407:Naval Warfare[IV]

In the grand, ornately decorated office of the USL President, Malcolm sat behind a polished mahogany desk, his expression grim. His fingers tightened around a classified folder marked with bold red letters: 

PRIORITY: OPERATION REQUIEM. 

The tension in the room was palpable. His Chief of Staff stood nearby, silently observing Malcolm's reaction. 

"Is this a joke?" Malcolm finally broke the silence, his voice sharp and low as he glanced at the document. 

The Chief of Staff flinched slightly. "No, sir. This is a direct order from the Federation Command."

Malcolm shut the folder and leaned back, his jaw tightening. "Failing to apprehend Evan despite deploying our forces—our most advanced assets—was already humiliating. And now they expect us to escalate further by deploying a full payload over the Devil's Triangle?" 

"Sir, the reasoning provided—"