(Imperial Army Headquarters- X-0293)
It was the bimonthly meeting between Commander Aigleld and the current heads of the military officers under his faction.
The Imperial Army had millions of members so just having one person oversee all the day to day operations would be impossible.
Commanders were selected from among the four different races and each controlled a different region of the Earth Federation with the final authority belonging to a small council.
Members of this council were the most powerful beings of the Earth Federation with the minimum cultivation level of god stage to even qualify for entry.
Commander Aigleld was seated on a stone- like throne while the other members present were standing at attention not daring to even breathe under the pressure.
Not all officers were physically present as holographic projections of some officers were also interspersed in the crowd.
The meeting had been going on for several hours at this point and several important matters had already been addressed.
Hostility with the Insectoid races had recently reached a stalemate as both sides were reluctant to bring out their high-level combatants over the poor resources in the border star systems.
This was merely the calm before the storm as several hidden operations were in motion to retaliate and destroy some Insectoid-controlled planets.
"Are there any more matters to address before we wrap up this meeting," the commander calmly asked as a brief lull occurred.
His secretary glanced at a young man who was sweating profusely at the end of the table and gestured to him to speak up.
The youth was noticeably younger than the other members present, and his fair skin and golden hair revealed his noble lineage.
The young man cleared his throat slightly and began to read from his tablet,
"One of the mining colonies in the outer regions has been decreasing production due to a rebellion that started from the native races working on site."
"The natives are demanding increased payment and to create safe zones on their heritage sites on the planet where no mining can occur."
"Well…um…sir…. the protest has already spread to the two mining colonies nearby and it seems to have caused a ripple effect."
The commander glanced at the young man stammering while reading out the report and just sighed lightly.
Lieutenant Polignes was a noble scion of one of the prestigious houses in the Federation and had been assigned to an extremely easy galaxy to oversee.
His father was a powerful god stage cultivator and his son was the heir apparent to his noble territory.
Commander Aigleld gave the child a relatively safe job supervising mining colonies and even promoted his rank directly to lieutenant.
The boy was clearly still wet behind the ears to not be able to handle such a simple matter.
"What is the nature of the rebellion? Have the natives started to use violence?" one of the officers in the room asked.
"No….it has been largely peaceful, and they have just stopped working and stood outside the mine entrance to prevent extraction."
Raucous laughter echoed around the room as the older soldiers couldn't help but chuckle.
The way the young man had been describing the situation in a frantic tone had made them think that it was a serious matter.
"This meeting has come to a close. Everyone except Lieutenant Polignes please leave the room," the commander growled in a deep voice.
Holographic figures shimmered and then disappeared while the members who were physically present whispered quietly to one another while leaving.
Lieutenant Polignes burned with shame as he saw looks of mockery and jeers from the other officers before they exited the room.
Commander Aigleld was his father's close acquaintance and it was this bond that had allowed him to rise swiftly up the ranks when compared to his peers.
He could see the disappointed look on the commander's face and just sat quietly while awaiting the impending judgement.
A few minutes passed in complete silence before the commander spoke in a harsh tone,
"Did you not read the training handbook for managing colonies?"
"Yes…but the only situation described in the manual was a method for suppressing violent insurrections and none of the natives have used force…." Lieutenant Polignes hurriedly explained.
"Follow the standard procedure and do what I say to do," came the reassuring voice of the commander.
The protocol manual of the military was available to the public in order to increase accountability but many of the actual rules and regulations were kept in the dark.
Military tribunals would deal with officers who committed crimes, but high-ranking officers would usually face inconsequential punishments or simple demotions.
Things had been vastly different when Duke Peterlor was in the upper echelons of the Imperial Army, but his absence had allowed different factions to fight for control.
His strict rules were now a product of the past.
"Sir…forgive my ignorance but what is the standard procedure?" Lieutenant Polignes asked.
The words that left the commander's mouth made Polignes' blood run cold,
"Exterminate one of the native races as a warning."
"If this so-called rebellion continues…. apply for robotic workers from the military factories to handle the extraction of the materials and slaughter the rest of them."
"But sir! That's a war crime!" Lieutenant Polignes exclaimed in shock.
"Naïve boy," Commander Aigleld shook his head slightly.
"The minute the imperial army stepped foot on that tiny little planet…it was no longer their own."
He had seen many new recruits unaware of the darkness that lay beneath the patriotism and glory of working in the Imperial Army.
Conquest and exploration were all nice terms thrown around by the state media but…
What do you think happened to all the native races that resisted the Federation's extraction of their natural resources?
The answer was genocide or enslavement.
"If you are incapable of even doing this easy method, then I will have no choice but to relocate you to a battlefield," the commander threatened.
Commander Aigleld could see the hesitation and conflict in the young man's eyes which caused his tone to soften slightly,
"If you handle this matter well, I can look at promoting your rank directly by two stages."
To win over some of the more stubborn recruits, a carrot and stick method had to be utilised to encourage them to do what needed to be done.
First bring up the threat of punishment or demotion which would cause fear in the new recruits and then offer some from of benefits and most would immediately change their stance.
Lieutenant Polignes gasped in shock, rising up by two stages would make him a captain which would grant him access to a much higher salary and rare cultivation techniques.
Was it worth it to sacrifice his future for some backwards and lesser aliens?
He quelled the unpleasant feelings in his heart and looked the commander in the eyes with newfound determination in his gaze.
Crossing his right hand against his chest, he muttered the only five words that needed to be said in this situation,
"Glory to the Earth Federation."
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