Novel Full Chapter 954: Releasing all of the Shackles
Chapter 954: Releasing all of the Shackles
Distance is the chokehold of space warfare. With such a vast expanse between the wormhole entry points and the Solar System, it was impossible for the invaders to hide, no matter how stealthy they tried to be. Knowing this, they didn’t even try. They had the numbers advantage from the start. Within ten minutes of the invasion’s launch, more than one hundred and fifty fleets had already entered imperial territory.
For now, they moved in unison, attempting to secure advantageous positions while simultaneously gathering absolute coordinates to allow for rapid reinforcement. As this was happening, nearly fifty of those fleets headed directly for the Oort cloud, targeting the primary entry point to the Solar System. Their goal was to punch through the defenses at the Trade Hub, secure it, and then push deeper into the system. Their intelligence, gathered during their previous time in the system, told them it would take the bulk of the imperial forces longer to arrive, giving them a crucial time advantage.
…………..
“Didn’t our simulations predict they would need three months to be ready? What did we miss?” Aron asked Nyx. She was responsible for intelligence gathering and had been monitoring VR activity, using the number of military personnel logging off as a benchmark.
{The number of military-affiliated individuals who logged off VR and did not return was approximately five hundred million,} Nyx reported. {However, judging by the number of fleets they’ve deployed, I estimate there are at least two billion soldiers. They most likely gathered the majority of them from star systems not yet connected to the VR network, suspecting we were capable of monitoring it.}
Nyx provided the hypothesis not as an excuse, but as the most logical conclusion, and everyone in the meeting room understood that.
“What is the status of the wormhole and VR projects?” Aron asked, his thoughts turning to the millions of imperial citizens—overseers, technicians, and workers—now stranded at those remote sites.
{We issued an immediate recall order, but the structure of the wormhole network makes a near-instant return impossible,} Athena responded this time, now acting as the central coordinator for the war effort. {They would have to travel through a number of connected wormholes before reaching the Nexus, which is now under enemy control. We adjusted the order and instructed them to board their ships and enter light speed to avoid capture. We will be responsible for retrieving them. A few managed to escape, but the rest have either been captured or killed by the Conclave forces that were already there to secure the wormholes.}
“What are the casualties?” Aron asked, his voice unnaturally calm, like the air before a storm.
{17,826,008 are confirmed dead. 127,962,423 are captured, injured, or trapped on locked-down space stations surrounded by the invading forces,} she answered.
Crack!
The sound echoed in the virtual room. Everyone saw the conference table in front of Aron had fractured, despite Nova programming unnatural durability into such objects to prevent this very thing. Nova repaired it instantly, and the meeting continued as if nothing had happened.
“When will our forces engage them?” Aron asked, his tone just as calm as before.
{In exactly three hours,} Athena said, conjuring a miniature holographic map of the Solar System. {Our rapid-response forces will intercept them here.} She indicated a line in the Oort cloud where the two fleets would meet, showing their current locations and velocities. She then expanded the map, highlighting the other enemy fleets moving along the system’s outer edge. {As for these flanking groups, it will take them days, some up to two weeks, to get into position to surround us.}
“They’re spreading out,” Aron observed, immediately grasping their strategy. “They want to ensure a single black hole bomb won’t be enough. And if we use multiple bombs while surrounded, we risk destabilizing the entire system and taking ourselves out with them. Either way, they win.”
“They are also collecting absolute coordinates to bring in reinforcements without the long journey,” John added.
“Based on our current preparations, can we handle the initial onslaught while the rest of our forces mobilize?” Aron asked.
“Yes,” John answered. “But we will face some difficulty if we keep our own wormhole technology hidden, as was the original plan.”
“There is no need to hide anything,” Aron declared. His expression was one they had never seen before. “This war ends only when one side is defeated. Do not worry about keeping cards close to your chest. I want the empire to stretch its wings and deal with this enemy.”
They didn’t question whether the Emperor’s decision was fueled by anger over the millions of dead and captured citizens. They only saw his determination to end this conflict swiftly, before it could drag on and become even more dangerous.
“Then, can we use it to rescue our stranded citizens?” John asked. If they were going all out, rescuing their people was paramount, as the enemy would surely use them as human shields once they realized the empire was no longer holding back.
“Yes. Bring me a revised plan for an all-out offensive,” Aron commanded.
John and Athena nodded before disappearing. They entered a new virtual instance with a much higher time acceleration. The contingency plans already existed, but they needed to be adjusted for their current state of semi-preparedness before they could be implemented.
Unknowingly, the Conclave had just given Aron the justification he needed to unleash the full might of his military, without having to hold back for a potential future enemy who might learn from the conflict.
“How are the citizens reacting to the announcement?” Aron asked, turning to the Minister of the Interior, who had been silent throughout the military discussion.
“They’ve taken the news well,” the Minister replied. “Seeing the shields go up seems to have calmed the majority of them, but they are eagerly awaiting your address for more information. As for the VR network, we are waiting for your decision on what to do with it.”
“Good. I will address them in five minutes,” Aron said before turning to Sarah, who was also present at the meeting due to her control over the vital VR network. “Isolate the empire again, but leave the VR active for the other civilizations. We are planning to continue using it to mine for information, unless they take down their signal towers.”
“On it,” Sarah said, before leaving to implement the orders.