Landing shuttles flooded the black sky of Cronos I.
Hundreds of thousands of anti-aircraft guns opened fire without hesitation while alarms blared frantically all over the planet! Meanwhile, one brave player broadcasted the events live.
"Heeey, this is Pro-Streamer! Here on Cronos I, the ground battle is about to begin. The loud noise you hear behind me is the sound of anti-aircraft guns and alarms! Here on the western continent, madness reigns!
"The first skirmishes have already taken place! Our sources tell us that some of the SuperGuilds have joined the Orc Empire, such as BlackJack and The Scourge! I sincerely hope that we'll see some star players fighting during this battle. That's why we're following the Hyrule SuperGuild with veteran player Zelda! Of course, this proximity will also ensure our protection against possible enemies. This has been Pro-Streamer. Enjoy the game!"
The chaos was absolute. Landing craft filled the sky, plummeting toward the ground to deliver their payloads. Some exploded before they even landed, others sputtered to the ground, and those that landed had to deal with Federation infantry who met them with laser fire.
The players, of course, were all too happy for the chance at such easy EXP!
Far above the landing craft, the Orc war fleet raided the planet's major urban centers, razing buildings and slaughtering the poor Federation soldiers, NPC and player alike, who didn't have time to take cover.
***
CRONOS I FEDERATION WAR BUNKER
Marshall Androf and his commanders sat at a round table. Above them hung a huge holographic screen with a map showing the planet's different zones in real time.
One commander said, "Skirmishes are taking place in the metropolis of Nokful in the North, in the large city of Sakakoto in the South, and in Eastor in the East! Nevertheless, the Orc troops seem deliberately to avoid the Planet Capital in the West."
Marshall Androf replied, "Every city that falls must be systematically atomized. We must leave the enemy only ash and corpses!"
A commander raised his voice. "I understand, Marshall, but our stock of atomic bombs is very limited! Grand Admiral Azerof left a limited quantity on the planet—only a few dozen for the special forces' usage. Most of them were installed on ships for space combat, though we were still able to rig the largest cities."
Marshall Androf nodded. "Very well. What's our civilian evacuation percentage?"
Another commander answered, "Barely 10% of the world's ten billion Geoils have been fully evacuated. The rest have been at least evacuated far from major cities. Nevertheless, it's a safe bet that there will be major civilian casualties."
Marshall Androf replied, "Civilian casualties are not a problem. Hostage taking, however, 'is.' That could wreak havoc on our soldiers' morale, weakening their resolve! Immediately order our senior officers to eliminate every hesitant soldier!"
A heavy silence fell across the room.
The people of the Federation were hardly a warrior or butcher people. Rather, they were deeply peaceful and tolerant, people who hadn't known war for generations.
It went without saying that this order terrified the surrounding officers.
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