Chapter 239: an emergency meeting

A mansion stood proudly in the enormous presidential villa of the Spartan republic. The large building stood tall, towering over most of the other buildings surrounding it, and it was built in a dome shape.

It was painted in a dark grey color but this dull color could not degrade its majesty. If looked or probed at from outside, one could only see something like an overturned bowl.

This was the highest strategy discussion hall of the Spartan army. It was built in the presidential villa so that the President could access it more freely.

Though outside it seemed plain and simple, dozens of specially trained soldiers in stealth and armed to the teeth were guarding it 24/7.

This was where the most confidential matters and secrets of the republic are discussed, it was a building accessible to only the higher-ups of the republic. Currently, an emergency meeting was going on in this building.

On the highest floor of the building, a group of stony-faced individuals sat as they awaited the start of the meeting. 30 seats were arranged around a huge round table, and 28 of the seats were already occupied.

President Leonidas called for this meeting just 10 minutes ago, and all the higher-ups of the Spartan republic were already gathered, waiting for him respectfully.

Most of the upper echelons that were seated already had grey hairs that indicated their ages, some even went as far as keeping long beards to emphasize this.

This did not matter though, what mattered was that everyone that was here was an experienced veteran in their field.

As everybody waited, it did not take long before the door of the hall where they were gathered sprang open with 5 soldiers quickly entering inside. They were all dressed in grey suits.

As soon as these soldiers entered the hall, the 28 upper echelons that were present all stood up in attention. The President was coming.

Calm thudding footsteps echoed across the corridor leading to the hall, as they formed a strange melody that demanded respect. As the sound formed a steady rhythm, the President finally entered the hall.

Unlike what was expected of the mysterious Spartan President, his long hair was not completely white like those of sages yet, they were still grey with some tinge of black being seen frequently.

He was dressed in a formal grey suit to complement his hair with grey shoes as the final touch. He had an air of authority around him as he entered the room.

His face did not show any emotion, they were steely and steady but at the same time erratic. What could best describe him now was…, the nameless one. He was completely calm like he had seen the whole world already.

It did not take him long after entering the hall as his wide steps quickly took him to the largest chair at the center of the round table, he sat down majestically like a king.

“Welcome President”. All the upper echelons greeted.

“Sit!” His tone was sharp, precise, and to the point.

“Yes President”.

After everyone sat down, the hall fell silent as he scrutinized everyone with his eyes that looked like that of an eagle. The upper echelons fell silent like they were used to it, it seems that they experienced this often.

After the 5 soldiers that entered before him left and closed the door, he finally spoke. “The meeting can now begin”.

One of the upper echelons quickly stood up to kickstart the meeting after hearing this as a large holographic projection materialized in the middle of the round table.

Unlike most of the upper echelons that were present, he wore the distinctive golden uniform of the Spartan army. The badge attached to his uniform showed that he was a General of the army.

“Good day everyone, before I start, I will like to appreciate the President for granting me this opportunity to helm the meeting. I’m not taking it for granted sir, I appreciate it”.

After saying this, the man’s expression quickly became serious as he pointed a finger at the screen before him.

“Like our customs, as this gathering was called mostly because of our military matters, I will start the meeting by showing a pictorial description of the main reason why we gathered first”.

He swiped at the screen as the map of the Mocan republic came into view. “Like most of you already suspected, yes, the troublemakers this time is our archenemy, the Mocans”.

“It seems that the blow we dealt them 3 years ago did not leave any message, they are still as tactless like before and already started moving”.

“It first started in the last week when our EO5 secret service team started sending us signals and coded words. After translating it, we discovered that it was about another plot that the Mocan republic is orchestrating”.

Hearing this, the eyes of the upper echelons present flickered sharply but they held themselves from speaking out, only listening carefully.

“The EO5 secret service team is one of our few secret elite squads that reports only and directly to the president, you can rest assured that this information is not some random rumor”.

“According to intel that we got, the Mocan republic is out again to strike and this time, they are targeting our expedition squads that went on the mission to the Everest”.

“In fact, the plan is already in motion”.

“I don’t need to expand on the implications of such a move to you, no one here is a stranger to the might of the Mocan republic”.

“The main reason why the President called for this meeting so abruptly is that we already have casualties”.

“An hour ago, we received distress signals from the Everest Mountain about our soldiers suffering from attacks. It was largely disrupted by electromagnetic waves and other interferences, but we still got the needed information”.

