Agent047
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939 - Spreading Flames
🕑 Added 2025-07-07 14:10:16 +0000 UTCBy the tenth hour since the coordinated counteroffensive had begun and while the battles still raged across dozens of contested star systems under the invaders' control, a high-level emergency meeting was underway within the Conclave's war chamber.
The room buzzed with urgency. Holographic feeds from dozens of battlefronts flickered above the central table, each display showing a different conflict zone with shifting territorial lines. The leaders of the top Conclave civilizations were either seated around the war table in person or projecting in via holograms.
Recognizing the need for centralized leadership, a commander was appointed to serve a one-week term. Though the role carried significant influence, his authority was limited to making final decisions on actions against enemy forces. Even then, his decisions could be overridden by a majority vote from the Conclave leaders if deemed counterproductive to their objectives or excessively risky and costly.
“I believe we’ve gathered enough field data,” said one of the military strategists, standing with his hands behind his back. “It’s time to escalate. We should strike decisively before our enemy adapts and entrenches themselves further.”
A few heads nodded. But another voice quickly countered.
“That may not be necessary,” said a commander from the Feyn, tapping on his pad to highlight a strategic timeline. “We’ve been launching coordinated assaults for over ten hours, yet not a single wormhole-based reinforcement has appeared. That tells us something. Either they don’t possess wormhole technology at all, or its use is severely limited. Perhaps the cooldown between uses is substantial. If we analyze the timelines from when they initially attacked various systems, the intervals suggest significant constraints.”
But not all were convinced.
“You’re assuming too much,” said a young, sharp-tongued representative from the Brakar Alliance. “What if they didn’t use wormholes simply because they weren’t threatened enough to justify it? So far, we’ve only liberated a single star system. And even that came after a failed attempt by their smaller fleet. They withdrew rather than reinforce. It might not be a limitation; it could be overconfidence.”
“Or worse,” another muttered. “They may be conserving strength for something larger.”
One of the older strategists waved a hand to cut through the speculation. “Let’s stay focused. What is the current situation in the liberated star system? Any findings? Any clues as to who these invaders truly are?”
The leader of the Elara civilization stood, her expression stern. “We did find something. But it came at a cost.”
She activated a projection, and the feed of a planetary landing began to play. A squadron of Elara escort vessels and landing ships descended through the atmosphere, touching down at a modest site near the former planetary capital. Everything seemed orderly until, without warning, the screen went white. A nuclear blast lit the sky. A mushroom cloud bloomed in the distance. Debris and shockwaves consumed the landing site.
Gasps and stunned silence followed. Several leaders instinctively turned their heads. Kumakar’s hologram displayed a barely restrained rage; the planet in question was his after all, and he needed to act the part.
“How did such an explosion get past your sensors?” one leader asked with alarm. “Were proper scans not conducted post-liberation?”
The Elara leader took a moment before responding. “It was... complicated. Certain sections of the planet were marked as secure by local authorities. We were assured those regions were never breached during the initial occupation. We respected that judgment. Clearly, it was a mistake.”
Kumakar quickly interjected, seizing the moment. “What matters now is that they showed us just how far they’re willing to go. That world wasn’t even under their control, and they still rigged it for annihilation. Imagine what they’ll do to worlds they’ve held for months. I propose we abandon surgical strikes and proceed with overwhelming force. End this before they can turn their holdings into deathtraps.”
Some nodded grimly, others hesitated.
“Did you retrieve anything from the wreckage?” another leader asked the Elara delegation. “Anything that could identify who we’re truly fighting?”
“Yes,” the Elara commander replied. “Following the blast, we conducted deep scans and uncovered a second device, still intact. Our teams managed to disable it using electromagnetic pulses. It’s currently undergoing disassembly and analysis.”
She then activated another hologram, a 3D model of the recovered bomb. It was massive, intricate, and packed with layers of tech unfamiliar to most of the room. The leaders leaned in.
“After securing the device, our engineers found several components that didn’t match any known manufacturer within the Conclave,” she said, highlighting key sections. “But the truly revealing moment came when we cross-referenced these parts against recovered fragments from the Empire’s robots and breaching pods used during our war with them.”
A new image appeared, displaying side-by-side comparisons of the parts. They matched. Not entirely, but enough to remove coincidence from the equation.
A heavy silence settled over the chamber. The implication was clear.
“As per protocol,” the Elara leader continued, “we’re sharing the full data package with all Conclave members. You’re encouraged to conduct your own analyses and draw your own conclusions.”
The tone in the room shifted. Some of the more seasoned leaders exchanged wary looks, while the newer or more aggressive ones began murmuring among themselves. Blaming the Empire directly could ignite something far larger than any of them were prepared for.
“If this does confirm Empire involvement,” one said cautiously, “we’re dealing with a force far more dangerous than a rogue revolutionary.”
Kumakar, however, wasn’t interested in hesitation.
“They played us during the initial diplomatic encounters. Made us think they lacked wormhole tech, then launched multi-front invasions we couldn’t trace. Now we find their technological fingerprints in sabotage devices hidden on our planets? Enough!” He stood. “Either we move against them now, or we wait until they decide it’s time to end us.”
“No one is arguing that,” said the Feyn leader, attempting to calm the situation. “But we need corroborating evidence. A few matching components and a nuclear trap, while alarming, do not equate to full Empire complicity. There’s also the possibility that the invading forces are acting independently. We need to be precise.”
“We also can’t ignore the possibility that this is intentional misdirection,” the Brakar representative added. “Someone could be using salvaged Imperial tech to provoke exactly this kind of confrontation.”
As the debate began to swirl, it became clear that unity would not be easily achieved.
The Supreme Coordinator’s hologram, who had remained silent until now, finally flickered into motion. His deep voice echoed.
“Enough. We will form an investigative council comprising members from each of our top ten civilizations. They will have access to all data retrieved so far. They will determine the validity of these links. Until then, no official statements will be made.”
“What of our military efforts?” someone asked.
“We proceed as planned,” he answered. “But no escalation. We do not yet know the scale of what we face. We will not walk blind into a greater war.”
The meeting ended in a subdued silence. The leaders dispersed with minds heavy and restless.
War was already underway. But what came next, depending on what the evidence revealed, could make everything before it seem like a prologue.
Comments
ismail hamisi salum
That was a mistake from my side, corrected it. Thanks
jordan payet
Did i miss something? When the conclave became aware that this was Dreznor’s forces ? 😮 He never put his face out there nor communicated with the Conclave before no ?
Sol_Invictus(Hail the Terran Empire)
TYFTC!!
