MMORPG : Rise of the Interstellar God

Terra—1 Kilometer from the Military Warehouse

The excitement of the gathered players could hardly grow any stronger as they made their last preparations before the assault.

After much discussion, the enormous army of players had been split into classically structured five-player groups, each of which included a healer and a leader who commanded the group and then reported to a higher-ranking officer.

This was quite different from the situation on Cronos I, where the players had been managed directly by experienced Orc or Federation NPCs. Things would be much different here, where most of the "officers" had no actual military experience.

Lotus stepped to the front of the group, drawing attention as she stood in her beautiful Orc-crafted Engineer-class armor. "Stand by! We are about to attack the closest Vk.5 mecha. As we have planned, we will concentrate our firepower to bring it down as quickly as possible. Let's go!"

Then the 1,700,000 players launched their assault like a swarm of ants emerging from an anthill.

***

Terra Orbit—Azerof's Flagship

Admiral Hazh strode swiftly onto the bridge of the command ship and gave a frantic salute before beginning his report. "Lord! One of our corvettes has detected a high concentration of Ascenscionists in the southern industrial area of Terra, near the military warehouse named after Chancellor Souley!"

Azerof sneered. "Perfect! Our enemy has thrown himself into the monster's den! Tell our extermination troops at the Temple of Valor that they'll have their work cut out for them. Redeploy our Special Forces around the military warehouse and start an orbital bombardment on that area right away! We'll end this once and for all!"

Admiral Hazh hesitated. "Sir... I've spoken to the Imperial Council. They want you to limit the infrastructure damage to the bare minimum in all future endeavors. I am sure that this mission will be no exception. After all, the Eternals will survive, no matter what. However, the warehouse contains quite a vast wealth of military power, which we can't get back if it's destroyed. Not to mention the cost of any Special Forces who might perish in our own attack…"

Azerof furiously rose from his golden throne and approached Hazh."Admiral. Understand who is the master of this nation, of this fleet, of this army. It is not the council, but me, your emperor. Do you understand, Admiral?"

Hazh stared Azerof directly in the eye as he answered, "Yes, Lord."

Admiral Hazh was a career military man. While he respected authority, he was not easily intimidated, not by someone who had been an admiral himself not very long ago. He returned to his office and once again turned on his communications console. Several men appeared, though their faces were not visible.

Admiral Hazh said, "Dear council… I bring you an update on the information from Terra. Azerof, in spite of my warnings, continues his unreasonable vendetta against the Eternals. but this time in the southern industrial zone, near a major military warehouse. He wishes to bombard this zone from orbit."

One of the men said, "This is unacceptable. Destroying the Temple of Valor and its surroundings was already a huge financial and strategic mistake, but we accepted it because Azerof promised it would eliminate a great threat to the future of the Empire. But we are now talking about the economic heart of human civilization, the beating heart of a planet responsible for 60% of industrial production in the old Federation... We can afford to lose such potential in the middle of a civil war!"

Another man said, "Thank you for informing us, Admiral Hazh. We will contact Azerof directly to settle this situation."

***

A short time later, a communications officer approached Azerof. "My Lord, you have a communication request, delivered by interstellar relay."

Azerof answered back, "I don't have time! redirect the communication to Admiral Hazh's office."

The officer answered, "My Lord, this communication comes directly from the office of William Broker."

Azerof's expression became more serious. William Broker was a very rich industrialist who had thousands of subspace antennas at his disposal… which he'd made available for the preparation of Azerof's coup and future secret activities. This was a serious matter. "Very well," said Azerof. "Connect the line to my private office."

Azerof then moved from the command deck to the luxurious suite which served as his personal office for private matters such as this. He opened the communication and said, "This is Azerof."

The man on the other end of the line said, "Azerof! It is good to see you, even at this critical moment."

Azerof replied darkly, "Spare me the politicking, Octavius. Tell me why you summoned me in the middle of a battle."

