"And above all," Ferris continued, "your fleet needs a major overhaul. You're still using Gen-One class warships—they're outdated. And from what I can see, many of your ships have already suffered noticeable damage…"
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…these Minotaurs really had a few trump cards, didn't they?"
Ezra let out a slow sigh and shook his head.
"No. How could Tier-Two weapons—or even semi–Tier-One—cause that kind of damage?" he said calmly. "It wasn't the Minotaurs."
Hearing this Ferris's expression shifted and become a bit unnatural.
"It was an ambush," Ezra continued. "A small contingent of my fleet was moving to neutralize pirate forces in a system beyond our control—those disrupting trade routes. But it turns out… it was all planned."
He paused, his expression darkening slightly. "Had it not been for our ships' defensive capabilities holding long enough for backup to arrive… we would have suffered our first real casualties of this war."
