after the attack, john is arrested for almost ruining the plan to destroy the enemy fleet by asking general gau to surrender. he is eventually released, and after speaking with special forces again, returns to new-roanoke. he realizes that new-roanoke is a sacrificial pawn. if new-roanoke is destroyed, enlistment in the cdf will spike using the destruction of the colony as a rally cry, allowing for a more aggressive campaign against the other alien races. this however will cause humanity's eventual extinction through a war of attrition.