All unfolded as Andre had foreseen. In the board meeting, Clyde, CEO of Antonios Financial Group, offered Andre his unyielding support, and the rest of the senior board directors from the Antonios Ion Group reluctantly cast their votes in favor of the plan. The resolution to begin military intervention in the mysterious star system was approved by a wide margin. The only slight hiccup was when the CEO of Moore Shipping Group finally spoke up: "I get where you all are coming from: we are a commercial consortium, and we must protect our trade routes, but why must we resort to war? Can't we reach a peaceful agreement with the Empire faction in the X Star System?"
I'm afraid that's not an option," Andre shook his head, "You underestimate this star system's loyalty to the Imperium. These secret research institutions are always led by dyed-in-the-wool Imperial partisans."
"That's right," Clyde chimed in, "Think about it; if you were from the Empire and you were commanded to shut down the Stargate and conceal yourself, even if the Empire was falling apart... What would that mean? It would mean that the research being carried out in this star system is of the utmost importance, potentially beyond what anyone could even conceive."
"Therefore, we simply must obtain full control of the X Star System!" The CEO of Roland - Carilion Industries struck the table with his fist, "We must not let the Alliance, or any other factions, get ahead of us!"
"One thing is certain: the Imperial loyalists in the X Star System have no idea that the Empire has fallen. If they knew, they'd already be working to reestablish it. Remember, in the Battle of St. Triumph, the Trudecim escaped with a scratch. Even if they couldn't rebuild the Empire, wouldn't they at least try to avenge its demise? Should they need an ally, I imagine the Antonios Consortium won't be at the top of their list."
The people in the room exchanged looks; none expressed any disagreement. Indeed, it was true. The moment the Antonios Consortium decided to secretly cut ties with the Empire, they became its adversaries. This was compounded by their actions in the subsequent Garden Campaign, where the Antonios Legion, led by the legendary General Palmer Lloyd, defeated the Empire's Fleet. They didn't just wipe out the Empire's Expeditionary Force. They also killed one of the Empire's most skilled Imperial military leaders: Marshal Banus Assanes Antonios' betrayal ended any chance the Empire ever had to win the war.
"So, peace was never an option for us. Our best and only course of action is to conquer this star system quickly and with overwhelming force," the CEO of Vitas said coldly, "Once that happens, no one will dare to defy us."
"What about the missive from the Terran Sphere Government?" asked the CEO of Moore Transport.
"That could very well be a test," Andre asserted solemnly, "Don't overlook the fact that the X Star System's coordinates weren't mentioned at all. If the Terran Sphere Government had any intentions of cooperating, wouldn't they include such crucial information?"
The people exchanged another round of looks. Some were going to speak up, but ultimately all of them opted to remain silent.
"Then how should we reply to that missive?" The CEO of Vitas broke the silence.
"Many times, silence itself can be a reply." Clyde shook his head, "Moreover, as far as anyone is concerned, we never received any missives."
After the decision was made, Andre's first action was to order the fleet to deploy four beacons to the Stargate for early reconnaissance. Fortunately, all four beacons relayed information back to the center, indicating they had reached an unknown star system on the other side. According to the plan, these four beacons then split up in four directions along the ecliptic to scout and explore the X Star System.
Following the enactment of the resolution, Antonios' colossal war machine began to rumble into action. Fleets from Antonios, normally stationed in other star systems, received their return orders and set course for home. Even ordinary people recognized that something big was happening. The ceaseless hustle and bustle of commerce fleets disappeared, supplanted by the unusual spectacle of battleships zipping through the Stargates to the Garden Star System. Martial law was instituted in various industrial districts, and armed patrols started to appear on the main thoroughfares, instantly intensifying the unsettling atmosphere throughout the City of Antontas.
Just three hours after the meeting, Andre's advisors presented him with a detailed military strategy. Andre quickly flipped through the plan. It was impeccable. Antonios' fleet would split into three distinct legions. Once the beacons sent back precise information, the first legion would advance as the vanguard fleet, using the decoded coordinates to enter the Stargate and jump to the X Star System. Upon receiving a signal from the first legion, the second legion would promptly enter the Stargate, preparing for engagement. The third legion would act as backup and support, on standby for any emergencies.
A consensus had been reached within the Antonios Consortium: this war must end quickly and decisively. The goal was to conclude the conflict before the Terran Sphere and other factions could step in. Should the war become protracted, the Antonios Consortium would find itself in quite a quagmire. Thus, nearly every fighter plane and battleship in Antonios was summoned to join the operation. The military even went the extra mile by enlisting large commercial and mining ships, intending to retrofit them as battleships.
Surprisingly, for the next few days, Andre had nothing on his usually busy schedule. This was to be expected, though. The busiest time comes before the war machine is activated. Now that everything was in place, there wasn't much left to do.
The formation of the three major fleets had already been reviewed by the Military Strategic Center and submitted to Andre for final approval. Andre found himself at a loss of words after reviewing the plan. The Strategic Center had substantially expanded the Vanguard Fleet's lineup. Not only did they increase the ship count, but they also moved a Marshal Crux Carrier from the second major legion to the Vanguard Fleet. Moreover, the Strategic Center aimed to conscript thirty massive mining ships, entrusting Carilion Industries to retrofit them into Rapid Light Cruisers and add them to the lineup.
In addition, reports from the Terran Sphere validated the board's speculations. Apparently, the Terran Sphere Government had done a sloppy job of keeping everything confidential... News of the X Star System's discovery had been making the rounds throughout the Terran Sphere. Heated conversations on the topic could be heard in just about every restaurant in the City of Dawn.
