Fian appreciated the approvals and return salutes, what he just claimed was hard to believe when the marines were living in squalour now compared to the luxury of a Hray-Class, but throughout his career he wasn't one to lie. He shook his head to clear the sentimentality and proceeded on to gradually more serious business.
"Now, not withstanding all our tactical victories, we have been present on site of many strategic defeats which were out of our power dispite our best efforts." He then switched the slide to side profiles of three Hray-Classes: The NSS Acadia, NSS Emden and NSS Alder. "It has been the Mishhu's intention from the very start to capture a number of our stealth gunships to launch a suprise attack on our seat of goverment. Our impromptu defence of Golding prevented the hijacking by pirate mercenaries of one of the two Hray-Classes docked there."
The slide then changed to that of the Wazu Nebula. "After a pursuit to what we did not know was the handover point to the Mishhus, we managed to recapture the NSS Emden but with the loss of the NSS Alder which supported us during the operation."
The screen switched to the order of battle on Rok'Veru, showing an overwhelming disadvange in numbers by the defensive forces. "While we were busy on Rok'Veru, the squids made do with what they had. They had managed to repair the NSS Alder at least marginally. In combination with the efforts of undercover operatives in High Command, they successfully disguised it as the NSS Acadia and..."
The last slide popped into view, it was the aftermath of the Senate attack with the building partially in ruin and the bodies of security and zombies strewn about. "... Finally launched the attack." The MC impulsively rubbed his palms together, what followed next was the ultimate achievement of the Acadian marines. "It was performed with one patched-together Hray as opposed to two pristine ones, with a ground attack instead of an orbital strike. When the NSS Alder was engaged by the Acadia high above the planet, it did not and could not return fire, its weapon systems were damaged beyond repair."
"I think you guys get the trend by now. We arrived again to throw a spanner in the NMX works. With the exception of one suicide attack of which ... of which..." The Vel Steyr visibly faltered, dispite his best effort, the sentence simply did not allow itself to be finished without some discreet sign of anger and self-pity. "... Most senators survived. The remaining NMX attacks were repulsed and the seat of the Nepleslian goverment is now moved to the more defensible Nepleslia Prime, which coincidentally happened to be a more condusive place than Old Nepleslia to prosecute the war. Nepleslia Prime is rich in resources, with a new state of the art industrial base and most importantly free of sectarian strife and saboteurs."
"Sure that we lost more than we gained, all in all." Fian pressed on, he did not have a slide for this one. "But we have turned what could have been a crippling blow to the Imperium into a figurative vaccination shot. The Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia is now stronger than it would have been if the original form of the attack did happen, or the attack in the form we reduced it to did not happen."
"And." The MC then leisurely produced a small bottle of beer and removed the cap with an opener he kept on the rostrum. "It is all thanks to you." He raised the bottle and his voice to the crowd. "All in a Marine's good day of work I'd say!"
