Chapter Summaries

The Human Federation fleet arrived at Eldo and destroyed the Kabart Empire’s patrolling Guard Fleet. Fujiwara Ayako then ordered attacks on the orbital spaceports and airborne operations across the nine Life Planets, while the governor and other garrison personnel were away vacationing.

• A Kabart patrol detected 20,000 Human Federation battleships near Eldo, and its commander ordered the fleet not to provoke them after learning the Federation was a Level 4 Civilization.
• The Human Federation fleet fired two volleys and destroyed all 3,000 patrol ships before they could contact the governor.
• Fujiwara Ayako, aboard the HESTIA, learned that the remaining 7,000 Kabart ships were docked at spaceports around Eldo I and Eldo II, while most people were on the planets.
• Fujiwara Ayako ordered detachments to attack the spaceports and launch airborne operations on all nine Life Planets.
• The spaceport personnel panicked after discovering that the governor and the other garrison fleets were vacationing on the planets.

Fujiwara Ayako’s Sixth Fleet destroyed the Kabart Empire’s forces and starports across Eldo and launched airborne assaults on its planets. Twelve of the thirteen Kabart-held Star Systems in Oakes territory had fallen, while Hamid in Vite remained unaware of the attack.

• Abud learned that an unidentified fleet had destroyed the Third Garrison Fleet, recognized its emblem as belonging to the Human Federation, and ordered his forces not to resist.
• Fujiwara Ayako ignored Abud’s repeated communication requests and ordered the detachments to destroy the starports in orbit around Eldo I and Eldo II.
• The Second through Eleventh Detachment Fleets attacked the starports, while the Twelfth and Thirteenth Fleets deployed mechas to assault the planets.
• Abud watched mechas descend over Eldo I, and one fired a Beam Rifle at him, swallowing him in its beam.
• Fujiwara Ayako recalled the mechas after an hour and reported that phase one was complete, as twelve Kabart-occupied Star Systems had fallen.
• Hamid remained in Vite, still excited about the impending delivery of 50,000 sets of Energy Shields and unaware that the other systems had fallen.

Lin Fan completed the First Legion’s campaign across twelve star systems and began the second phase of Operation Dawn, launching the First Fleet toward Vite to ambush the Kabart Empire’s 3.8 million main-force warships. At Vite, Supreme Commander Hamid mistook the arriving fleet for new Human Federation warships and accepted its communication request.

• Liang Xue reported that the planets had been cleared and the other fleets were heading to Reo, where Lin Fan waited for the First Legion to assemble.
• After all eleven fleets arrived, Lin Fan outlined the raid on Vite and assigned Sophia’s Fifth Fleet and the Fourth Fleet to intercept enemy forces at the Cecil Star Path entrance.
• Lin Fan ordered the First Fleet to warp toward Vite ahead of the other fleets.
• Hamid received an alert about an unknown fleet near Witt III, then learned from Faris that its unfamiliar ships bore the Human Federation emblem.
• Hamid connected the fleet’s communication request, and Lin Fan greeted him.

Lin Fan used CODE.71, a hidden backdoor in the Energy Shields sold to the Kabart Empire, to sabotage its warships while the Human Federation attacked the starports. The chapter ended with every ship in the Vanguard Fleet struggling to stop its shields from overloading.

• Hamid recognized Lin Fan, who said he had arrived ahead of the cargo fleet, and ordered Kabart forces to stay clear of the trade zone.
• After scanning the system, Liang Xue confirmed that the Kabart warships were dispersed and began the second phase of the operation.
• Lin Fan's First Fleet joined nine arriving fleets and attacked the Vite III starports as Liang Xue transmitted CODE.71.
• Hamid ordered the eighty thousand Assault Battleships in the fortress to sortie and sent Shuttlecraft to evacuate personnel from the planet.
• Lin Fan ordered the overload operation once the Kabart warships activated, and CODE.71 forced their Energy Shields into overload.

Lin Fan’s attack crippled the Kabart Vanguard Fleet and devastated the fortress at Vite III, forcing Hamid to order the Empire’s remaining fleets to withdraw toward the Star Path in Cecil’s direction. At the Star Path, Sophia and Li Cangqiong’s fleets intercepted two Kabart Legions, and Sophia took command as the battle began.

• Lin Fan’s backdoor program overloaded the Energy Shields on eighty thousand Kabart warships, destroying them and severely damaging the fortress at Vite III.
• Hamid learned the Vanguard Fleet was gone and ordered the remaining Kabart fleets to abandon Vite and withdraw toward the Star Path in Cecil’s direction.
• Lin Fan’s fleet bombarded the starport cluster as Kabart crew members attempted to reach their docked warships.
• Sophia and Li Cangqiong’s forty thousand battleships appeared at the Star Path entrance to intercept two Kabart Legions totaling seven hundred thousand warships.
• Sophia took overall command of the interception and ordered the Fifth Fleet to deploy in the center, with the Fourth Fleet split across its flanks.