After learning the situation, Andre let out a sneering laugh. The brain trust of the Terran Sphere Government was anything but fools. The government had deliberately leaked the news to the public. Heck, they had even started to reach out to potential partners who could help them explore the star system, such as the Antonios Consortium, NOMA Shipping Group, Ares Corps, Germanicus Corps, etc. By doing this, they ensured a favorable position in the court of public opinion should other factions refuse to work with them. Furthermore, no additional information had been found by intelligence agents; neither Jupiter Industries nor Pangaea Corporation had issued an official statement about this matter.
Andre not only greenlighted the Strategic Center's proposal for military expansion, but he also doubled the number of mining ships. Additionally, he made significant changes to the fleet configurations. He transferred half of the capital ships to the vanguard fleet, changing it into another standard combat fleet. The planning continued. All ships assigned to the fleet were ordered to assemble near the Stargate upon their return to the Garden Star System. The moment the vanguard fleet received the signal from the beacons, they would warp drive to the X Star System. As soon as the initial contact had been made with enemy fleets, the second fleet would instantly proceed to the Stargate and try to win the battle right then and there.
The Antonios Consortium would then declare the X Star System to be under their jurisdiction before the Terran Sphere Government and other factions even had a chance to react.
After finalizing the last document of the day, Andre sank wearily into his chair. He turned off every light in his circular office, sparing only the spherical light above the glass eco-sphere. As he lifted his head, he met the intense gaze of Marshal Bali. Andre was convinced that if Marshal Bali had been sitting where he was, he'd have made the same decisions.
Indeed, the temptation of the X Star System was far too strong; no one could resist the lure of the technical black box developed by the Empire's mysterious research institute. Should someone have asked what the most valuable commodity of this era was, nearly all would concur—the technical black box. In times of old, when humanity hadn't yet gained control over regulated nuclear fusion technology, energy was the crown jewel. All economic activity essentially revolved around the buying and bartering of energy. Once regulated nuclear fusion technology emerged, the age-old energy bottleneck that had hamstrung humanity disappeared. Most people back then were hardly aware of what had occurred, but what followed next caught everyone off guard. Regulated nuclear fusion technology utterly revolutionized the shape of human society and its economic systems. The economy of the technical black box began to take shape. As humanity commenced large-scale exploration of the solar system, new technologies became increasingly specialized. One could never completely grasp all aspects of a single technology in their lifetime. As a result, foundational technologies were rebranded into transferable modules that were traded between large entities, groups, and even nations, supplanting the old energy trading system. In hindsight, that was merely the inception of what could be termed the "technological economy." However, the true economic shift never became mainstream due to the ease of replicating technology and the progress in reverse engineering. Only when uncrackable quantum storage technology appeared did disposable technical black boxes come into existence, allowing for the true establishment of a technical black box economy.
These technical black boxes were the era's most coveted treasures. Particularly after the disintegration of the Empire, innumerable technical black boxes were scattered throughout the starry expanses. This led to the emergence of full-time treasure hunters. These daring adventurers piloted ramshackle ships through space, scrounging through wreckage in pursuit of these elusive boxes.
Andre's eyes landed on the eco-sphere on his desk. In the soft, yellow lighting, the aquatic plants took on an even brighter shade. The two little fish were still leisurely swimming around, occasionally nipping at the plants. They kept bumping into the glass wall. With a quick flick of their tails, they would dart off in another direction.
Suddenly, Andre was curious about whether these fish realized that their world is confined to a glass orb the size of a human palm. Are they aware that the light filling their world comes from a miniature floating lamp?
With a move of his hand, he created a small shadow that momentarily darkened the sphere, yet the fish seemed entirely unperturbed. They remained oblivious to the potential doom their world could face if the shadow persisted.
What about our world?
Andre sighed.
Our reach once extended to one-third of the galaxy, and countless Stargates connected us across the celestial vastness. Now, our world is on a path to ruin, and we still can't stop fighting.
"Are we any smarter than these tiny fish?" Andre wondered, retracting his hand and letting the light flood back into the small world once again. It occurred to him how vulnerable the position of the Antonios Consortium was, just like this fragile glass orb.
If they won the imminent battle, they'd rise to dominate the galaxy; their commerce fleets would answer to no one. What if the Empire Legions in the X Star System were far more powerful than expected? What if they couldn't secure a quick victory? What if other powers, such as the Terran Sphere Government and NOMA Shipping Group, chose to intervene? The fallout could be devastating, even for Antonios. In the best-case scenario, they'd lose all their territory, shut down their stargates, and withdraw to the Garden Star System. In the worst-case scenario, Antonios would be utterly annihilated.
For a moment, Andre felt as if he had been teleported back to that ominous dream, only this time he saw even more. He saw thousands of Imperial ships, armed to the teeth, storming out of the X Star System and exiting the Garden Star System's Stargate. Three other equally massive fleets from the Empire suddenly showed up from another three Lagrange Points, just like Marshal Assanes had done years ago. Those Antonios legions stationed to defend the Stargates were obliterated in a flash by the Empire's retribution. Then, the Imperial Fleets charged towards Antontas, their enormous cannons aimed squarely at the city.
When Andre woke up, he was drenched in cold sweat. He remained seated for quite some time, slowly shaking off the melancholy feeling of the dream.
His fists clenched, Andre made a silent but firm resolution: none of this could be allowed to happen.
