Silence reigned in the Korodo System.
A full Star day had passed since the Community Security Fleet entered the system, and they still had received no communications from the Interstellar Human Military Junta.
The destroyer Community sailed silently through the system, its stone hull glowing with green fluorescence like an asteroid caught in the star's gravitational field.
Gorpious shifted his enormous body, pacing back and forth on the bridge, his hard, exoskeleton-covered feet pounding against the floor.
Ever since entering this human empire's territory, everything had defied his expectations.
The silent systems, the communications network that gave no response, and the completely undefended border all created an eerie atmosphere.
Strange. Far too strange.
Something had to be wrong. This was absolutely not normal.
In all his years as a mercenary, Gorpious had never encountered anything like this, let alone on such an important mission. He constantly watched every movement nearby, relying on his insectoid physique to remain on the bridge for long stretches.
Two days, three days, a month.
They crossed the Korodo System and pushed deeper into the Interstellar Human Military Junta's border region.
Along the way, they found only silent stellar bases, while the mining stations continued operating normally.
Yet they never saw a single human warship, nor did anyone take the initiative to contact him.
Gorpious waited and waited, but the communications platform remained deathly silent.
Ten out of ten-no, even nine out of ten-levels of wrong.
He sent messages to the stellar bases along their route in the name of the Community Security Fleet, but received only brief well-wishes.
"Dear alien friends, have a pleasant journey!"
That wasn't right, was it?
Wasn't this country fanatically xenophobic and obsessed with racial purity?
All of this was, of course, thanks to Xi Yan's flexible moral standards.
Xenophobia was