Chapter 432 May The Best Bug Win!
While the Milky Way was preparing for the invasion of the Naraku, so too were the Naraku preparing for their fateful day. Erich's attack on their Hive World had been devastating. It was a something which the Naraku Empress desperately wanted to avenge.
She had never expected those bastards in the Milky Way to strike her within the safety of Andromeda. This meant that one of the civilizations in the Neighboring Galaxy had the ability to traverse the dark void of space between the two galaxies.
It was not exactly what one would call a comforting thought. At any moment, they could launch another attack like the one they had done ten years ago. In fact, the losses that the Naraku sustained in that time were so severe that even after ten years, they had yet to fully recuperate from them.
Worse yet, any contact they had with the Milky Way had been cut off. When they were finally capable of invading the Milky Way, they would do so completely unaware of the Enemy's strength. Something that could not be said the same for those the bugs which to devour.
After all, more and more deep space probes made their way into Andromeda with each passing week, and though the Naraku had gotten good at detecting them, and eliminating them quickly, there was a not a doubt in the Empress's mind that these alien probes were taking images and sending them back to their masters before their ultimate destruction.
No matter how she thought about it, the Milky Way and whoever was behind these probes had the upper hand regarding intelligence and information. Something which did not bode well for her invasion.
Hell, the Naraku Empress still did not know that the Milky Way Galaxy had more or less been united in its desperate attempt to resist the upcoming invasion. This had happened so suddenly and during a time when her own scouts were under attack, that the Naraku Empress had no way of knowing this vital information, but she had begun to suspect it.
Why was the Naraku so capable of invading and destroying all life within other galaxies than the one they originated from? The answer is simple, because they were incredibly patient, sending scouts to observe their targets for thousands, if not millions, of years, waiting for a moment of chaos to launch their invasion.
The inability to perceive the extra-galactic invasion, and the lack of ability to unify against it was the key to the Naraku's repeated victories. But.... This might not be the case for the Milky Way.
If the residents of the Milky Way were already aware of the Naraku Presence within Andromeda, and clearly they were as they had not only already launched a pre-emptive strike, but continued to launch probes for the purpose of reconnaissance over the last decade. Then this could only mean one thing.
This revelation was stunning to the Andromeda Empress, who quickly interrogated her sister by what exactly she meant by this.
"Don't tell me you have eyes on the Milky Way as well?"
The voice that came back was almost like that of an older sister making fun of her younger sister for her own naivety.
"Oh, come now my dear sister, haven't I always coveted that which you desire? Indeed, I intend to send an invasion force of my own to the Milky Way, and I will say that I will do so in at most fifty years. So tell me? Shall we invade together? I do believe that even if they suspect you are preparing to invade, they have no idea that I am as well, correct?"
This information felt to the Andromeda Empress like she had just been stabbed in the back by a relative. But she had to admit, she was doubting whether or not she could take a united milky way on by her lonesome. Still, this was highly unorthodox, and because of this the Andromeda Empress was quick to ask the immediate question on her mind.
"If we do that, then whose daughter shall become empress? Mine, or yours?"
Naturally, the big question was who would rule over the Milky Way once they had ravaged it and all of the biological life within it? But Andromeda's sister was quick to offer a solution to this problem, one that intrigued the Andromeda Empress.
"Isn't it obvious? After we have dealt with these pesky prey, our daughters will fight for control of the Milky Way, whoever is left standing at the end will be named Empress of the Milky Way. Fair is it not?"
Andromeda thought about this for only a few minutes before ultimately agreeing to the compromise, and she did so with an eager smile on her face.
"May the best bug win!"