The man—who called himself "August," and chose to ignore Azerof's insult of using the different name—replied, "We would like to know why you are ignoring Admiral Hazh's strong recommendation to negotiate with the Eternals and begin conquering the systems still in Federation hands. According to our recent information, the Federation remnant is planning to attack the Isirus and Okor systems, two systems of great importance which we cannot afford to lose!"

Azerof replied, "That is not a priority. These systems, even if they fall, will be impossible for the pathetic Federation forces to hold for long. Let them destroy themselves by hurling their dwindling fleet against those systems with all their defenses! We can retake them at our leisure.

"On the other hand, these people called the Eternals are extremely warlike and have absolutely no morals or loyalty. Beyond that, of course, every single one of them is an Ascensionist with the exceptional power of immortality. Each time we kill them, they return to life, though in a weaker state! Trust me, this threat has already ravaged several human systems. It is a real scourge that must be subdued or destroyed!"

August replied, "We understand your concern about the Eternals. Yet, according to our information, there are only a few million who are considered even C- Rank. The rest have such inferior power that they're hardly a threat. Moreover, the vast majority are helpless against stellar guns or assault mechas. We have other priorities for the moment, like winning against the Federation's resistance."

Azerof snapped, "I have been a soldier all my life! I know what is a true threat and what is not better than you ever could. The Federation resistance is not a threat at the moment, but the Eternals are! If we give them even a few months, you will be horrified at the level of threat they rise to become! I beg you, dear council member, to have confidence in me!"

August was silent for a long moment before replying. "The council trusts you, of course. Otherwise, we wouldn't have granted you the title of Emperor of Humanity. But beware, Azerof, you must limit the financial damage on Terra, which is already absolutely monumental."

Azerof replied more calmly this time. "Very well. I'll restrict the fleet to simple intelligence purposes. As soon as the Eternals are out of action, I'll move against Isirus and Okor… Then we'll finish this civil war."

August replied, "We are counting on you, Azerof. Do not disappoint us, or you will regret it. End of communication."

With that voice command, the call ended. Azerof snarled, grabbing a small statuette from his desk and hurling it violently against the communications window on his desk. "You son of a bitch!" he growled.

Azerof was furious at Admiral Hazh for "betraying" him, by speaking with the council behind his back… but also at the council for undermining his power as emperor… One day, there would be a reckoning against all these insubordinate fools!

Azerof returned to the command deck and calmly canceled the previous order to lay waste to the warehouse. He let nobody see how much he seethed with fury on the inside.

***

Terra—Southern Industrial Zone—Military Warehouse

The Vk.5 found it difficult to react to the millions of players who attacked it. Its defense systems were designed to watch for ambushes by small, elite strike groups or missiles launched from a vast distance, not a whole army of Ascensionists!

Within a short time, the players' concentrated and cosmically empowered attacks broke the mecha's shield, and the players who had enabled a detailed combat log were quite pleased at the progress of their attack.

Server: 99% life left for "Assault Mecha Vk.5."

Server: 98% life left for "Assault Mecha Vk.5."

Server: 97% life left for "Assault Mecha Vk.5."

But then the warehouse's watchtowers opened fire and the Imperial infantry engaged them on the ground!

As the players were forced to react to two new attack vectors, the Vk.5 was able to get into a proper fighting position… and then the carnage began.

Its two shoulder-mounted laser cannons spat out green laser beams, cutting through everything in their path. Every second, a dozen more players were cut in two!

Moreover, the mecha also had a huge artillery cannon mounted above the laser cannons, one designed to fire special shells in a high arc…

Wherever this shell exploded in the middle of the Eternal army, the wave disintegrated more than a thousand players at once!

This was a horrific experience for the attacking players. Though they'd heard rumors and seen some pictures of the Vk.5 units which were used on Cronos I, nobody had truly witnessed their full potential before now.

Then came a strange, deathly noise that shook the sky. In moments, nine more Assault Mechas arrived to reinforce the area.

The ten mechas, each as high as a building, loomed in a defensive line in front of the remaining Eternals.

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