Minister Gunn has been trying her hardest to detain these drones. However, they seem to have an innumerable number of tricks to bypass her security checkpoints.
The rebels have felt the seriousness of the government this time, and have put all their forces into action. They have been constantly refitting as many of their battleships with azandium as possible.
Fortunately the higher ups of the rebel alliance are skilled enough to not lose to the captains under General Lark's command, but they are aware that they're outmatched in terms of supplies and resources. At the moment they can stand toe to toe with the third fleet, but if the emperor becomes dissatisfied, he can easily send out reinforcements from the idle fleets stationed within the empire. If he's desperate he can also draft completely new fleets from the various planets under his rule. The rebels can only choose to use cruel and unexpected attacks.
Sile watched the reports of attacks on the military camps with calm eyes. She guessed that even with the rebels superior numbers to the third fleet, they would not be a match for the imperial armada. She didn't care much whether they were capable of truly winning against the empire, she and Arel just needed the rebels to do their part and create as much trouble to the empire as possible, which it seems they have been doing.
With the newly acquired weapons they have amassed. Arel has been busy tinkering with different creations. She has replaced some of the original defenses spread out across the solar system, and has been focusing her time on creating unmanned mechas. It would be a complete waste of the resources they've gathered if they didn't at least try to build an offensive force, instead of giving the empire a chance to retreat if they ever found their hideout.
Although Arel and Sile had put together some extraordinary creations in their time, this wasn't a simple machine that could be designed to do a couple things. Mechas were terrifying suits of armour that humans could pilot to increase their combat power enormously. Trying to figure out a way to have them move freely has given Arel a headache. However, they both know they're in no rush. The empire is busy and they are well hidden. In this instance slow and steady is the proper approach.
General Lark has also been having a headache. He has been head of the third fleet for a long time, yet this is truly the most troubling battle they have had to face. Its not that he and his soldiers are incompetent. With the resources given by the empire they truly can be said to have the advantage. However the truth is that they're trying desperately to deal with these advanced weapons the rebels have built. Their cannons are unbelievably powerful. Even their most sturdy battle cruisers have suffered heavy damage under the rain of fire from these cannons. Add onto that the constant suicide attacks on their bases, they have little time to even repair the ships. He knows the rebels very well. He has faced off against them for many years. He's aware that their actions are probably because they're starting to feel pressured. After all, even the most docile creatures will bite if they have nowhere left to run.
He knew that as time went on, they would continue to use more merciless and outrageous attacks, but he wasn't going to let off the pressure. This war was always going to be a bloody one, and he would never allow them to have a chance to breathe and recuperate. So under his orders, the fleet attacked the rebels more fiercely. The military bases on various planets set out commands that if anyone tried to approach the base, they would be attacked indiscriminately. Some didn't believe it at first, and after a warning shot, if they didn't choose to turn around, they would be killed. Not only were the populace of the planets shocked, but even the rebels knew what was coming next.
...
Years had passed, full of bloodshed and destruction. The rebels had reason to be one of the major internal problems for the empire. Their foundation was much stronger than expected. However, the emperor was aware of the inability of the third fleet to complete this alone. So under the joint operation of multiple fleets, the rebels that could stand equal with a single fleet, quickly showed signs of collapse. Their weapons were retrieved from their broken warships by the army for research and were quickly manufactured and fitted into many of the fleets in the empires armada.
The rebels went from trying to defeat the opposing army, to just trying to do as much damage as possible. They flew their battleships straight into the enemy fleets and self destructed causing heavy losses to both sides. However, they still fell short in the end. With the beheading of the rebel leader and a few higher level members, the rebel alliance was all but beaten. Of course a few fled, many went into hiding, but for the time being the rebels would not cause the empire any more issues.
Arel and Sile had been expecting this for a long time. When the rebels couldn't continue providing them with their side of the trade, Arel resolutely cut off contact. The empire was aware of the lack of drones coming from the warp points, and were certain that whomever was aiding the rebels had chosen to end their cooperation.
This was terrific news for the few generals that were dealing with the rebels. They can be said to have dealt with the most insane opponents they have ever faced. With matching equipment, they still had to rely on an overwhelming numerical advantage to even come close to victory, and even with that, the losses they faced were huge.
The emperor read the report of the losses to the three fleets he sent. The third fleet under General Lark was hit the worst, as they had been there from the beginning. Over seventy percent of the fleet was destroyed, totalling seven million deaths, hundreds of warships destroyed. Add onto that the losses of the other two fleets and the damage to the various military bases and supply checkpoints. The emperor felt another headache surging. The war with the rebels had cost the empire too much.