Despite Anton’s intent to stay out of the war, the war had come to him. Though to be completely fair to various people in supporting roles, not everyone participated in a war in a direct combat role. Intercepting shipments as he had been showed just how important those who handled supply lines were. It was just that nothing coming from the upper realms was providing basic necessities people needed to survive. Everything seemed to be weapons of various forms, some on very different scales.
When he was certain that all the retreating ships had lost their ability to maneuver and he had dealt with members of the Twin Soul Sect, Anton went around rounding up the numerous ships. Even if individually the majority of the ships were small and lacking in power, the total amount it would set back the Trigold Cluster in the lower realms very much added up. Ships capable of interstellar travel didn’t just grow on trees… and if they did, it would take a long time and they would still be quite valuable.
In short, either in terms of manpower or other resources, this was expensive. And they wouldn’t have sent such a large group if they hadn’t both determined a threat and very much needed the support from the upper realms.
Unfortunately, Anton wasn’t great at interrogating people he wasn’t going to let live. He was willing to kill off uncooperative individuals, but there were people much better at the job. So he stuck to very simple questions. Like, “Who was stupid enough to think this was a good idea and send you all out here?” Some people clearly thought that things were going to get worse, and because Anton couldn’t seal the cultivation of everyone in such a large group- despite having more cultivation binding restraints than before- some simply chose to kill themselves. “You know you guys might have a chance to live, right? You must realize that your leaders screwed you over. Take what you can get.”
He finally got a few answers there. “The orders came from the sect head,” said one of the members of the Void Scrying Sect. “I assume it’s the same for the rest.”
“That would be… one Jimena Rostani, correct? Oh don’t look so surprised,” Anton said when many of them tensed up. “It’s literally just a name. You think nobody provided names before?”
He wasn’t quite certain how he was going to fill the time for people to arrive. Indeed, they were going to need quite a bit more than their previous ships that had reached this place. Then again, it shouldn’t be easy for the Trigold Cluster to send many people to stop them. With successive losses in Anrade and now here around Naewu, even ignoring whatever was happening in the civil war, they were going to be stretched thin.
Nobody provided him useful information, though Anton had the insight to pick out those who had information. He would point them out later. Ultimately, he pushed all of their ships into a nice orbit around Anrade. They would have enough supplies to last for a while, since they had enough for the trip back… and many of them had died. Anton wasn’t interested in starving them to death while they waited. In fact, he had little intention to restrict them to any significant degree. He didn’t even stop them from conspiring after he left to continue his patrol pattern.
Of course, he was still paying attention, quite closely. And if they actually came up with plans that seemed like they would go anywhere, it would be trivial to stop them, since they were fairly close to one of his bound stars. As close as he could get them without heat being a problem, specifically. Some ships were in different layers, and most would eventually drift apart over the next days and weeks.
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With Anrade and Egnos both occupied- as well as the lack of superweapons to make up for their weaker cultivations and ships- things were looking up for the Lower Realms Alliance. Egnos had been cleaned up to some extent, with much information they might want purged before they managed to capture it. But the same was not true for Anrade.
While there had been some efforts to destroy records during the assault, many people were more concerned about their own survival rather than sect secrets. Which meant they had piles of records and numerous alchemical laboratories and sealed vaults to look through. At least some of the production of the most dangerous poisons had taken place on Anrade- it seemed as if it had been split up between various planets such as Kunion.
It would take a long time to visit every location and pore through all the information they now had. Combining that with various levels of information from Egnos and all of their previous encounters, they might be able to track where everything was moving. Things were going well, but they weren’t going to assume that there were no more tricks. And if they relaxed too early and let one of their planets succumb to an attack- whether poison, bioweapon, or direct assault- they could only be filled with regret.
And they had two more systems they were responsible for now. The fact that they were filled with the Trigold Cluster’s own people likely had little bearing on whether they would try to wipe them out.
In short, they needed to use their information to continue coming up with counters. If they could make antidotes for poisons, counters for stealth formations, and disrupt further attacks… only then would they be able to declare a proper victory.
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The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The series of losses for the Void Scrying Sect and their allies didn’t suddenly stop. Indeed, another near simultaneous loss- within the very same year- hit them at the hands of their former allies.
The news mostly reached the Lower Realms Alliance and Shining Cooperative indirectly. There were some levels of communication between people on different planets that weren’t the main comms facilities they had. And while for their own security it would be best if they could completely cut off such flow of information, it also provided them benefits. Secrets didn’t last long when more than a few people knew them, and there were more than a few people willing to share the news for a modest payment.
