The Dyson Sphere War was brewing, yet an eerie calm seemed to have settled over the Sea of Stars. Neither online nor in the movements of the real world was there any sign that war was approaching.
It was as though the universe was still the same universe, with no war at all.
The intelligence compiled by [Ashes], however, painted an entirely different picture.
After the renowned hero Kai Sha joined the Empire and took command of Ashes' entire foreign intelligence department, she repaid the trust placed in her with boundless enthusiasm for her work, quickly establishing an intelligence network that spanned the Sea of Stars.
She even drew on her old contacts to help Ashes build its information network. In just over a year, Ashes began supplying a steady stream of intelligence on aliens to the Empire, including information about the Dyson Sphere War.
According to that intelligence, despite there being no visible sign of war, the principal belligerents-the Human Federation and the Xindari Triumvirate-had already begun expanding their militaries on a massive scale, building defensive lines, and secretly courting allies. They could unleash a major war whenever they wished.
The Dyson Sphere War was simply too important. It would determine not only ownership of that abandoned Dyson Sphere, but also the fate of the Human Federation and the Xindari Triumvirate for nearly the next century. The winner would take everything; the loser would face the destruction of its nation and the extermination of its species.
Now, all that stood between them and war was a single spark.
Consider that young man from Serbia's shot that once shook the world.
It would take only one spark to throw the Sea of Stars into chaos and trigger a vast war of national annihilation.
So what would that spark be?
Xi