'
'Why don't we just hit that point with our guns?' asked Vega.
'Because in itself the area holds no importance in combat. A breach there will do nothing to slow the cruisers down, nor cause any damage to the crew who will be deep in the belly of the ship. But breached at that point, marines would be able to blast their way further in.'
'Mmm, so through their own vanity they present a weakness,' replied Huber.
He turned to Taylor.
'What do you think, Colonel?'
Taylor was taken aback. He knew why they addressed so many questions to Jafar, but he was just another marine in the fleet.
'Sounds like a job the Corps will happily see to the end, Admiral.'
'Latest reports suggest we have just twenty-four hours before their fleet reaches us.'
'The Purge will be ahead of the rest of the fleet, which you can expect within an hour of their arrival.'
'Doesn't give us a whole lot of time to get them out of the way. It seems to me they are sent as a diversion to make way for this Planet Killer, and we are actively seeking to be diverted by it,' stated Huber.
'Sir, if I may,' replied Taylor. 'Nothing of what Jafar has told us has ever been anything but spot on. If he says this is the way it should be done, I believe him, and would be willing to put the full backing of the 2nd Inter-Allied behind him.'
'That is high praise indeed.'
The room fell silent for a moment. Taylor could see they were all looking to the Admiral to make the decision.
'Colonel, I have almost a hundred and fifty ships at my disposal, but the lion’s share must inevitably remain with the defence grid here for the defence of Earth. I will give you thirty to advance a hundred kilometres and attempt to make this plan work. Vice Admiral Bailey will command this enterprise from the Neptune.'
Huber pointed to the Admiral, but Taylor was already well aware of who the Admiral was; a woman newly appointed to the roll and who had served throughout the war. She had done her job well, but not yet with distinction.
'I will give you everything you need to make this mission work, Colonel, but know that every ship we have is needed for the defence of Earth. I don't want to compromise anymore ships and personnel than is necessary to get the job done.'
'Understood, Ma'am.'
'Good. The rest of your Battalion is awaiting you aboard transports. I'll have them despatched to rendezvous with the Neptune immediately. From now on, I will be concerning myself with defence of Earth from here. You and Admiral Bailey have complete control over the operation to take on this Purge fleet,' said Huber.
'We have much more to discuss here. Bailey, Taylor, you have a big task ahead of you and little time.'
The two rose from their seats and left the room with Jafar close behind. Bailey spoke as soon as they were out into the corridor.
'Seems to me what you need from the Navy is a deep defensive column that will put down as much chaos and confusion as possible while you get your thing done.'
'Yes, Ma'am.'
