Evil God's Vessel

The chaos in high orbit had not spread to Augustgrad below. The Imperial populace was still mired in the grief and panic brought on by the last attack. As always, after a disaster, they had no choice but to bury the dead, rebuild the fallen walls, and then start everything anew.

During this time, all of Augustgrad had come to a standstill. The municipal departments of the Terran Empire's capital had devoted themselves to restoring order, and they had done well enough to earn Emperor Augustus's recognition and commendation.

New decrees had been issued before the Emperor returned to Korhal, including orders to convert private enterprises to military production standards and manufacture war materiel, establishing a powerful arms-production system capable of supporting an interstellar war across multiple sectors. Military factories on Tarsonis, Nephor II, Bukari V, and elsewhere were operating day and night, aiming to arm the Empire from top to bottom.

Officers and reserve forces across the Empire had also been mobilized. The railway networks and spaceports of every planet were packed with Imperial soldiers about to depart for the front. Massive starships carried tens of thousands of soldiers, mechs, and armored vehicles to the grand planetary fortress bases at the front, between barracks and sprawling complexes of colossal supply depots.

Young people born in 2485 had also begun enlisting. They had happened to be born during the Guild Wars. Because birth rates had been low during the war, the supply of recruits from this generation had noticeably dwindled. They had been born into a tragic age of war, and now they were about to face the most terrible catastrophe in history.

After the attack, Augustus had briefly appeared at a press conference. He had not delivered a long-winded speech, but it seemed that his mere presence before the