Storyline

[Drake]

I respectfully disagree. The war above sounded very rapid - almost blitzkrieg level of speed - and in that sort of war you need to press an advantage and rush forward before the enemy has a chance to establish defences. A fort such as planet Leeds would have little offensive capabilities and could be crushed in an offensive entirely separate from the one happening in space.

Mm, you may be right. However, consider the fact that Leeds has been being developing into a fortress world for awhile now, what with Kusari edging closer. They're digging in for a long siege, and in an era of orbital bombardment it'd be impossible to defend a planet with primarily ground/atmospheric forces. Planet Leeds most likely has a sizable stockpile of snubcraft and munitions, maybe even some larger ships (gunboats, maybe), and would be capable of striking out against an unwary opponent.

Gallia obviously has the military resources and manpower to push hard and fast, but if they push past Leeds too quickly I think they might find themselves paying for it. A wise, cautious admiral would probably realize this, but since Gallia seems to be riding high on firepower and hubris, they might not.