SNS Principe Carlo II
10PM
A man in military uniforn was sitting behind his desk, staring intently at a map on the screen of his computer. It was a map of the Nahr, detailing the advances made in the preceding hours, particularly the astonishing incursion into Sach'aqa. Captain Carlo Renzi had been as astronished his fellow officers and probably his counterparts from the allied forces when the Alssahran Army had pushed further than what the original plan dictated, heading beyond the occupied zone and into Sach'aqa. His orders were clear, to assist Alssahra in reclaiming its occupied lands, restore the status quo. He had not been ordered to invade Sach'aqa, so he had ordered his ship to halt as soon as they reached the border. In fact, all Sartorian ships stopped at the point, and he was informed that the Admiral and Captain Falco had informed the Alssahran High Command that Sartoria would not follow them through the Nahr.
What would they do then? Captain Renzi was asking that same question in his log, wondering what use was there for a navy when they were prevented from going up the river. That is not to say he disagreed with the decision. It was often said only soldiers knew the real cost of war, and as he was concerned that was 100% true. He was yet to lose one of his people, but there had been far too many close calls, so the sooner they received their orders to head back home, the better. It was selfish for him to think this, but if the war was to continue through the still-ocuppied northwest, then he would rather have the Army handle it. The Navy had already done most of the job, so why not let them go home? Of course he knew the answer, and he grudgingly agreed. It was entirely reasonable to assume Sach'aqa might wait for the naval forces to retreat from the Nahr to launch another invasion, and that would undo all their work. Nay, it was better to ensure they were defeated for good.
He was now wondering how would the Military Command and the Privy Council react. The original plan had been to move upwards to the northwest, but apparently Alssahra intended to go deep into Sach'aqan territory. If they were planning on completely taking over Sach'aqa, he could already imagine the people over in Messelia sweating and quickly trying to get in touch with Alssahra, convincing them to stick to the plan. He had no idea how things would end, but he sure hoped the Army would take care of whatever came next.