Chapter 6 4

The military briefing lasted until after ten o'clock.I suspect this is what meetings are all about. The high-spirited monologue becomes a constant buzzing background sound, the sour smell from too much coffee, the air filled with cigarette smoke, stacks of hard and leather. Stapled official documents have remained the same for hundreds of years.I suspect it was much simpler when I was a boy, and Wellington just called up what he indifferently and accurately called scum, and sent them to their deaths without saying anything. I brought my attention back to the group, and we were in a large room with gray walls with rectangular white lights, gray carpet, and an iron gray horseshoe table with black transmitters and some water bottles.Mena.President Greystone sat in the very center of the arc of the table, with high-ranking senators and cabinet ministers sitting near her, and military generals and other lesser officials arcing down in sequence.Behind them, those who did not sit on the conference table were the indispensable assistants. None of the Bajun's ranks were lower than the colonel's, and those who sat behind them on chairs that seemed less comfortable assistant's assistant.

I have no place to sit.He and a group of other invited, but obviously idle, people sat on a stool in the back corner of the room, about twenty meters from the president and still further from the officer who was giving the briefing.He was a young colonel with a laser pointer in his hand and spoke without hesitation.Behind the colonel was a gold and gray chart board, floating in front of it was the holographic display sphere often seen in normal holographic transmissions.From time to time, some of the source material emerges clearly; at other times, it is permeated with complex light and shadow.Miniature versions of these charts flashed on the faceplates of every transmitter, and floated above several commlogs.

I sat on my high stool, watching Greystone, and making an occasional sketch. When I woke up in the guest room of the government building in the morning, the bright sunshine of Tianlun Wu poured in between the peach-colored curtains that were automatically opened at 6:30 when I set the wake-up time. Follow Reina.Hoyt was afraid of the Jing Demon God and Heite.Mastine.Then, as if some force granted me my wish to be able to dream my own dreams, for a minute, in a state of confusion, I sat up panting, looking around alertly, thinking that the lemon-colored rug and The peachy light will disappear like a dream, leaving only pain, sticky phlegm, terrible bleeding, and blood on the sheets, and the room full of light turns into a dark apartment in Plaza de España, and above everything is Joseph.Sylvellen's sensitive face leaned forward, leaned forward, watched, waited for me to die.

I took two showers, first with water and second with ultrasound, came out of the bathroom with a new gray suit on the freshly made bed, I put it on and headed off to find it next to my new clothes The message said the east courtyard, where the guests of the government building will have breakfast. The orange juice is freshly squeezed, the bacon is real pork, and it’s fried to a crisp. The newspaper said that President Greystone would send a message to the world at Wanshiwang and the media at 10:30 Wanxing.com standard time. Web speech.The pages were filled with news of the war.A colorful flat photo of Starfleet shines.On the third page there was a picture of General Mopurgo with a grim face, and the newspaper called him the hero of the Second Hight Mutiny.Diana at a nearby table with her primitive husband.Philomel looked over at me.Her outfit this morning was more formal, dark blue, and much less revealing, but with a side slit reminiscent of last night's performance.She kept her eyes on me as she picked up a strip of bacon between her Cotan-coated fingers and took a careful bite.Hemed.Feromel snorted when he saw the good news on the financial page he folded over to read.

About a little over three standard years ago, the Ouster colony, commonly known as the Chaos Army, was detected by the Hawking movement detection device in the Cam Galaxy. The young briefing officer said: At that time, the Forty-two The task force immediately pre-planned the evacuation of the Hyperion galaxy, raised the C+ level from the Bawadi galaxy, and ordered the construction of a portal within the entrance range of Hyperion.At the same time, Task Force 87-2 also departed from the Solkov︱Tikata standby area near Cam 3, and was ordered to meet up with the retreating forces in the Hyperion galaxy to find out the Ouster immigrants. Group, the image of the armament fleet that they engaged in and destroyed them appeared on the data display board and in front of the young officer. He waved the laser pointer, and a red light passed through a larger aperture, pointing out a triple C class in the fleet. Spacecraft, Task Force 87bis, commanded by Admiral Nacita, aboard the Hebrides.

