Chapter 938: The Setting Sun

Chapter 938: The Setting Sun

PUBVIAN DOMINION

Does every one of these border nations think that just because the Terrans are gone, we can't defend the Confederacy?

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HAT WEARING AUNTIE

It looks that way.

The Quivertia have been peaceful trading partners for nearly 2,000 years. They found out that the Terrans are gone over a year ago, they continued trade, then suddenly attack nearly 300 Terran Tomb Worlds with massive strength.

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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

I've got people that were trading partners that have suddenly launched surprise attacks on my borders, like I can't defend myself.

Of course, it's a good thing that the 2PW is over. I've got a third of a hatching of warriors trained up and ready to go.

Turns out I'm going to need them a little closer to home.

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RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

We've got fourteen micro-nations attacking us, three conglomerates of multiple star nations, and two species we've never even seen before.

All of them moving as fast as they can to fight through the system defenses, make planetary landings, and seize the worlds and stellar systems as fast as possible.

Half of them get their fleets blown out of the sky before they can do much more than 20% damage to the system defenses.

It's the other half that's bugging me.

Two thirds of our heavy metal is in Council Space.

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HAT WEARING AUNTIE

And we're missing the Terrans.

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RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

And we're missing the Terrans.

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BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

We're being hit too.

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PUBVIAN DOMINION

Have we ever seen anything like this before?

It's like the Terrans vanished and now everyone wants a piece of us.

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DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

After the Mar-gite War, we had a lot of pressure put on our borders by most of these same bad actors.

Some of them, they haven't tried us since right after the founding of the Confederacy or after the Ghrevekleia Incident.

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TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

Is it revenge?

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HAT WEARING AUNTIE

With the exception of the new species, every one of these has tried their luck against the Confederacy at one time or another, but most of them were either trading partners or Mutual Ignore Pacts.

Some of them were conducting trade until the attacks.

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DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Some of them had Q-ships masquerading as traders in the system when they attacked the Tomb Worlds or whatever targets they were after.

There was multiple attempts at using Q-ships to try to force us to submit under threat of bombing the worlds they were 'trading' at.

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LANAKTALLAN FREE (LANKY LANKY YOUR NAME IS FRANKY) THOUGHT GRAZING FIELD

We aren't feeling such pressure.

Perhaps because any foes that have remained hidden still see our vast amount of ships and military forces?

Or perhaps they do not see the Confederacy as weak after the Confederacy defeated our ancient civilization?

Or perhaps... they are building up to attack us?

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HAT WEARING AUNTIE

It could be.

I'm recalling Dreams of Something More.

I'll replace her with another long-term diplomatic team.

I'll have her try to negotiate with the PhrilikNulk Imperium.

They're really going after the Tomb Worlds.

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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Are you going to give some up?

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HAT WEARING AUNTIE

Not hardly.

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BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Here's an oddity.

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

I hate oddities

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Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Anyway, you know how there's about two dozen star systems within 20 light years of the Idiot System?

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RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

Yeah. They're Tomb Worlds now.

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BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Yeah, well the Crusade just moved martial orders to each system.

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...

...

...

HAT WEARING AUNTIE

They did what?

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BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

The martial orders all took several systems.

It looks like they're after shipyards and territory.

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AKLTAK SOARING WORLDS

Wait, doesn't that mean that the Terrans aren't gone if the martial orders of the Crusade are still around.

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RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

Long answer: No, with a but...

Short answer: Yes, with an although...

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HAT WEARING AUNTIE

It's complicated. Real complicated.

The Crusade, the real Crusade, not the Idiots they hid behind for millennia, aren't Terran.

Their humans.

An estimated 70% of them are Pre-Glassing humans. The rest are from various times afterwards.

Despite common misconception, the Crusades have been accepting recruits the entire time.

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DARK CRUSADE OF LIGHT

Our ranks welcome all who are willing to devote themselves to destroying the enemies of humanity.

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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

BAH!

Stop scaring me.

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DARK CRUSADE OF LIGHT

We have even, recently, welcome new Treana'ad brothers to the fold.

The Matron's Special Blend.

And their Queen of Grief.

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TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

I have a question.

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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Shoot, kid.

I can tell the story later.

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TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

Can I put in for those planets around where New Tnvaru is?

I mean, they're old Long Dark systems.

Not even the Council had claimed them.

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HAT WEARING AUNTIE

Are they surveyed?

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TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

Just military surveys from the 2PW.

But that's enough to see that Nakteti the Traveller would like to at least run another survey.

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HAT WEARING AUNTIE

Aren't you worried about that Planetary Director guy messing with things while she's gone?

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TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

No.

Things have... altered.

PUBVIAN DOMINION

I approve of the alteration of the deal.

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RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

He should pray she does not alter it further.

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BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Or pray that she does alter it further.

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TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

I feel like there's a joke I'm missing.

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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Don't sweat it. It's an old joke. Older than we are actually.

It's one of those that just never goes away.

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TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

Oh.

Anyway... about those systems...

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CONFED

There's no problem with you surveying and laying claim to a few systems.

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TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

What about me?

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CONFED

You're at the edge of the Long Dark.

I'll send you what's open.

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LEEBAW CONTEMPLATION POOL

I suppose we should pick up a few too.

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LANAKTALLAN FREE THOUGHT GRAZING FIELD

I lost the war, so I don't really worry about those systems.

As long as my people aren't harmed.

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HAMAROOSAN PINCHING FESTIVAL

I think we've got other things to worry about than punishing you.

Something has occurred to me.

If the enemies and the 'allies' of the Confederacy have decided that with the Terrans gone it's time for an all you can eat buffet, how long until those that were held at bay by the might of the Unified Council decide it's the perfect time to take a few bites of us?

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HESSTLA CYBERBURROW

Let them come.

They will find nothing but dust and blood.

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LEEBAW CONTEMPLATION POOL

Well, yeah.

But we should probably prepare.

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TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

You guys haven't been building up a home guard?

Uh... you should have done that right off.

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HESSTLA CYBERBURROW

Says the gestalt who has 12 divisions of Telkan Marines and 4 divisions of Telkan Areospace deployed all across the Confederacy and Council territories.

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TELKAN FORGE WORLD

And my own worlds and system are heavily protected.

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LEEBAW CONTEMPLATION POOL

Perhaps, in our hurry to bring jawnconnor time to the PAWM and the Atrekna and the Lanaktallan, we have overlooked defending ourselves and looked to the Confederacy to defend us.

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PUBVIAN DOMINION

That's not the way it works.

You're responsible for your own defense.

Sure, the Confed Armed Services will come running to help you, but they don't provide system defense and home guard services.

Since it could weeks or months for the full weight of the Confed military to come to your defense, you might want to make sure you can last that long.

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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

And with the creation engines kicking weirdly, we have to start building industry for stuff we used to just rely on the nearest creation engine for.

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AKLTAK SOARING WORLDS

I thought they were working all right.

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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Well, some are going cold and can't produce warsteel IV or warsteel V.

Others are having a lot of errors clear down to the atomic and molecular level.

We're not going to wait for the whole system to collapse.

We've got to build the infrastructure to build the tools to build the tools to build what we need.

No sense in waiting till the last second.

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TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

Oh, that makes sense.

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HAT WEARING AUNTIE

Anyone else have a weird feeling?

Like... like...

reserve deja-vu?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---