“Due to the confidentiality of the mission, our secret shelters could not mobilize any help. If we are not wrong, some loyal Spartan soldiers just lost their lives”.

“The Mocans have struck and they struck hard. Of the squads that we sent, we assume that Squad 07, Squad 012, Squad 04, and Squad 018 have already been wiped out”.

Hearing this, the upper echelons’ faces went grave immediately. No one could guess what they were thinking as their face became a lot more serious.

“This is a really hard blow that we cannot easily recover from, every one of these squads is something that we heavily invested in”.

“Apart from the losses that were caused by the Mocans, we also discovered a lot of unsettling news. We expected it, but it seems that the death rate of the Everest is more than we predicted”.

“The old information from our shelters may be a little outdated, it is clear that the cold dragon keeps on growing in size and lethality”.

“Of the 20 squads that we sent off, apart from the 4 that were wiped out by the Mocans, we already suffered a loss of 2 other squads’ total annihilation. The death rate is frightening high”.

“We already lost over 200 soldiers and the number is still counting”.

“Through our beyond visual detectors, we have a periodic real-time view of the situation of the squads as most of them have not crossed into the middle heights yet”.

“Only 2 squads have crossed the boundaries to the middle heights, which are Squad 01 and Squad 06”.

“That is the summary of all the intelligence that we’ve gathered about our expedition teams out there in the Everest. This intelligence is open for intelligent reviews and insights”.

“And during the past month, a lot of other things that require our attention has been happening, but I believe that you already knew about all those, I won’t stress myself to repeat them”.

“Also, a stir has been detected in the activities of the Persian tigers, but overall, it seems that it’s just a small-scale operation, so it’s not our priority. I’ve passed on the information delegated to me by Mr. President”.

After saying all that he had to say, the General placed a hand on his chest and bowed a little in the direction of the President. He saluted him next before sitting back down.

The hall suddenly plunged into a strange silence as the upper echelons processed the information that was just dumped at them. Whether they were serious or were pretending, no one knew.

“Mr. President, I think we should retaliate immediately. We should pound them with as much force as they are giving us”.

One of the older upper echelons who was another General suddenly said loudly while standing up with an angry expression on his face. “The Spartan republic definitely cannot take this lying down; we must show our hand”.

“I think that’s it’s better to lie low now and observe”. Another one said. He didn’t flinch despite feeling the glare from the General, his face was tranquil as a lake.

“Lying low is too proactive. This is a taunt from the Mocan republic, we should not act like fools. The Everest is located in the territory of Mariana republic, and I believe that none of you here wants to offend such a fearsome enemy”.

Another one of the upper echelons who looked more scholarly added as he gently stroked his beards with his left hand.

Others quickly butted in after him as everyone started giving his own opinion about the next course of action.

Though they all had loud voices, it should be noted that the hall did not become chaotic, it seemed like they planned it as their suggestions were always timed and orderly.

After 5 minutes of this, the upper echelon who stood beside the President suddenly stood up. The others immediately kept quiet as the hall went silent like a graveyard immediately.

Commander Rashford had a dignified look on his face, his handsome features were showcased more clearly from the illumination of the room but he had a poker look on his face.

“President, I think that we should lie low and wait”. He spoke slowly in a calm tone. “From my knowledge, the Mocan republic did not know about the Aragan ruin before”.

“I don’t want to dwell on how they got the news, but my suggestion is that we should not send any reinforcements. That will surely infuriate Mariana”.

He swept a cold glance across the hall, his eyes penetrating the hearts of the upper echelons present.

“Our capable soldiers are already there, no need to add more. If they can’t retrieve what we need, then no need to stress ourselves, that simply means that we have no chance from the beginning”.

With that, he finally sat down.

The upper echelons wanted to start talking again, but a soft grunt directly silenced their impulses.

President Leonidas cleared his throat before saying authoritatively. “It’s settled, we’ll stick with Commander Rashford’s suggestion. Take care of the effects in your territory”.

“General Uther, take charge of the subsequent gatherings and planning after this. I have other things to do, the meeting is dismissed”.

No one spook again as they watched their President stand up to leave.

On reaching the door, Leonidas paused. “For those of you who think yourself as clever, remember that the interests of the republic come first before any other thing”.

“I will not cause a ruckus to find out how the Mocan republic knew about our mission…, but be warned. My patience has limits”.

With that, he stormed off, officially bringing the meeting to an end.

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