Chapter 149: Clash of Ambitions: When Borders Blur
by xennovelInside the room, over a dozen patriarchs from the outer families had all gathered here via holographic projection.
On four massive virtual screens, live feeds from four different battlefields played out in real time.
Everyone in the room was visibly stirred with excitement.
“Ha! Those idiots must be utterly stunned right now!”
“They must be. Honestly, if it were me, I’d be in shock too.”
“Hmph, bet they don’t even realize Tuoba’s still holding a reserve force of a thousand warships that haven’t hit the field yet.”
“There’s really no suspense left. Let’s start discussing our next move.”
“What’s there to discuss? After this, the Third Legion’s done for, and the other three have been crippled. We should send our fleets out at once and push into the inner circle on all fronts.”
“Agreed. Even if the king still has the Capital Guard Fleet, those two thousand warships won’t turn the tide for him!”
The whole atmosphere in the room was relaxed.
After all, the current situation looked like a dream come true for the alliance of border families.
Failure didn’t even seem like a possibility.
At long last…
After being stifled for so many years, the border families could finally turn the tables and seize control!
Yet none of them realized what was going on.
Several of the star systems their families controlled had already been ceded to the Federation by Tuoba.
And since he held decisive power—and had paid a hefty price to the Federation—how could he possibly agree to share the spoils of victory with them?
Inner circle families?
No. As Tuoba saw it now, whether you belonged to the inner circle or hailed from the borders…
After this change of regime, only one family would stand at the heart of the Xitoris Kingdom.
And that was—
His own family!
——
At the same time.
While a massive interstellar war was raging on Tianyuan IV…
Nearly 9.7 light-years from the Solar System, at the outermost edge of the Barnard Defense Perimeter, stood Ross 248, under the protection of the Federation’s Ninth Fleet.
“Vice Admiral Dawson, we’ve detected unknown vessels at the current flowing toward Gliese 687. First Fleet is moving to intercept.”
Tension ran high in the command center.
Nobody knew what these newcomers wanted—war could break out at any moment.
Though the Human Federation had grown rapidly for more than a decade, expanding their fleet significantly…
They now had nine fleets in total, after three rounds of reorganization.
Currently, the Ninth Fleet boasted over five hundred warships, and the other three stationed around the Barnard Defense Perimeter were just as formidable.
That meant the Federation had over two thousand warships deployed across the entire Barnard perimeter.
And that’s not counting countless defensive installations.
Over the years, the Federation had poured tremendous resources into building up the whole Barnard defensive network.
Every ounce of construction was focused on fortification.
“Get a message to Earth’s sphere right away, and send a warning to the unknown civilization!”
“Yes, Vice Admiral!”
[Unknown Civilization, you are in Human Federation space. Immediately state your intentions or you will be treated as invaders and fired upon!]
Within seconds, the message was sent.
“Vice Admiral, warning message and our language protocols have been transmitted. No response from their side yet.”
“Maintain all fleets at alert level one.”
“Understood, Vice Admiral!”
While Dawson waited for an answer…
On the other side, deep within the current, Syndicate Collective Marshal Zuo Reis was just as baffled.
“We’ve entered the Desolate Star Region by now, right?”
“Yes, Marshal. We’re at the very edge of the Desolate Star Region.”
“So what’s with this ‘Human Federation’? Isn’t this place supposed to be deserted—no civilizations for light-years?”
“I honestly have no idea. Nobody’s explored this region in ten thousand years or more!”
His subordinates were just as perplexed by the question.
Everyone knew the Wasteland Constellation wasn’t worth anything. Every civilization considered it common knowledge.
“What’s their strength?”
“Our forward scanners show they’ve sent a small patrol fleet to intercept. Judging by their speed, ship size and communication mode, they’re probably a second-tier civilization—just like us.”
“In that case, let’s avoid hostilities. Reply and say we didn’t know this territory was claimed, then ask if they’ve seen the Klein fleet pass through.”
“Understood, Marshal!”
——
“The Syndicate Collective—isn’t that the very same second-tier civilization that helped destroy the Klein?”
“Yes, Vice Admiral. They explained their origin, said they’ve been pursuing Klein’s colony fleet, and asked if we’d seen signs of Klein’s ships.”
Dawson found himself dragging the already-defeated Klein Clan back out for another round of posthumous blame.
What a headache.
Wiped out years ago, yet somehow still causing trouble.
“Connect me to Supreme Commander Mu Xingchen!”
“Yes, Vice Admiral!”
Soon after, the call was patched through. Mu Xingchen appeared before Dawson via holographic projection.
“Dawson, what’s the situation?”
“It’s clear now. The visitors are with the Syndicate Collective. They chased Klein’s colony fleet here, told us who they are, and asked if we’d seen any Klein ships.”
After hearing the report, Mu Xingchen—a little frustrated—couldn’t help but mentally berate the Klein Clan as well.
“Here’s what we’ll do. Tell them Klein invaded us over twenty years ago and we wiped them out.”
“If there’s nothing else, have their fleet withdraw immediately. If they want diplomatic contact, they can leave behind an embassy, but the fleet must retreat or we’ll treat it as a hostile act.”
“I’ve already ordered the Third and Fourth Fleets to pull out of the Solar System and reinforce Barnard. If necessary, the Seventh and Eighth Fleets can fall back there too.”
“Bottom line, unless they appear with tens of thousands of warships, we don’t need to worry. Just keep a tough stance.”
A few minutes later.
After briefing everyone, Mu Xingchen ended the call.
Dawson immediately relayed the orders to the other side.
That left Zuo Reis hesitating.
He still wasn’t sure if their story was true, but advancing any further would be an act of war.
After all, this was their turf, far from his own homeland.
No reinforcements would ever come.
Sure, maybe they could win on the frontier, especially with current strength. But what then?
Once the enemy brought in reinforcements, they’d just be running for their lives.
So what was the point? If they’d have to flee sooner or later, why start a war at all?
“Send a reply: we’ll withdraw our fleet at once as requested, leaving only a diplomatic embassy for negotiations!”
“Understood, Marshal Zuo Reis!”