Yes, yes, General Mopurgo said unhappily: We all know this, Yani.Get to the point. The young colonel forced a smile, nodded slightly to the general and President Greystone, and continued in a slightly less confident voice: In the past seventy-two hours of standard time, the forty-second task force and the Coded FTL messages reporting sporadic fighting between retreating outpost units and Ouster advance forces chaos army.inside.Hunter interjected. Yes, Yani said, turning to the display panel, five meters of frosted glass lit up.To me, what is shown is just an incomprehensible maze of incomprehensible symbols, colored lines, abbreviated codes, and even more confusing abbreviations. The same doesn't make sense to politicians, but no one shows it.I started a new portrait of Graystone, with Morpurgo in profile like Boxer Dog in the background.

Although some preliminary reports put Hawking's space jump thrusters at around 4,000, this is a misleading number.The colonel named Yani continued.I'm wondering if that's his first name or surname C. As you all know, the Ousters, uh, the rebel army probably has as many as 10,000 ships, but most of them are small ships, and they are either unarmed or have negligible force .Evaluated by microwave, FTL, and other emission signals, it shows I'm sorry, Mena.Graystone said, her hoarse voice contrasted sharply with the briefer's molasses voice, can you tell us how many of the Ouster's ships are armed?

Ah, said the colonel, glancing at his superiors. General Mopurgo cleared his throat and replied: We think there are six or seven hundred ships at most.Nothing to worry about. President Graystone raised an eyebrow.What about the size of our battle group? Mopurgo gave the young colonel a nod to rest.Morpurgo replied: Task Force Forty-Second has about sixty ships, sir.another task force Task Force 42 is the retreating force responsible for the evacuation, right?Graystone said. General Mopurgo nodded, and I think I saw a little superiority in his smile, yes, President, Task Force 87bis, the Combat Forces, turned an hour ago into the galaxy, will

Are sixty ships enough to face six or seven hundred enemy ships?Graystone asked. Mopurgo glanced at his fellow officers as if to ask them to be patient.yes, he said.More than enough.You gotta understand, sir, six hundred Hawking thrusters sounds like a lot, but on a single ship, or an outpost, or those five-man assault boats they call lance hussars, it's not at all. It's worth mentioning.Task Force 42 has almost twenty-three or four major space-hopping ships, including the two aircraft carriers Olympus Shadow and Poseidon.Each can have the force of over a hundred fighters or ALRs.Mopurgo fumbled in his pocket, took out a cigar-sized artificial cigarette, and stuffed it back into his pocket as if suddenly remembering that Graystone disapproved of smoking such a thing.He frowned.By the time Task Force 87bis is deployed, we will have enough firepower to deal with a dozen enemy troops.Still frowning, he gave Yani a nod and told him to continue the briefing.

The colonel coughed and pointed his laser pointer at the displayed data.As you can see, Task Force 42 will have no trouble clearing the necessary space to begin building the portal.The work had started six weeks ago at Wanxingwang Standard Time and was completed at 4.24pm Standard Time yesterday.The harassing attacks by the Ousters have been repulsed, Task Force 42 has suffered no casualties, and over the past forty-eight hours a major battle has begun between the vanguard of the task force and the main force of the Ousters .This time the point of conflict is concentrated here, Yani pointed again, and the data on that place flashed blue light under the light spot of his laser pointer, which was twenty-nine degrees above the ecliptic, about three feet away from the Hyperion sun. Ten AU⑥, about 0.35 AU from the virtual edge of the Oort Nebula of that galaxy.

