Ceasar had just emerged from behind some rubble…
…And there were over a thousand high-level players behind him.
"White?!" Ceasar asked in disbelief. "White from Eclipse? What the hell are you doing here?"
Of course, White was also quite surprised to see Ceasar! White "I could ask you the same thing!"
Ceasar snorted. "Let's just say it's because of your guild leader that I'm stuck here. I assume that bastard isn't far away?"
White replied, "That's none of your business!"
Ceasar equipped his huge hammer, swinging it as though it weighed nothing, then planting it at his feet. There had been some humor in his expression before, but it was gone now. "I disagree. I appreciate and respect Apophis, but you and your guild? I couldn't care less. Tell me where Apophis is."
White was in a complicated situation. There was no way she and her small squad could defeat Ceasar's army of over a thousand. Eventually, she decided the best course of action was to answer vaguely.
"He was captured by the Imperials."
Ceasar laughed. "Apophis? Captured? I don't believe that for a second."
White shrugged. "I'm telling you the truth. We can make a contract that will force me to tell the truth if you want..."
Ceasar sighed. "Alright, fine. I believe you. Then I guess you're on your way to rescue him?" He eagerly raised his hammer.
White paused for a moment.
She knew Ceasar and Apophis were rivals, but she was unsure as to the exact nature of this relationship. Could it be that Ceasar would offer to help rescue Apophis, just so that he could have another chance to fight him?
"No…" she said at last, dragging out her words slowly. "We have another mission, and it's off-world, so we're trying to leave the planet."
Ceasar looked amused. "Aha! And how do you expect to destroy the anti-aircraft batteries? We've been observing them, too. They're pretty secure."
White gritted her teeth. "A strategy is being prepared..."
Ceasar said, "Bullshit! Until our own rescue fleet arrives, we have no way of leaving this planet ourselves, and I know for a fact that we have more men and resources than the entirety of Eclipse! ...And even then, it won't exactly be an easy task for the rescue fleet to defeat the Imperial fleet and then take care of the anti-aircraft batteries. We'll probably be here for a while."
White said, "I know, but we have to try anyway. Obviously, we don't intend to attack the installments head-on! We're going to stay hidden and, well, wait for the right opportunity."
Ceasar looked amused again. "Yes, we've been using that same strategy for quite a while. Perhaps together our chances would be better… our chances at survival, at the very least. And perhaps we could… rescue the players that the NPCs have imprisoned nearby."
White was astonished. "Wait, you're suggesting we form an alliance?" She could hardly believe that someone as legendary as Ceasar would suggest such a thing!
Ceasar nodded. "Yes. Don't look so surprised! Our guilds are co-members of the Defense Council, right? We're practically friends. Logically, it's both of our responsibilities to help each other."
There was a bit of sarcasm in his voice. Both of them obviously knew that their guilds would jump at each other's throats, given the opportunity, even if they were supposed to be allies.
But, of course, this was a special circumstance.
White thought about this for a moment. "None of our members are imprisoned. You're asking quite a lot of us. You want a guild that was your enemy a week ago to risk everything to help rescue your men?"
Ceasar rolled his eyes. "Look, if you help us with this, I'll help you to rescue Apophis."
White smirked. She had a feeling that Ceasar had asked them to help him for the sake of it looking like a transaction. Her assumption that Ceasar wanted to help rescue his rival seemed accurate.
In the end, though, assisting in Ceasar's rescue mission was a fairly small price to pay for the assistance of one of the game's strongest players, one of the legendary 7 Gods.
"Alright," said White. "I'll talk to the mission leader. Start preparing the contract, but understand that he'll make the final decision, no matter what I want to do."
Ceasar smiled in triumph. "Perfect! I'll try to gather as many other guilds as possible for this rescue mission. Make sure the answer comes back soon."
***
Terra—Planetary orbit—Azerof's flagship
The huge Imperial fleet was still in orbit after the recent battle against the rebel Federation. The tiny ships of hundreds of salvage and repair crews flitted around the battlefield like flies on the corpses after a land battle.
On the Imperial flagship, Admiral Hazh entered the command deck and reported to Emperor Azerof. "Milord, the Federation felons have retreated. We have won!"
Emperor Azerof nodded impatiently. "That has been clear for some time, Admiral. Well, what are our losses?"
Admiral Hazh said, "We lost 35,000 fighters, 10,000 corvettes, 200 destroyers, sixty-seven cruisers, and fifteen dreadnoughts, including two heavy dreadnoughts.
"Of the remaining ships, 18% were heavily damaged and are out of commission. 38% suffered heavy damage but can still travel. In total, 78% of our participating ships have sustained notable damage.
"However, Sir, I also have some good news. Of the ships which surrendered or which have been otherwise captured, we have tallied forty-three destroyers, thirty-five cruisers, and two battleships."
This was especially good news because all the ships in the battle were, of course, standard Federation models crewed by people with standard Federation training.
It would be incredibly easy to substitute captured ships for those which had been damaged in the battle, or at least to cannibalize them for parts to repair the Imperial fleet.
There was even a good chance that many of the rebel crew members could either be pressed into Imperial service with little risk of meaningful sabotage, or had only been following orders in the first place, in which case they would slip easily back into service aboard Imperial ships.
Though civil wars were bloody and desperate, this was one area in which civil war battles were better for the survivor compared to a war against an alien race whose ships and crews were completely incompatible with standard Federation military logistics.
Therefore, Emperor Azerof was in a fairly good mood upon hearing this news. "Our top priority is to repair the fleet. Tell the crews to move faster. Announce bonuses and commendations for the top percentage of repair crews… with the threat of capital punishment if their repairs don't hold up!
"If we are to reclaim the human worlds from the filthy Federation bastards who happily allow Xeno parasites to pollute it, we need every single laser turret fully operational."
Admiral Hazh saluted. "At once, Milord. I will transmit the order at once."
Suddenly, the ship's alarm sounded!
Emperor Azerof glared at the nearest communications officer on the command deck. "What's going on?!"
Admiral Hazh ripped a tablet out of the hands of a nearby ensign, staring at the information displayed on it. "A fleet has emerged from hyperspace!"
Emperor Azerof growled, "The rebels again?!"
Admiral Hazh replied, "Unlikely, Sir! They are not transmitting a Federation signal beacon."
"Unknown signal beacon!" a communications officer shouted, echoing the information.
Emperor Azerof shouted, "Return the fleet to combat formation! Prepare for an all-out attack at once!"
Admiral Hazh brought the tablet closer to his face. "Radio contact range in three… two… one... This is Admiral Hazh, Deputy Fleet Commander of the Imperium of Humanity! Unknown fleet approaching Terra, identify yourselves or you will be fired upon!"
But the fleet remained silent until they were close enough to be visible to the naked eye through the huge viewports of the command deck.
Admiral Hazh blinked at the ships in confusion, squinting to make sure that he was seeing things right. "Those aren't Federation ships at all! Nor Orcish, nor any military! They're… human civilians?!"
Suddenly, a radio signal crackled through the ship's intercom.
"This is Lotus, Commander of the Eternal Coalition Forces, Lord of Era and Viceroy of the Kingdom of BlackStar, requesting radio contact."
There was a long moment of silence, and then Azerof pressed the button on his throne that patched him directly into the feed. His voice was full of fury.
"This is Emperor Azerof of the Imperium of Humanity. Lord of Terra. You have trespassed in a system belonging to the Empire. Turn back immediately!"
Lotus's voice was calm as it came back. "We are on a mission to rescue our ten million compatriots who are stranded on the planet. Please allow us to pass."
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