Agent047

952 - The Reopening of Old Wounds

{The number of people online is expected to continue decreasing as they finish their preparations,} Nyx said, finishing her report.

“So, do you suspect they are preparing for us, or are the...

951 - The Good and Bad News

“.........”

The room that had moments ago been a battlefield of loud arguments and clashing opinions among Conclave leaders now stood in utter silence, so quiet that even the fall of a co...

950 - The Dilemma

Economy, often called the backbone of any society, is what enables a reliable and predictable exchange of goods and services, freeing individuals from the burden of producing everything they need t...

949 - A Bad Revelation

“What? What do you mean by that?” Kumakar asked, his voice faltering slightly despite his best efforts to maintain composure. The tremble in his tone betrayed the nerves he’d tried to mask si...

948 - Aftermath

The holographic display in Dreznor’s command center was a stark, brutal ledger of loss. The Little Protagonist’s voice, usually a cheerful, melodic counterpoint to the grim realities of war, wa...

947 - The Shadari

[Apologies for the silence in these few days. I was dealing with my cousin's wedding]

Twenty Minutes Before the Explosion on Planet Kumpo

Deep within the ...

946 - City for City

A silent, blinding flash tore through the void of space. A large number of the mountain of biological monstrosities, which had been swarming towards Planet Kumpo, simply ceased to exist. They were ...

945 - A Queen on the Board

The command center on Planet Kumpo hummed with disciplined efficiency. Orders, rapid-fire and precise, flowed from the tactical consoles. “Reinforce sector seventeen point five! Place three more ...

944 - Calling His Bluff

A chilling silence descended upon the Conclave’s war chamber. Both the physically present individuals and their holographic counterparts remained motionless, their minds racing, sifting through t...

943 - Aaaaaaah So Close

The holographic projection of the intelligence officer flickered before Kumakar, displaying a dry, concise report. “Through the data provided by the Empire, Your Excellency, we have managed to ve...

942 - Between a Rock and a Hard Place

The representative's face carried an almost imperceptible sign of agitation as he looked at the man in front of him. He sat across the virtual table from Youssef, his crystalline form reflecting th...

941 - The Reaction

The ripple effect of Dreznor’s broadcast was immediate and devastating. Within hours, the video, an anomaly bypassing established communication protocols, exploded across the Conclave’s digital...

940 - Dreznor's Address

By the twelfth hour since ‘Operation Liberation’ had begun, an obscure post materialized on the Virellan side of the Conclave’s primary social media network. It was a simple video, yet it hel...

939 - Spreading Flames

By 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 meet...

938 - Dreznor, The Man Under Siege

{We’re putting up a strong fight. The local recruits are holding their ground with a determination that can only come from defending their homes. They know what’s waiting for them if we fail,} ...

937 - Precedent

Aron hovered in the silent void of the Universal Simulation, a silent observer observing a dozen different wars unfold across a dozen different star systems. Before him and the high-level governmen...

936 - A CRISIS

A silent, blinding flash erupted on the main viewscreen, a star being born and dying in the space of a millisecond. The Elara admiral froze, his hand halfway to his chin. He turned his gaze to the ...

935 - A Welcome

The after-action report painted a grim but predictable picture. The battle with the rearguard had been short and brutal.

“For a rearguard, they were surprisingly aggressive,” the Elara ad...

934 - Operation United Front

As each day passed and the situation continued to deteriorate, the Bilakis civilizations intensified their propaganda, fanning the flames and pushing the blame squarely onto the Empire. Their effor...

933 - The Effects on Imperial Ctizens

It seemed the fear of death had become an excellent motivator for the officials who had met with Kumakar. They had already begun implementing their share of the plan, and gradually, their hatred to...

931 - 932

931 - A Potential Solution I

A heavy, expectant silence filled the holographic conference. The military liaison, his projected image a stoic mask, was the first to break it...

930 - Kumakar's Dillema

The air in Kumakar’s private stateroom was thick with the metallic tang of ozone and the ghost of shattered crystal. What had moments ago been a chamber of opulent authority was now a landscape o...

929 - Youssef at Work

The silence in the virtual conference room was a sterile, heavy thing. It was a space designed by committee, reflecting a dozen different aesthetic sensibilities and achieving none of them. Polishe...

928 - Getting Close to the Truth but Missing it

“So we’re dealing with an unknown enemy who wants to drive a wedge between us and the Conclave, and the Conclave now believes we’re behind the attacks and they won’t listen to our ...

927 - About the Attacks

While Kumakar was finding a strange satisfaction in how things were unfolding, despite the economic pain his civilization would soon face, the issue of the recent pirate attacks was still being inv...

926 - Implementation

The order was implemented as soon as Youssef relayed it to the relevant agencies. The wormholes were closed across the network, only allowing ships currently outside their home systems to return. A...

925 - Kumakar's Situation

"The guilty always look for ways to escape answering questions," Kumakar said, his voice sharp with indignation. "We should still send them our list of demands. If they refuse to respond, we’ll t...

924 - Keeping His Promise

“You know,” Kumakar began, his voice low but heavy with restrained fury, “when I first received word that the Empire had attacked my fleet, I had a hard time believing it. I didn’t want to ...

923 - Delegation II

“We came here with the promise of war should the explanation you provide to us be considered underwhelming, and you deny our compensation demands should we deem you to be the culprit behind the s...

922 - Delegation

As expected, the top fifty civilizations, except for Grand Xor’Vak, who didn’t even bother to vote, nearly all voted against the motion, as they are the ones who have been benefiting from the E...