⑥Astronomical unit (AU, Astronomical Unit): The average distance between the earth and the sun, about 93 million miles, is also used as a unit to measure the distance between planets and stars. What about casualties?inside.Hunter said. For such a long-term exchange of fire, it is still within the acceptable range, said the young colonel who seemed to have never been within a light-year of the line of fire.His blond hair, combed carefully to one side, glistened in the bright light.Twenty-six of the Alliance's fast attack fighters were destroyed or missing, as were a dozen ALRs with torpedoes, three torchboats, the tanker Esquees Meritorious, and the aircraft carrier Ryujin III. How many people lost?asked President Graystone, her voice calm. Yani gave Mopurgo a quick look, but he answered the question himself.About 2,300 people, he said: But search and rescue operations are currently underway.Dragon God III may have survivors.He leveled his uniform and went on quickly: This should be compared to the proven destruction of at least one hundred and fifty Ouster combat ships.Our attack on the settler rebels resulted in the destruction of another thirty to sixty ships, including some comet farms, ore processing ships, and at least one command ship. Mena.Graystone interlocked her bony fingers. Do our casualty figures include the passengers and crew of the destroyed Yggdrasil?The ship used for the evacuation? no ma'am.Yani quickly replied: Although Ousters were attacking at the time, our analysis showed that the World Tree was not destroyed by the enemy. Graystone raised an eyebrow again.What is the reason? Vandalism as far as we know.As the colonel spoke, he quickly called out another map of the Hyperion galaxy.General Mopurgo looked at his comm recorder and said: Ah︱Ah, just talk about ground defense, Yani.The President is due to speak in less than thirty minutes. I finished sketching Graystone and Morpurgo, and when I was done I looked around for my next target.inside.Hunter seemed to be a challenge, because he had an indescribable, almost shrunken face.When I raised my head again, a Hyperion ball of light had stopped rotating, but unfolded into a series of planar projections: oblique parallelogram, Peng's projection, rectangular projection, circular arrangement, Greentan's Projection, Gower's Projection, Goodie's Projection, Spherical Projection, Sinusoidal Projection, Equidistant Azimuthal Projection, Multiconical Projection, Overcorrected Kuvassy Projection, Computer Recorrection, Brinell Projection, Bekkers Projection, Miller's Cylindrical Projection, Multi-Generation Projection, and Standard Stereotype Projection are finally integrated into a standard Robinson-Baird's map of Hyperion. I smile slightly.This is the best looking thing I've seen since the briefing started.Several of Greystone's subordinates moved impatiently. They hoped to talk to the president for at least ten minutes before broadcasting the talk. As you all know, the colonel began to say: Hyperion's value measured by the Theron-Laumier meter is 9.89 of the original earth standard Oh, for heaven's sake, growled Mopurgo: Straight to the military deployment, get the report over. Yes, sir.Yani swallowed his saliva and raised the laser pointer, his voice was no longer so confident, you all know I mean he pointed to the northernmost continent, shaped like a badly painted horse head and neck, suddenly from the chest Very irregularly truncated between and back.This is the Benma Continent. It has another official name, but everyone calls it the Benma Continent.This chain of small islands extending to the southeast here and here is called the Kyuubi Islands of the Cat.In fact, this is an archipelago, with a total of more than a hundred. Anyway, the second major continent is called the Aquila Continent. Maybe you can see that the shape is a bit like the eagle on the meta-earth. The beak is here on the northwest coast. Then it reaches here, and at least one wing is raised here in the southwest, all the way to the northeast coast.This area is the so-called Feiyu Plateau, and because of the flame forest, it is almost impossible to go there.But there is also a plastic fiber farm in the southwest area here Talk about military deployment.Mopurgo growled again. I drew a sketch of Yani and found it impossible to draw his cold sweat. Yes, sir.The third continent is the Bear Continent, which looks a bit like a bear, but there is no overlord's troops landing here, because this is the Antarctic, and it is almost uninhabitable.However, the Hyperion Self-Defense Forces set up a monitoring post here, and Yani seemed to feel that he was far away again.He straightened his chest, wiped his upper lip with the back of his hand, and continued in a more serious voice: Bajun's army troops are initially deployed here, here and here.His laser pointer marked several areas in the upper neck of the continent near the capital city of Keats.The Space Force unit of the Overlord