The Pelozi arrived shortly, bringing with them their own escort fleet of a hundred warships, consisting of one battleship and its escorts.
They protected a small diplomatic vessel, which was surrounded and protected by their shields.
-Thank you for agreeing to this meeting.
Admiral Gezrin said after greeting the emperor once again.
Hearing that, Andrew nodded.
-The Favor I mentioned earlier is connected to the Kinokian attack on your majesty's empire.
To be frank, we would like to send our fleet to punch through one of the portals in your territory, while the rest of our forces attack the enemy from the other side.
The admiral went straight to business.
-That's a bold plan, but even if the Kinokians are not the smartest beings around, I can't imagine their portals not being protected on the other side, and we have no clue where these portals originate from.
Andrew said after thinking about it for a moment.
-We know that they are protected.
The admiral admitted.
-However, the portal in question originates from the territory we lost to the enemy a few months ago, and the Pelozi council wants it back.
Not to mention that if this plan works, it might be enough to stop them from attacking your empire.
We do not ask Your Majesty to commit any forces to this operation.
All we need is your majesty's approval for the passage of our forces through your territory.
-When do you plan to begin this operation? How large a fleet do you intend to bring, and which portal do you wish to use?
The young emperor asked after thinking it through, and deciding that he had nothing to lose and a lot to gain if this operation succeeded.
-Our forces are ready and awaiting your majesty's decision, so we can begin as soon as your majesty agrees.
The fleet we want to send is comprised of over a million vessels of all types, and the portal we are interested in is here.
The admiral said and displayed a small holographic map from a device on one of his tentacles.
It was a system held by Giarna's fleet and the one that was under the lightest attack, as well as the only one that, for now, was not attacked by any of the newer ships by the enemy.
-Alright, Admiral, I see no reason for refusing, but how do you plan to go through the portal when enemy ships are coming out of it all the time?
Andrew asked, as this was the part he could not figure out.
-Your majesty, we want to use the twin portal maneuver.
This tactic is based on opening another portal right in front of the existing one and sending a massive missile and torpedo barrage through to make way for our forces, followed immediately by our dreadnoughts and battleships, moving in to establish a foothold on the other side, and capturing the jump gate before the enemy can close or destroy it.
At the same time, we will open our second portal in the enemy's system and move our fleet through it, forcing the enemy forces to fight us on two fronts.
Admiral Gezrin explained.
-If it works, we will capture the system, forcing the enemy to move their border fleets to try and reclaim it, while our main force rushes through the FTL to regain our lost territory.
The alien added.
-It's very risky, but it could work.
Andrew said, thinking about it.
-We know it's risky, but the reward is more than worth the risk, and even if this plan fails, the Kinokians will suffer enormous losses.
The admiral said, knowing full well that this might be a one-way trip for the fleet using the portal.
-However, the Kinokian Attack on your empire has created an opportunity for us, and the Pelozi council and High Command want to try and seize this chance.
-Alright, Admiral, you have my permission to proceed with this plan, and I'll inform Admiral Giarna to cooperate with you in this matter.
However, that barrage of yours might not work too well since there is a lot of debris from the enemy ships in front of the enemy portal at the moment.
-We know about it, your majesty, and we have a way to deal with it.
All we needed for this plan was your majesty's approval.
The admiral said with a grotesque smile on his frog face.
With that, Andrew put the Pelozi admiral in contact with Giarna, whose forces were holding the system, and the two admirals got to work, planning the best way for the plan to work.
At the same time, the Pelozi diplomats and Andrews' own diplomatic team had worked out the non-aggression pact and were now working on the trade agreements.
As it turned out, the Pelozi were adamant on making the trade equally profitable for themselves as well as their trading partners, which made the Imperial diplomatic teams work much easier.
However, the frog-like aliens were also almost fanatical when it came to ironing out the details of said agreements, but the imperial diplomats didn't mind and were actually happy, as this was the opportunity they were waiting for to show their empress their skills and earn her approval.
-Andrew, we have nine portals opening in the system.
Lan informed him the moment the portals opened.
-Eight of them are from the elven star nations, so it's most likely their fleets arriving, but the ninth one is new, and we don't have the energy signature in our database.
The Dranixian said once she took a look at the readouts.
-Oh, it seems that your empire has a lot of visitors lately.
Gezrin said, as he just finished speaking with Giarna, who was getting busy preparing everything for the Pelozi fleet's arrival.
-That's true, and I wonder who it is this time.
The emperor sighed.
He didn't mind having guests, as this allowed him to establish more connections, but the timing was less than ideal, since it forced him to divide his attention between the battle and the new arrivals.
-How are your plans progressing?
Andrew asked, as this was important.
-Better than I hoped.
Admiral Giarna is preparing everything as we speak, and with any luck, we will be able to start the operation in around four hours.
The Pelozi answered.
-Good, I hope this works, and maybe stops the attack on my empire.
The emperor said.
-If this works, then there is a chance that the other enemies of Kinokians will attack them, using their weakened state.
Admiral Gezrin said.
-Your majesty, we are being hailed. The signal is from the new portal.
The communications tech reported, interrupting their further conversation.
-On screen.
Andrew ordered.
-Greetings, your majesty.
A young alien woman said, "The moment the connection was established."
She was quite pretty, humanoid, and overall, she looked like a green version of a teenage succubus.
-My name is Venra, and I'm an independent merchant from the Nersew kingdom.
The merchant said in a cheerful voice.