Currently, seven of the twelve seats are occupied; the absent members are either on assignment or attending to urgent matters in their respective domains.
High Mantaron Kristoff Velheim, head of military operations, stood at the center of the dais, a holographic display showing the desert region where the battle had occurred. Red markers indicated the positions of destroyed units, casualty counts, and strategic assessment data.
The numbers made for grim reading.
"Thirty-eight thousand four hundred and seventy confirmed to be dead," Kristoff said, his voice carrying the clinical detachment of someone accustomed to discussing casualties in abstract terms.
"Total material loss includes forty Haelve units, with an estimated replacement cost of four billion credits. Six airships—twelve billion credits. Various armor, artillery, and small arms—approximately eight hundred million credits."
He paused, letting the figures sink in.