Army guards the capital's spaceport, as well as here and several secondary areas here.He pointed to Andymion and Port Romance, both of which were on the Aquila Continent.Ba Jun's army units set up defensive points here, and more than two dozen red lights flashed; most of them were on the neck and mane of the galloping horse, but there were also a few places on the beak of the sky eagle and the romantic harbor area.These include the combat readiness and ground defense forces of the Marine Corps, ground-to-air and ground-to-space missiles. The high command believes that this time, unlike Brescia, there will be no war on that planet, but if they plan to invade, We will also be ready to deal with them. Mena.Graystone checked her comm recorder. There were seventeen minutes before she could speak live. What about the evacuation plan? The composure that Yani had managed to regain collapsed again, and he looked at his superior officer with a little despair. There was no evacuation, Admiral Singh said: it was a feint, a bait for the Ousters. Graystone tapped his fingers together. There are millions of people in Hyperion, Admiral. Yes, Singh said: We will defend them, but even evacuating only 60,000 or so Balian citizens is already impossible.If we let all three million people enter Wanxing.com, there will be chaos.Besides, for safety and security, that's impossible. Is the problem with Jing Demon God?inside.Hunter asked. For safety and security, General Mopurgo said it again.He stood up and took the laser pointer from Yani's hand.The young man stood there for a moment, bewildered, finding himself with no place to sit or stand, then retreated to the back of the room and stood near me, staring at something near the ceiling probably It was the end of his military career. Task Force 87bis had moved in, Morpurgo said: the Ousters had retreated to their enemy center, about sixty AU from Hyperion.By all accounts, the galaxy is safe.Hyperion is safe.We're waiting for a counterattack, but we know we can handle it.Besides, from all perspectives, Hyperion is now a part of Wanxing.com.Have any questions? no problem.Graystone and Li.Hunter, a group of senators, and her assistants left together.The military officials remained behind in piles, apparently related to rank, the aides scattered, and the few reporters who were allowed inside sprinted to the waiting video crews outside.The young colonel, Yani, was still standing still, his eyes were empty and his face was pale. I sat for a while again.Look at that map of Hyperion.Seen from such a long distance, the shape of Benma Continent is more like a horse.From where I sat I could just see the mountains of the Bridle Range and the orange desert below the Horse's Eye.In the northeast of the mountain range, the defensive position of the Bajun was not marked.There was no sign except a flashing red light at the point of the City of Poets, which might have become a dead city.The time tombs were not marked, as if those time tombs had no military importance and had nothing to do with today's performance.But I know that's not the case.I somehow suspect that the whole war, the actions of thousands of people, the fate of millions if not tens of millions, were all in the hands of six people in the orange area not marked. I closed my sketchbook, put my pencils in my pocket, looked around for an exit, and when I found it, I left. inside.Hunter met me in the corridor leading to the main entrance.you are leaving? I took a breath, am I not allowed to go? Hunter smiled, if the thin lips turned up could be counted as a smile.Of course you can, Mr. Silveron.But President Graystone wants me to tell you that she wishes to speak to you again this afternoon. when? Hunter shrugged his shoulders.It can be done after she makes a speech, depending on your convenience. I nodded.There are always millions of lobbyists, errand seekers, future biographers, businessmen, admirers of the CEO, and potential killers, all willing to give anything just to spend a minute with the most prominent leader of the Balian , to meet President Graystone for a few seconds, but I can see her at my convenience.No wonder everyone says the whole universe is crazy. I from here.Hunter walked over to the door. According to long-standing tradition, there is no public portal entrance and exit in the government building. There is only a short road past the gate guard area, through the garden, and the low white building used as the news center.Everyone crowded in front of the screen, looking at Li Weilian, who is known as the voice of Wanshi.com.Drake's familiar face is providing background information for President Greystone's speech of great importance to the Alliance.I looked in his direction, saw an unused door, and used my universal card to go in and find a bar. After entering the Square of Stars, I realized that it is a place where people can come and go freely in Wanxing.com.Every Starworld world offers at least one of