The player commanders quickly recruited companions who suited their needs and began carrying out their own operations.
And this made things even worse for the Alphas.
They discovered that the insects were no longer attacking from a single location—or even using just one method. They were striking from multiple points, pulling off one outrageous move after another.
For example, because of their strong "stargazing culture," the Alphas had named the two star systems under their control the South Celestial Gate System and the North Celestial Gate System. Taking advantage of the "Interstellar Highway's" faster-than-light travel, some players went all the way around, passing from the South Celestial Gate to the North Celestial Gate and launching a surprise attack from the opposite direction.
Although this surprise attack failed to break through the enemy's defensive planets, it did capture a high-ranking Alpha official. Since the Alphas operated under a parliamentary system, his position should have made him a senior councilor. Of course, in Alpha terminology, he was called a Star-Patrolling Envoy.
This official had terrible luck. He had originally gone to offer condolences, but halfway there, he ran into the attacking player fleet. He failed to escape, and his entire group was wiped out in one fell swoop.
The official was also quite tough. He tried to kill himself on the spot, but a player hacker hacked into his brain and forcibly took control of him.
The other directions brought no good news either.
For example, a secretly formed "small group of Paradox players" had already begun discussing how to deploy weapons of mass destruction—or rather, laundry detergent. Unfortunately, the faction's planetary cannons couldn't be brought over. Otherwise, one cannon aimed at each little planet, followed by a hundred shots, would have solved the Alpha civilization, wouldn't it?
The High Engineer stated