Sophia led the Fourth and Fifth Fleets into battle against the Kabart Empire’s seven hundred thousand warships at the entrance to the Cecil Star Path. The Fifth Fleet broke into the enemy formation while the Fourth Fleet covered its flanks, leaving Sophia to attack the surrounded Kabart ships.

• Sophia positioned the Fifth Fleet in a forward triangular formation and split the Fourth Fleet into two columns to cover its flanks.
• The human fleets opened fire as the Kabart Empire advanced, and their Orca-class Battleships outmatched the enemy ships that could fire at long range.
• Sophia ordered the Fourth Fleet’s columns to direct crossfire into the Kabart formation while the Fifth Fleet charged its center.
• The Fifth Fleet plunged into the enemy formation, where Kabart ships struggled to fire without hitting one another.
• Sophia told the Fourth Fleet to pin down the enemy flanks and led the Fifth Fleet in firing toward the surrounding Kabart warships.

Lin Fan reviewed Sophia and Li Cangqiong’s battle at the Cecil Star Path, realized Sophia had planned around his arrival, and deployed fleets to support her and intercept the Kabart reinforcements. At the Star Path, the Kabart commander tried to stall the human fleets until the rest of his forces could arrive and escape.

• Lin Fan watched the tactical replay and recognized that Sophia had turned the interception into an annihilation battle while counting on his support against the approaching reinforcements.
• Lin Fan ordered Carol, Dennis, and Elio to attack the Kabart fleet from behind, sent several other fleets to intercept its reinforcements, and left Xia Yu and Qin Tian to clear Vite III’s orbit.
• The Kabart fleet destroyed an Orca-class Battleship with a concentrated barrage of secondary-gun fire, but its commander judged that this tactic could not save the fleet from destruction.
• The Kabart commander learned that 60,000 human warships had appeared behind his fleet and ordered 200,000 ships to turn around and hold them off while the rest kept the other human fleet occupied.
• The Kabart commander hoped his forces could delay the human fleets until the remaining Kabart fleets arrived and opened a path to escape.

Lin Fan’s forces trapped the Kabart Empire’s fleet in crossfire as it tried to reach the Star Path, steadily cutting down its numbers while the human fleet near the entrance continued attacking. The Kabart fleet was still pressing forward, but the battle had become increasingly costly for the Empire.

• The Kabart commander learned that 60,000 human warships were pursuing his fleet and ordered 100,000 ships to hold them off while the rest charged toward the Star Path.
• Lin Fan explained to Liang Xue that he planned to weaken the enemy gradually while giving it false hope, then ordered the First and Second Fleets to open a route and fire on the Kabart fleet’s exposed flanks.
• The Kabart commander chose to charge through the crossfire rather than stop to fight, and the fleet began losing warships rapidly.
• Emma, Fujiwara Ayako, and Shangguan Yunting’s 60,000 warships broke through the Kabart rear guard and attacked the main fleet from behind.
• Near the Star Path entrance, Sophia’s Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Fleets pressed the Kabart forces, while she sought to prevent them from escaping into the Star Path.

Sophia led the human fleets in repeatedly cutting apart the Kabart formation, while Lin Fan’s forces inflicted heavy losses on another enemy fleet. After shattering the forces near Star Path, Sophia left Li Cangqiong and Carol to finish them off and headed toward the approaching Kabart fleet with Dennis and Elio.

• Sophia proposed an Infinite Segmentation Tactic, and Carol, Dennis, and Elio agreed to attack and divide the Kabart formation from multiple directions.
• Sophia, Carol, Dennis, and Elio repeatedly charged through the Kabart fleet, splitting it into sections and destroying its ability to form a defense.
• Lin Fan, Chris, Emma, Fujiwara Ayako, and Shangguan Yunting inflicted heavy losses on another Kabart fleet as it raced toward Star Path.
• After fewer than three hundred thousand enemy ships remained near him, Li Cangqiong agreed to handle them while Sophia went to join the battle elsewhere.
• Dennis and Elio accompanied Sophia as their fleets formed a triangular attack formation and charged toward the approaching Kabart fleet.

Lin Fan’s fleets trapped and battered the Kabart Empire fleet, leaving it close to collapse. Teteria, a scout from the Level 5 Xitria Empire, discovered the humans and decided they were a promising early Level 4 civilization to support against the Babawi Empire.

