An eerie silence hung over the Starfish Republic's command room. The plump starfish, each a different color, watched reports stream in from the front, complicated emotions showing in all three pairs of their eyes.
"The Habinte Unified Worlds... they aren't ordinary primitives. Where did these fleets come from?"
"There's no doubt about it... we've provoked a Lost Empire. This empire disguised itself as a primitive civilization. That's utterly insane!"
Dacha's fleet was on par with the standing forces of a typical Lost Empire. It was even somewhat larger than those of the Militant Isolationists, who had the most ships.
They had hidden their entire naval port and fleet in subspace, using their unique technology to reduce the fleet's upkeep and thus retain more ships.
This had caught the Starfish Republic completely off guard.
The sight of space shattering all at once, revealing a massive fleet beneath its broken surface, was so stunning that even Xi Yan, watching from far away, couldn't help marveling.
"What do we do now? The Habinte Unified Worlds... we've already provoked this Lost Empire. We can't just surrender, can we?"
One starfish could only lower their head and say helplessly, "We have no choice but to keep fighting."
After a brief spell of dejection, they regained their confidence.
The Starfish Republic had never feared anyone!
A mere Lost Empire wasn't enough to frighten the starfish much.
After all, they were an interstellar hegemon with vast territories and an enormous population. Dealing with a Lost Empire that had little territory and only a single fleet would be troublesome, not frightening.
"Very well. So what if they're a Lost Empire? The Starfish Republic has its own particular circumstances. Then let us fight!"
"Just a decrepit old relic with a tiny territory and one fleet. It's about time we