{We're putting up a strong fight. The local recruits are holding their ground with a determination that can only co from defending their hos. They know what's waiting for them if we fail,} the Little Protagonist said, her voice calm but underlined by urgency. {We haven't lost a single planet yet. But the last one we captured is currently the most vulnerable one. Its military industry isn't operational yet, and by the ti the attacks started we hadn't finished setting up their production chains. The soldiers there are trained, but they're relying entirely on the equipnt we brought for the invasion. I suggest we transfer so spare ships from systems that currently have more than they need to help them hold the line.}
Dreznor nodded, scanning the report she'd compiled. The initial shock of the Conclave's surprise counteroffensive had already passed, as six hours had gone by since the first wave hit. Still, the strategic implications were only now beginning to crystallize.
"They really hid it well," he said. "So well that even the Empire's intelligence network missed it. That's no small feat. They must've coordinated this using entirely independent systems, as nothing that passed through the channels the empire managed to compromise."
He leaned back slightly, then added, "As for the vulnerable systems, let's wait. We monitor the situation closely, but we don't send reinforcents unless it starts going badly. We still don't know how the Conclave plans to escalate. If we strip ships from other fronts now, we could weaken them and open the door for a coordinated strike sowhere else. We might end up losing a planet not because of poor defense, but because we gambled the deploynt at the wrong ti."
Despite the suddenness of the attack, it hadn't caught them entirely off guard. Dreznor had anticipated retaliation. From the mont they started liberating worlds, he knew there would be a reckoning, and with each planet they took, the clock had ticked closer to the inevitable Conclave counterstrike.
So, the groundwork had been laid ahead of ti. After every liberation, those found guilty of heinous cris were swiftly dealt with to act as sothing to unite the majority of the planet, who were the poor people and the ones who were on the receiving end of these cris. New planetary leaders were then imdiately placed in VR pods for imrsive governance training assimilation, including worst-case scenarios like hostile reclamation attempts. The doctrine ingrained in their minds was simple: always act as if the enemy could return tomorrow. That doctrine was now paying off. Every world had t the attacking fleets head-on and held.
{There's also word from the Empire,} the Little Protagonist added. {They're holding true to their stance. No direct intervention.}
"I expected as much," Dreznor replied, his tone even, without disappointnt or resentnt. "They've already done more than enough. Asking for more now would be no different than begging for handouts. And frankly, we've been given every tool we need already."
He paused, then said, "Still… the silence from the top ten civilizations, particularly the Trinarians and the Shadari, it bothers . Their absence from this operation feels deliberate."
{It is. And there's more. The Empire said they're considering a new tactic, spreading your ideology in the VR, rallying support through cultural influence rather than military might. They believe that stirring enough chaos from within might either force the Conclave to double down prematurely or force a reckoning among its leadership. They're waiting for confirmation from a few variables… and your approval. Do we proceed?}
"Yes," Dreznor answered without hesitation. "Even if it backfires. Even if it accelerates the Conclave's response. It'll force them to act faster and, from that, make mistakes. They'll rush to squash the ideology before it spreads and causes rebellion on their own planets. And so of those people might feed us intelligence from within. Either way, it brings us closer to our goal."
His voice turned quieter, more introspective.
"We didn't co this far just to win battles. The objective has always been to liberate the slaves in the Conclave, not to make others suffer as I did. I need the conclave leadership to have a chance to choose the right side."
He clenched his fists at the mory. The star that beca the grave where he buried his family. The vow he made. Even if remaining in the shadows might have been safer—strategically more sound—he couldn't bring himself to take that path. He had made a promise to the dead. And to break that now would be to render all of this aningless.
"I must go public," he continued. "Let them see . Let them know who is behind this. If I hide, then my ssage becos nothing more than whispers in the dark. I need to be visible, not just to inspire those who support , but to give the Conclave's rulers the opportunity to stop this war by agreeing to my demands peacefully. If they refuse… then I'll know I did everything I could to avoid bloodshed. And when I stand before my family in the afterlife, I'll be able to say with certainty: they chose violence, not ."
{Then I'll pass your response along,} the Little Protagonist said, sending the green light to the Empire.
Dreznor said nothing more. His eyes were fixed on the holoscreens surrounding him, each one displaying a different battlefield. Cities, outposts, orbiting fleets, and other dozens of perspectives captured in real ti. He didn't interfere. Not yet. For now, he was simply watching, observing the tide, waiting for the right mont to act.
And though few would call a man whose planets are under siege happy, Dreznor ca as close to it as one could under such circumstances. Because what he saw on those screens filled him with sothing deeper than happiness: purpose.
These were no longer just people he liberated. These were believers. Fighters. They had adopted his ideals as their own. They fought not just for freedom, but for a new future, a better one. And they did so with blood and fire and stubborn determination. They weren't holding ground for him. They were holding ground for themselves.
And that, more than anything, was what gave him hope.
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