They were referring, of course, to the series of events that had taken place at Sedd Fortress on August 6.
That day could also be considered the starting point of this all-out war.
That day, Marshal Paul Ferrago—Yu Lian... er, Marshal Paul Ferrago—was leading four Main God-class ships and a number of support vessels through the nebula along the vast Grand Duke Sea route. They were closing in on an interception fleet made up of six Flame Dragon-class dreadnoughts and four Phoenix carriers.
That day, across the planetary outposts, colonies, and shipping lanes of the New World, the Empire launched a full-scale surprise attack. Almost all of them happened at the same time, in an operation so airtight that not even a crack was left.
Within eight hours of the war's outbreak, every Blue Star Commonwealth outpost except Yaochi, Onomia, and Unity Fortress had changed hands, and the Empire had taken complete control of most major shipping lanes.
That same day, the fleet led by Queen Brunhild of the Suluq Kingdom had formed its attack formation and was bearing down on the Ring of Miracles in overwhelming force. The main body of the Commonwealth expeditionary fleet had also formed up, ready to meet any attack with superior numbers and its watertight "Twin-Headed Dragon Formation." In reality, however, their fate was already on a countdown.
Of course, that was also the day negotiations between the Blue Star Commonwealth and the Galactic Empire in Huaxu reached an impasse. At the negotiating table, the Empire's representative, Viscount Wharton, demanded that the fugitive Imperial criminal Herito Hewen be handed over immediately. But the Commonwealth firmly rejected this "reasonable" demand.
It wasn't that the Blue Star Commonwealth truly wanted to shelter these "righteous men who had fled the Empire's tyranny to seek freedom." The main