• Lin Fan ordered Emma and Fujiwara Ayako to flank the Kabart fleet, while Sophia’s three fleets attacked its front.
• Emma and Fujiwara Ayako’s fleets overtook the Kabart formation while firing their secondary guns, then joined together to block its route to the Star Path.
• Sophia repeatedly charged through the Kabart formation as human fleets attacked from several directions and broke the enemy into sections.
• Teteria observed the battle aboard a hidden Xitria Empire reconnaissance ship and identified the humans as a recently established Level 4 civilization.
• Teteria welcomed the discovery as a better candidate for Xitria’s plan to challenge the Babawi Empire’s control of the Orion Arm.

The human fleet crushed the Kabart Empire’s forces at the Star Path while its remaining 800,000 warships halted and requested surrender. Lin Fan refused to leave the empire alive, and the humans opened fire on Firas’s helpless fleet.

• Lin Fan’s forces continued dividing and defeating the Kabart fleets as the empire’s final 800,000 warships approached the Star Path.
• Commander Firas halted his fleet and requested surrender after explaining that the humans’ Warp Drive Engines made escape through the Star Path pointless.
• The battles ended with the First Legion losing twelve Orca-class Battleships and thirty-nine mechs, while one pilot died.
• Lin Fan rejected the surrender request and ordered his fleets to encircle and annihilate the stationary Kabart warships.
• Firas hesitated over whether to restart his engines until his adjutant reported that the human fleet had opened fire.

After Lin Fan destroyed the Kabart Empire’s final fleet, Teteria of the Level 5 Xitria Empire contacted him and invited the Human Federation to join the Xio Alliance. Lin Fan agreed to put the invitation before the Federation President, leaving the decision pending.

• Teteria watched Lin Fan’s forces annihilate the Kabart Empire’s 800,000 immobilized warships.
• Liang Xue reported a communication request from an apparently empty location, and Lin Fan accepted it.
• Teteria introduced himself as a representative of the Level 5 Xitria Empire and praised Lin Fan’s battle performance.
• Teteria invited the Human Federation to join the Xio Alliance, a group of one Level 5 and thirty-five Level 4 civilizations that offered protection and access to resources.
• Lin Fan said only the Federation President could decide, and Teteria asked him to arrange contact with the Federation’s leader.

After the First Legion destroyed the Kabart Empire's main force, the Human Federation learned that the Level 5 Xitria Empire wanted to recruit it into the Xio Alliance. Teteria explained the Milky Way's four major alliances and offered the Federation equal member-state status, leaving Lin Zhen to decide how to respond.

• Lin Zhen told the Federation's leaders that Lin Fan's forces had destroyed 3.8 million Kabart Empire ships and revealed that a Level 5 Civilization had contacted him.
• Lin Zhen transferred Teteria's communication to the conference, where Teteria introduced himself as an envoy of the Xitria Empire and asked whether humanity would join the Xio Alliance.
• Lin Zhen asked Teteria to explain the powers of the Milky Way before the Federation answered.
• Teteria described the four major alliances, their Level 5 leaders and Level 4 members, and explained that the Babawi Empire served the Vera Alliance.
• Teteria promised that humanity would receive equal treatment as a member state of the Xio Alliance, then asked for the Federation's decision.

Lin Zhen weighed the risks of joining the Xio Alliance until Emperor Xis explained its plan to help the Human Federation replace the Babawi Empire and become overlord of the Orion Arm. With the alliance offering full membership, protection, and ten billion alliance points, Lin Zhen agreed to join.

• Lin Zhen hesitated to accept Teteria's invitation because he feared the Human Federation would become a pawn in the Xio Alliance's conflict with the Vera Alliance.
• Teteria admitted he was only authorized to make initial contact and connected Lin Zhen with Emperor Xis.
• Xis revealed that the Xio Alliance wanted the Human Federation to seize the Orion Arm from the Vera Alliance by defeating the Babawi Empire.
• Xis promised to conceal the Human Federation's membership until it replaced the Babawi Empire, then provide protection, full alliance membership, and ten billion alliance points.
• Lin Zhen judged the offer worthwhile and agreed to join the Xio Alliance on behalf of the Human Federation.

Lin Zhen agreed to join the Xio Alliance and arranged to receive its alliance terminal while keeping humanity’s identity secret. As Lin Fan prepared to lead the final campaign against the Kabart Empire, he concluded that the Federation would need a faster strategy to dominate the Orion Arm.

• Lin Zhen accepted Xis’s offer to join the alliance, and Xis arranged for Teteria to deliver a terminal under temporary code 047.
• Lin Zhen ordered Lin Fan to collect the terminal and escort it to Earth, then told Ed to assemble a secret team to plan how to spend the ten billion contribution points and bring Bai Zixuan back.
• Lin Fan received the terminal from Teteria’s reconnaissance ship and sent it with the Twelfth Fleet aboard the Atlas to carry out its secret mission.
• Lin Fan assigned the other fleets to eliminate the Kabart Empire’s remaining legions and clear its territory within a month.
• After the fleet commanders left, Lin Fan decided that the Federation could not conquer civilizations one by one and would eventually need to replace the Babawi Empire, after building up resources and strategic depth.

