Analyzing Discrepancies in History Books

• "Retribution and Mercy" discusses the bloodthirstiness of the Tinoori as a major motivating feature for their assault on the civilian human settlement of Serpent's Reach. In "Tactical Imperative", on the other hand, it points out the necessity of stealth-- had a single sentry been able to sound the alarm, the subsequent attack on a larger military base would have been thwarted. The latter is likely to be correct-- as the archived blogs of that period indicate, most of the settlement was not harmed, because they were sleeping and were not in a location to send the alarm. It was the sentries and those who were awake in the dead of night who were cut down quickly and quietly. Although many civilians were killed, rather than just soldiers, there would have been far more casualties were bloodthirstiness or vengeance the primary motivation for the attack. The Tinoori, as The Other, were demonized for their different worldview. By viewing them as savage, it is easier to justify more brutal tactics against them. This was the result of long-term propaganda campaigns on Cabry.
• Both books describe the effects of a breakout of a virulent influenza equivalent in the Tinoori capital on the war effort. "Retribution and Mercy" states that this was a natural outbreak, whereas "Tactical Imperative" states that it was a human bioagent that caused the plague. Given the dispersal pattern of the outbreak, and the fact that it seems not to have been a weaponized biological agent, it seems more likely that the translation of "Tactical Imperative" is imperfect, and what is listed as a high probability, in Tinooranthi, was translated into fact in Intergal.
• Both books claim that military success was the primary motivator for the period of calm that occurred during 2610.155 to 2611.030-- with "Tactical Imperative" describing Tinoori victories that caused human retreat, and "Retribution and Mercy" describing how the Blue forces, having demostrated their military strength and resolve and secured their main settlements, that the Tinoori were disheartened. Neither mentions the selection of the new planetary governor by the Hegemon, after the previous governor was removed for what the New Light cabinet, in hearings on the war, called his "excesses". The new governor, although hardly a peace activist, said in his memoirs that he wanted to begin his time by putting out political fires in the capital before beginning another offensive.
• "Retribution and Mercy" and "Tactical Imperative" differ on the date for the infamous Battle of Willow Falls, by with the latter twenty ticks after the former. Military records indicate a spike in the number of fatalities around the date indicated in "Tactical Imperative", whereas there was no corresponding spike around the date offered by "Retribution and Mercy". I posit that the latter date was taken from the deployment of armor units, which did occur at the earlier date.
• Both books agree that the Tinoori leadership went into disarray after 2613.201, but they disagree as to the cause. "Retribution and Mercy" claims that it was part of a precision strike aimed at the wartime headquarters of the Tinoori. "Tactical Imperative" says that it was most probable that a schism erupted between the TGC and PGC which resulted in violence, including high-ranking fatalities. There is no independent confirmation of the latter, however, whereas there are two reports from human military records that indicate the former is more plausible. First is the transfer request for a master thief, Antoine Marquez, from New Light to Cabry, who was being held under maximum surveillance and security. The second is a reconnaisance report received on tight laser from deep behind enemy lines that indicate coordinates of a "hi lvl ldr mtg" and a subsequent statement of "strk now". Prison logs from that time indicate that Marquez arrived on Cabry as scheduled on 2613.185, and then escaped on 2613.198. Despite the nature of this prisoner, the case was marked closed by the military intelligence commander on site at the time, on 2613.202, without a thorough investigation. It seems likely that Marquez was recruited for a recon op, as one of the few people likely to be able to penetrate far enough into Tinoori territory to get accurate coordinates for a decapitation strike. Given the Tinoori view of humans as non-sentient, and their reliance on their superior powers of perception, it is easy to believe that they would not consider the possibility that a human had actually infiltrated to the center of their command structure.
• "Retribution and Mercy" claims that morale among human citizens during the various assaults remained high, despite setbacks, because of the righteousness of their cause and the belief that without their efforts, the human settlements would be overrun. "Tactical Imperative" claimed that humans, both civilians and soldiers, fled before Tinoori onslaughts, and that their fear made Tinoori victory that much easier. The latter is more likely to be correct, given the necessity of conscription that occurred during the worst periods of combat, and the fact that the desertion rate was significantly higher among the ground soldiers than among naval officers who were fighting the Red fleet.

[Out of Game]