their best districts. Tianlun Five offers twenty-three districts for shopping, entertainment, gourmet restaurants and bars, especially bars. The Square of Stars is like the Tessex River, flowing between the large portals 200 meters high.With a wide view, it looks like an endless street, stretching for a hundred kilometers of material enjoyment.People can stand in the dazzling sunlight like me this morning, look at the night view of Tianjin San in the middle of the Stars Square, the neon lights are graceful, and you can also take a look at the Luthers Stars Square with nearly a hundred layers. , I also know that in the past is the God Valley clothing store that is full of shade, and there is a brick lobby and an elevator that goes directly to the treetop restaurant, which is the most expensive restaurant in Wanxing.com. I don't care about any of that.Just looking for a quiet bar. Too many bureaucrats, media people, and businessmen were crowded in Tian Lun Wu’s bar, so I took the shuttle bus at Stars Plaza and got off at Dracon 7 Avenue, where gravity discouraged many people and I don't want to come, but that means there won't be too many people in the bar here, and the people who come are here to drink. The place I chose was a bar on the first floor, almost hidden under the big pillars and the slipway that delivered the goods to the main shopping floor, and the room was dark: dark walls, black wood, dark skin My clients are as dark as my skin is pale.It's a nice place to drink, and I drank to my heart's content, starting with a double scotch and building up. Even here I couldn't get rid of Graystone.Across the room, a flat-screen TV showed the president's face against the blue-and-gold backdrop she used to deliver formal remarks.Several other drinkers squeezed over to watch.I heard a few words from the speech: In order to ensure the safety of the citizens of the Balian and never allow the safety of Wanxing.com or our allies to be compromised, I have authorized a response by force Turn that fucking thing down!I was surprised to find that it was I who was shouting.The drinkers stared back at me, but they kept their voices down.I watched Graystone's mouth open and close silently for a while, then waved to the bartender for another double. After a while, maybe a few hours, I put down my glass and looked up, only to realize that someone was sitting across from me in this small dark box.It took me a second, and several blinks, to recognize who it was in the dim light.For a split second, my heart was beating wildly, and I thought, How funny, but then I blinked again and said: Mrs. Philomell. She was still wearing the dark blue dress I had seen at breakfast, but the bust seemed lower now, and her face and shoulders seemed to glow in the dark.Mr. Silveron, she said, her voice as soft as a whisper, I have come to make you keep your word. promise?I waved to the bartender, but he didn't answer, so I frowned and looked at Diana.Philomel.What promise? Of course it's me. Have you forgotten what you promised me at the banquet? I snapped it with my fingers, but the rude bartender still didn't look my way.I drew you.I said. Yes, said Mrs. Philommel: but not all of me. I sighed and drank my glass, I was drinking.I said. Mrs. Philomell smiled: I can see that. I got up to call the bartender, thought about it, and slowly sat back on the weather-beaten wooden bench.Armageddon.I said: They're playing Armageddon.I looked at the woman carefully, squinting slightly to see her more clearly.Do you know the word, ma'am? I don't think he'll pour you another drink.She said: I have wine at home, you can have another drink while painting. I took a closer look at her again, this time with a more cunning expression.I also drank a few extra glasses of scotch, but the wine didn't knock me out of my wits.your husband.I said. Diana.Feromel smiled again, a little too brightly.Will spend several days at Government House.This time, she said, she was really whispering.At such an important moment, it is impossible for him to stay away from the center of power.Come on, my car is right outside. I don't remember if I paid, but I think I must have, or Mrs. Ferromel paid. I don't remember her helping me out, but I think someone helped me, maybe the driver.I remember a guy in a gray top and trousers, and I remember leaning against him. The electric scooter has a round roof, so you can't see the inside of the car from the outside, but when you sit on the thick ottoman and look out, it is quite transparent.I counted two portals, and then we left the Plaza of Stars, high above a blue field under a yellow sky.Ornate and fine ebony houses on a hill surrounded by fields of poppies and lakes the color of bronze.Is it a Renaissance star?It was too difficult to think about it again at this point, so I leaned my head back and decided to take a break.You have to get enough energy before you can draw the portrait of Mrs. Ferromel hehe. Country slipped beneath us.