Farhale’s celebration of the Kabart Empire’s victory over the Oakes Empire was interrupted when Lin Fan’s 60,000 warships launched a surprise assault on the imperial planet. With the orbital defenses shattered and reinforcements still far away, Lin Fan began preparing a planetary landing.

• Farhale declared a three-year carnival after the Kabart Empire destroyed the Oakes Empire’s final fleet and left most of its warships off combat readiness.
• Lin Fan’s 60,000 warships appeared near Kabart and devastated an orbital fortress, destroying its 300,000 docked warships.
• Lin Fan’s fleet attacked the starport clusters, where another 200,000 warships were docked, while two Guard Fleets rushed back from 2 AU away.
• Farhale learned that the attackers carried the Human Federation’s emblem, but the Federation ignored his attempts to contact its president.
• Lin Fan ordered his warships to form a safe zone amid falling debris and begin preparing planetary landings while clearing the surface with low-powered fire.

The Human Federation’s forces captured the Kabart Imperial Palace but found Farhale hiding in a sealed underground fortress. Lin Fan ordered a MARKIII Drill Bomb strike, which destroyed the fortress and killed Farhale.

• After ground forces confirmed the anti-air defenses were eliminated, the second wave landed and began purging the planet.
• First Legion assault teams captured the Imperial Palace and discovered a sealed passage leading underground, but they found no sign of Farhale.
• Lin Fan ordered forces to withdraw from the area and launched a MARKIII Drill Bomb at the fortress beneath the palace.
• Farhale watched as the bomb drilled toward the fortress, then died when it detonated against the fortress shell.
• Lin Fan watched the palace become ruins from the Uranus and noted that Farhale was the second emperor he had taken down.

Lin Zhen and his staff reviewed the Xio Alliance Protocol and found that Article 28 required member civilizations to maintain leadership continuity. Ed planned to use the clause to push through lifelong presidential tenure, and left to persuade the Federation’s seven Independent High Judges.

• Lin Zhen activated the Xio Alliance terminal and studied its agreement with Ed and the other staff members.
• The staff reached Article 28, which restricted replacing a civilization’s leader, and recognized that it challenged the Federation’s short presidential terms.
• Ed argued that policy continuity was vital for interstellar civilizations and said he would convince the seven Independent High Judges to amend the Presidential Act.
• Lin Zhen trusted Ed to handle the matter, and the staff finished reviewing all 178 clauses by midnight.
• Ed left the next morning with documents to visit all seven Independent High Judges in one day.

Ed persuaded the Independent High Judges to amend the Presidential Act, giving the president lifetime tenure, and Lin Zhen became the Federation’s first lifetime president. The Human Federation then signed the Xio Alliance civilization agreement under the classified designation “047.”

• Ed presented Eli Morse with top-secret files explaining why the Federation needed continuous leadership to join the Xio Alliance, and Eli agreed to support the amendment.
• Ed visited all seven Independent High Judges and secured three verbal promises, while three opposed the change and one remained undecided.
• At Eli’s urging, the judges held a conference and voted five to two to amend the Presidential Act, establishing lifetime presidential tenure with provisions for resignation, incapacity, death, or removal by referendum.
• Eli publicly explained the amendment, and most Federation citizens accepted Lin Zhen as the first lifetime president because of his and Lin Fan’s achievements.
• Lin Zhen signed the Xio Alliance civilization agreement, and the Human Federation was listed as “047.”

Lin Zhen and his aides examined the Xio Alliance terminal and found advanced warp technologies that could help defend the Federation against the Babawi Empire. Inspired by the alliance’s system, Lin Zhen proposed creating a platform for subsidiary civilizations to contribute resources and research in exchange for points.

• Lin Zhen and his aides reviewed the Xio Alliance’s missions, trade system, and points exchange, noting that the Federation had ten billion points to spend.
• Lin Zhen assigned Ed to manage the points and learned that Bai Zixuan would arrive in a week after completing his experiment.
• An aide found three warp technologies for sale, including blockade technology and a countermeasure, and Lin Zhen told Ed to have Bai Zixuan assess their practical use.
• Lin Zhen proposed establishing a Federation platform that would recruit high-potential subsidiary civilizations, assign them missions, and reward them with exchangeable points.
• The aides recognized that the plan could bring in resources and outsource scientific research, much as the Xitria Empire benefited from the Xio Alliance system.