And more than a few others who couldn’t help but reveal information in their panic. Because that was the sort of news coming from Xeotov, the primary focus of the Fearsome Menagerie.
Nobody seemed quite sure about the details, but the strange weapon that they had previously revealed continued to shift the tide of the war. The latest news involved them breaking through Xeotov’s planetary barrier and wiping out several outposts, with only a single shot each. It seemed likely that their current assault would end up with them taking control of the planet.
That would then put them as neighbors with Egnos and Anrade. They had been content to let the civil war continue, but now that a new weapon was basically at their doors they had to watch out for it. After all, the Fearsome Menagerie was still part of the Trigold Cluster, and they were still foes. Mitigating circumstances involving betrayal and factionalism had simply made them less valuable as a primary target.
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Away from the lower realms, and indeed far from any war- at the current moment- Crossed Antennae was debating her policy for expanding colonies. She wanted to make sure each colony got established properly, but they also had a lot of ground to cover- there were sufficient habitable planets on the border, and she was also wondering if they should expand into the Trigold Cluster’s territory.
It was safer to avoid, of course, but the actual boundary was somewhat fuzzy… and the news from the lower realms indicated that the border with the Scarlet Midfields and the lower realms was not the only area of concern.
She wished she had proper counselors. The humans who had come to aid her were fine, of course, but what she really needed were properly aged void ants who could keep up with her mentally, or perhaps something like the leaf and stick fellow from Akrys.
For the moment, she only had herself and her Grand Counselors. Autumn and Bark had been rebuilt several times. “Good day, counselors,” she said. “I am sure you read my report with my concerns. The timeline cannot withstand any delays, and yet it cannot be sped up, either. For example, were I not to help with educating each new colony they might develop divergent thoughts.”
Crossed Antennae moved around the area. Humans couldn’t come here, and void ants wouldn’t. All would respect her private rooms, and they could be as expansive as she wished. Though this area in particular was not as grand as she made it out in her head.
“What is wrong with divergent thoughts, you might ask. Well, straying from the desires of the Great Queen is a great risk to our people. What’s that, Grand Counselor Chipped Thorax? Naming people is divergent? Even my own name, as a queen?” Crossed Antennae shuffled around. “I agree. But just because the Great Queen accepted it doesn’t mean it was part of her plans. And yes, I am aware of the Sergeant in the lower realms. Perhaps I should have met her.”
She really wished there was tea or something around here. Humans could always take a sip of tea when they wanted to pause their talking. Now there was awkward stillness. Judgmental.
“Yes, I heard about the drone,” she continued. “A son of the queen. A brother, perhaps. But we will never meet.” She clacked her mandibles as she signed. “So divergence is accepted. But the problem… what if I can’t handle it? What if the colonies want to just live on their own? What if they become dangerous, and attack our friends? What if I fail?”
There was no one to answer her. And she would not voice her words to a blind lad or a wolf, no matter how much she appreciated them. The only thing she could do was hope that her mother hadn’t made a mistake.
And wonder why she cared more about her as a mother than as the Great Queen. That was certainly not how things were meant to be.
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With the prisoners taken off his hand, Anton was able to relax and focus more on his patrols… and his binding of future stars. Because he could replace more of his early stars still, and he had time. This wasn’t a bad place for it, either. Aside from simply stopping these shipments, he could also monitor movements through the area in the future- when the Tides of the World shifted.
That was still a long time off. Several centuries away… but that was less time than Anton had lived, now. And with the massive presence the Trigold Cluster had here already, they couldn’t just think about protecting their own systems. They had to prevent all forms of intrusion. He likely couldn’t cause any significant damage to Trigold forces unless they passed quite close to the stars he could have in the area, and he almost certainly wouldn’t be present himself as he would be focusing on Ceretos and the core of the Lower Realms Alliance. But just knowing information was very useful.
Of course, they might also try to destroy his stars. But even the shifting Tides of the World wouldn’t make that easy. Both of the methods he’d seen so far wouldn’t work on him, and the Trigold Cluster hadn’t shown the ability to replicate those attempts frequently. And they might not be able to bring such things through the Tides of the World. Anton couldn’t be certain, but not binding stars would make him much less effective. He couldn’t give up before he started because of what might happen in the future.
Besides, they needed this now. He couldn’t even guarantee living that long into the future, and that wasn’t a matter of nebulous lifespan. And he might need to get involved with other conflicts that would be a greater risk to his life. If they met groups who had been stable for multiple cycles, they could easily be outclassed by a different sort of ascension alternative. And they might not care about the solidarity of the lower realms as much as the rest they had met. Like Ekict, who had been more concerned about their own power.