Enemy Movements
"Your Majesty, the Koya Alliance's strategy remains the same as before. According to intelligence, the Qi-103 Star System has long been deserted. Several other star systems bordering it are also initiating relocation work." Terra was reporting the situation to Sarah. As Sarah's former chief bodyguard and now Blade, Terra had independent command authority. However, most of the time, she held both positions.
On the Swarm side, aside from grasping the overall strategic direction, Rowan has delegated all other authority, allowing the Blade to operate independently. After all, the future battlefront will inevitably be very long, and he alone cannot possibly monitor every clash.
Moreover, he made some new discoveries on Bodi Planet, which shifted his focus.
In this situation, the Zerg's Virtual Royal Court began to resemble something more authentic.
"Hmph, they're quite self-aware, but what about the other side?"
"According to the Locke Mutual Aid Society, based on their troop movements and intelligence, they have chosen to engage us in battle," Terra reported, relaying the information she had gathered.
"Alright, they all chose to back down in the first round of attacks, which was rather boring. Now we've finally met an opponent who wants to test their skills against us, which is a welcome change before the big battle. Terra, what are they planning to do?" Sarah perked up immediately upon hearing the Locke Mutual Aid Society's choice.
"They have realized our intention to advance in four directions and plan to divide our limited forces into two groups, mainly to defend the LKDW262 and LKDW263 star systems."
"That's a good idea, but what about the LKDW265 and 267 star systems?"
"The Locke Mutual Aid Society has begun evacuating ordinary residents from the area, while simultaneously laying numerous mines around the star system and deploying some fast warships to conduct guerrilla warfare, doing everything possible to hold back our forces."
"Wouldn't doing this contradict their original intentions?"
"Yes, it's said that their internal conflicts have escalated over this matter, and the Koya Alliance seized on it to launch a barrage of sarcastic remarks."
"Tch, no matter what, the Locke Mutual Aid Society is still a hundred times better than those cowards from the Koya Alliance. But aren't these outsiders underestimating us? They can change, so why can't we?"
"Your Majesty, what should we do next?" Terra asked.
Sarah pondered for a moment, "We'll proceed largely according to the original plan, except that the convergence point for star systems LKDW262 and 263 will be moved back by one light-year. I want to see if they dare to come out."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
--
Thirty years into the New Era, one light-years outside the LKDW262 and 263 star systems, the space distortion suddenly subsided, and an Ancient Class emerged from the Warp Bubble, followed by a second, a third...
Soon after, a surveillance radar in the void detected the situation.
"Report! Enemy detected!" An operator stood up to report as the alarm sounded.
"What's going on?" the Coalition Army commander asked in surprise, since, in theory, the Zerg vanguard should not have emerged from the Warp Bubble for another two months.
"Zerg forces discovered one light-years outside star systems LKDW262 and 263."
"What! Call a meeting with all commanders immediately!"
--
"What! A reconnaissance unit?"
"According to feedback from the front, the enemy's numbers are increasing rapidly, and it's highly likely that they are their main force."
"Hateful!"
"Although it was somewhat unexpected, the Zerg are, after all, an intelligent race, and it's only natural that they would adjust their tactics according to our plans. It's just that their previous methods gave us a misconception."
"It's not too late to retreat now; our warships should be able to escape!" The internal conflicts within the Locke Mutual Aid Society are very serious. The struggle between the opposition and the avoidance faction has spread to the Coalition Army.
"Bullshit! The warships may escape, but what about the civilians?" a commander shouted angrily.
"Tch, they can barely take care of themselves right now, how can they worry about anything else? If they had formed the Koya Alliance from the beginning, none of this would have happened."
"Babuta! If you make any more similar remarks, I will request a vote to remove you from command."
"Babuta, you should say less. We would never do something like the Koya Alliance," another commander advised.
"Come on, who's afraid of who! Just withdraw me, and if we lose, it won't be my fault. Besides, aren't LKDW265 and 267 supposed to be learning from the Koya Alliance? Did those evacuated people go on a group tour?" Facing accusations from his two companions, the commander named Babuta was not intimidated at all and retorted to both of them.
"You!"
"Shut up, all of you! Let's start discussing how to deal with this. Anyone who says anything irrelevant can leave!" The speaker was a man over two meters tall with dark bronze skin, whose well-defined muscles were still visible even in combat uniform. He slammed his large hand on the table and roared angrily.
"Snort!"
"Snort!"
"..."
Babuta, who had just been holding his own against two opponents, now only dared to snort coldly and said nothing more. This shows that the person who slammed the table held a high position of power, even in this conference room full of commanders.
The others were not surprised by Babuta's reaction. After all, his distinctive appearance made it clear that the speaker was a Telo Race. As one of the founders of the Locke Mutual Aid Society and the most powerful race within it, his words carried considerable weight.
Seeing that the guy who was trying to shake morale had finally shut up, Musha breathed a sigh of relief. These guys who avoided battle were a real headache. It was a pity that the guy who could stand in this room represented a certain amount of power and interests. Otherwise, he would have ordered his men to drag him out and kill him long ago.
Fortunately, the Telo Race is still powerful, and to avoid being held accountable later, all members must give them some face. Musha looked around at the attendees and coughed lightly. "I don't care what your ulterior motives are, but now we must work together to win this battle. If we do well, you will all rise to great heights; if we do poorly, you will likely be the scapegoats. So we are all in this Grasshopper, and no one should hold us back."
Seeing that everyone was sitting upright and no fools jumped out to raise objections, Musha nodded in satisfaction and continued, "The Zerg's gathering point is now located one light-year outside the LKDW262 and 263 star systems. This is far from our expectations and presents us with a huge challenge. How should we respond next? I hope you can all offer your suggestions."
After Musha finished speaking, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward, and he gave a displeased look.
The two-meter-tall giant's signal was quite clear, and someone immediately received it.
"Ahem, let me start. I think the key to this problem lies in whether we take the initiative or choose to defend ourselves."