Concentrating a fleet requires ammunition and exposes the frontier

Before Operation Medusa takes effect, the Commonwealth commander plans to gather seventy-eight capital ships for a decisive offensive. His formations have very different ammunition states: one has fired roughly fifteen percent of its missiles, while another has expended more than seventy percent. Reloading at Niagara must precede the next advance. Concentration also requires drawing ships away from local defenses, leaving much of the frontier lightly protected. The plan accepts that exposure in the hope of destroying the opposing fleets before they can receive further reinforcements.