Sularen offered a subtle nod of acknowledgment without turning away from the projection.
"You’ve been remarkably busy lately, Supreme Commander," Rackham remarked, adjusting his tunic. "To the point that both Mahporeem and Bastion have been inquiring on your status for a while now."
Sularen let out a low, weary sigh, his cold eyes scanning the shimmering star lanes. "Because I am forced to spend my time trying to piece together a coherent course of action for the upcoming war against the Wild Space Rebellion. The Rebels possess far more intel on us than the intel we have on them. They know where our strongholds are, while we have no idea where their own strongholds are located. Such a frustrating strategic reality."
"We are not entirely blind, Supreme Commander," Rackham countered smoothly, stepping closer to the holotable. "Our recent discoveries have yielded some form of clarity. We know that Dai Star Shipping acts as a primary logistical lifeline for their fleet. We’ve mapped their connections to both the Corellian Merchant’s Guild and Strill Security. Their active theatre is narrowed down to the Mid Rim, Wild Space, and along the Parlemian Trade Route."
Sularen turned his head, his expression unimpressed. "Knowing the approximate sector of an enemy's operations is worthless without actionable targets, Deputy-Director. We still have virtually zero intelligence on the precise locations of their strongholds, and we can’t effectively choke their supply lines since some of them most likely flow through the territories of more powerful galactic governments such as the Republic and the Mandalorians."
Without a word, Rackham pulled a high-clearance datapad from inside his coat and offered it to his commander.
"Which brings me to the purpose of my visit," Rackham said. "My agents have recently uncovered a breakthrough on this matter. All signs point to Kessel as a primary hub of Rebel activity."
Sularen’s brows furrowed as he took the datapad, skimming the encrypted report.
"Ever since its supposed 'liberation' from the criminal syndicates, the Rebellion has embedded itself deeply within the planet's infrastructure," Rackham explained. "More notably, intelligence confirms they have deployed a massive space station into orbit above Kessel to coordinate their regional efforts."
Sularen’s eyes narrowed at the blue data streams reflecting in his pupils. Intrigued, yet calculating, he paused before looking back up at Rackham.
"And what of their defence fleet?" Sularen demanded sharply. "What military forces have they gathered at Kessel?"
Rackham opened his mouth, but hesitated, unable to provide concrete numbers or capital ship designations.
Sularen’s jaw tightened. "I thought as much. I will not blindly throw Imperial forces into a tactical meat grinder. We learned the cost of hasty assumptions during that Rebel/Pirate raid on Mahporeem. I intend to repeat that mistake exactly zero times."
The Supreme Commander handed the datapad back and paced toward the edge of the holotable.
"There will be no direct strike on Kessel," Sularen declared firmly. "Instead, we will launch a deliberate campaign in the surrounding sectors. We will hit their auxiliary supply lines, choke off their routes, and force their fleet out into the open. Once we isolate Kessel completely, we crush it. Perhaps this can be the victory we’ll need to motivate the other Imperial groups across the galaxy to finally unify under a single banner”
Rackham stood at attention, absorbing the strategic pivot. "A sound doctrine, Supreme Commander. Do you have any specific orders for the Politorate?"
"Begin gathering exhaustive intelligence on all Rebel activity within the Kessel Sector immediately," Sularen instructed. "I want fleet compositions, defense grids, and supply schedules. Anything that will ensure a swift victory for us."
"At once, Supreme Commander." Rackham bowed his head slightly and turned on his heel, exiting the office as swiftly as he had arrived.
Left alone once more in the quiet office, Supreme Commander Sularen turned back to the glowing blue galaxy. He reached out, his hand sweeping across the hologram to center the Outer Rim, his gaze locking intently onto the single flickering light of Kessel. At long last he’d have the perfect angle to launch his opening moves in his campaign against the Wild Space Rebellion and the means to trigger the long overdue unification of the fragmented Imperial movement.
