"The Imperial Army is not as great as the media makes it out to be," Celestia lowered her voice and whispered into Sophie's ear.
"I found this information on a restricted forum where some guy made a conspiracy theory that the state media is being manipulate to hide the war crimes of the army."
Sophie's expression remained the unchanged but internally her thoughts were racing as certain dots were being connected in her mind.
She could spot Professor Macabre's ears twitching slightly in their direction.
"(Laugh and pretend that what you said was just a joke)"
"(We don't know if any of the instructors or monitoring devices nearby are recording our conversations)"
Sophie projected a voice qi transmission into Celestia's head and the Servie girl quickly started to follow her instructions.
"Man, there are some really crazy conspiracy theories out there," Celestia chuckled as Sophie played along with a small grin on her face.
"Girl you need to stop going on those forums. Trust me everyone there really has nothing better to do," Sophie replied cheerfully.
Truthfully, the fact that her father did not want her to join the human faction of the Imperial Army had raised her suspicions that something was amiss.
Call her paranoid but if the higher ups of the government were truly censoring the actions of the Imperial Army, then any citizens caught spreading these rumors would face punishment.
The duo changed topics to discuss more harmless pieces of gossip and Sophie's golden eyes noticed that their teacher had now stopped listening to their conversation.
(Atraobluye Star System – Planet Uslaaer)
This was the birthplace of a pre-interstellar race called the Grakoids who were scaly humanoid aliens with four legs and gill-like openings located on the sides of their chests.
It was just one of the countless races who gazed up at the night sky and wondered if they were alone in the vast universe.
Maybe one day, their leading scientists would discover the use of warp travel and they would build vessels to sail across the cosmos.
Maybe one day, they could have even become a future universal power.
But fate is often a cruel mistress….
Boom!
Explosions erupted one after another in the middle of a crowded city as multiple psionic bombs blew up.
This was hell.
A wave of purplish energy spread out from each explosion that flattened buildings and vaporized any poor soul trapped in its path.
Bang! Bang!
Some Grakoids with stronger physiques were able to bear the brunt of these explosions, but their severely injured bodies were nothing more than easy targets for the snipers hovering in the air using anti-gravity boots.
Men wearing dark cloaks and high-tech masks were calmly recharging their plasma snipers and searching for new targets.
Screams and cries from the innocent civilians echoed around the broken landscape as desperate people fled the city.
A young alien girl was separated from her mother and cried out for help when a nearby building toppled over which killed her instantly.
A couple trying to flee from the carnage were trampled to death by the mob of civilians desperate to run away as fast as they could.
"Sister please wake up!" a green skinned alien boy with gills held his sibling in his arms tightly as she stopped breathing.
"You monsters!" he screamed in pain as the life force of his precious sister slipped away.
Hate. Fear. Anger.
These emotions surfaced in his heart.
His eyes narrowed into slits as he focused his attention on the invaders who had brought his people to the brink of ruin.
These strange two- legged creatures who had arrived on their world and spoken words of peace and mercy while secretly planning to destroy them.
This was just one of the many terrorist attacks being shown on a hologram screen that were recently carried out by the hidden operatives of the imperial army.
This unlucky civilisation was located in a neutral zone in the middle of the Unova Syndicate and the Earth Federation.
These two universal powerhouses were reluctant to go to war directly with one another as the threat of the Insectoid Empire was ever present.
Proxy wars became the solution as both sides fought to occupy and colonise planets to obtain the natural resources from this star system.
As for the natives inside this war zone…. some things are better left unsaid.
Spaceships with the logo of the Imperial Army gathered around the planet's atmosphere in what could only be described as a menacing swarm.
The flagship of the fleet was an enormous star cruiser called the SS Liberator helmed by Admiral Jackson who led many a successful campaign in the Atraobluye Star System.
His fleet of ships had crews of only the top soldiers from the Imperial Army.
Espionage, explosives, sabotage, assassinations, and combat were just some of the skills that these officers were expected to have mastered.
Jackson himself was a cultivator of the void stage with a thick and muscular body covered in red tattoos that glowed eerily in the light.
His face was split entirely down the middle by a long scar that disfigured his appearance.
Using the full might of the Imperial Army may seem like overkill for such a weak civilisation, but this fleet was created to fight against the Federation's real enemy in this star system.
The Unova Syndicate.
"Do we have any new information on the inorganic composition of this planet," the admiral asked the technicians currently looking over the data collected by the scanners.
"Good news admiral! It seems that the core of that planet has an ore reserve with rare metals that we have never seen before," an excited woman wearing a white lab coat rushed forward and presented her findings.
"Well done," Admiral Jackson nodded in approval as a surge of excitement filled his heart.
It seems that a profit or a promotion could be made if he played his cards right.
"Has the media been sent the relevant footage and tapes of our victory?" Admiral Jackson asked casually.
"Yes sir! We have already transmitted the edited video," came the reply from one of his officers.
"The news tomorrow will tell of the terrible dictator Xuzax who ruled over this planet with an iron fist until the Imperial Army came to give these poor people their freedom!"
Cheers and applause erupted as the soldiers celebrated their impending fame and fortune.
There would definitely be some bonuses distributed to those who participated in the attack.
As for whether there was an actual dictator on this resource rich planet….
These backward natives clearly did not have a central government so any of their local tribe leaders could be called a dictator or portrayed as one.
Public relations and the image of the Imperial Army in the hearts of the citizens must never waver and the admiral made sure to also rouse the spirit of his men.
"Remember what we do is for our great nation! We will be the unsung heroes who will boldly expand the territory of our ancestors."
Admiral Jackson leaned back on his chair as he watched the major cities of the planet burn to the ground.
"Glory to the Earth Federation."
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