For Lapaton, the capture of the merchant convoy was entirely expected, since the content of the final communication from the Escort Fleet clearly indicated an attack by an unknown enemy, and a large number of enemies at that, so there was no doubt that the convoy could not be saved.
Therefore, this mission for Lapaton was more about investigation than reinforcement, to ascertain exactly who was attacking the merchant convoy.
An attack on a supply route transporting war materials was definitely a major event that the Rebel Army had to pay attention to. In a war of this intensity and scale, if supplies couldn't keep up, there was no point in continuing the fight, so it was imperative to get to the bottom of this matter.
First, find out who the enemy is.
Second, determine the size of the enemy.
Third, eliminate the enemy.
These were the true intentions of Lapaton's mission.
