Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 750

Chapter 750

Chapter 750: Analysis

From the side Lan Qing looked as cold as ever . There was no sign of joy after saving the lives of their ground team . On the contrary, he was scowling at the data on his screens .

“What is it? We shouldn’t have suffered any losses, right?” Lan Jue asked .

His brother nodded . “But that isn’t a mark of success . I should have known it was the enemy’s intention to detonate the planets . That was my failure . If it wasn’t for Jun’er and father, we would have lost many people – maybe even all of Star Division . You know what that would mean . ”

Lan Jue’s heart skipped a beat . He was right, if they had been even a little late in discovering the alien plot, his soldiers would likely have been lost in the blast!

His body broke out into a cold sweat . If that had happened the blow to mankind would have been serious . If this battle proved anything it was that Adepts were best suited for fighting the aliens . The Skyfire Paragons cut them down in droves . If these powerhouses had fallen it would have crippled humanity’s ability to fight back . It would have erased the core of Eastern dominance in an instant . Even if they somehow survived the aliens after that, the East would have few deterrents against Northern and Western aggression .

Lan Jue’s face grew serious, and he nodded .

Lan Qing went on . “I’ll learn what we can from this experience . We mustn’t be caught in an alien trap again . What’s most important for now is discovering where the alien planets fled to . The war has only just begun . ”

Lan Jue nodded again, fully understanding the implications . Indeed, there was a long fight ahead of them . The first play of the game had cost both sides, and it looked like that was going to be the norm .

“Then we should alert any occupied planets to be on guard, and search for any trace of the enemy . If they’re flying somewhere it’s the best we can hope for . If they teleported, there’s a fundamental flaw in our understanding of the aliens . ” Lan Jue said, brows knit in thought .

But Lan Qing shook his head . “No, you and I see this opposite . If they teleported it is the best situation for us . I trust in the Pharmacist’s information, and believe it costs the aliens tremendously to use their teleportation abilities . Father also said that they must be suffering from the restrictions of universal protogenia . The energy loss from teleportation and universal protogenia would be a vast burden to bear for these monsters . Teleportation would have been their best tactic for leaving the scene undiscovered, which makes it more likely . But two successive teleportations must be draining, and it’s unlikely they’ll make a third within a short period . ”

Lan Jue’s eyes lit up . “So if we find them again, we can encircle and suppress them with no chance of escape . ”

Lan Qing nodded in confirmation . “Just so . What worries me most at this moment is the psychology of our Northern and Western allies . The loss of four planets and potentially thousands of soldiers is devastating . Right now, this has the potential to cause us the most problems . ”

Lan Jue’s face fell . He knew what his brother meant . A psychological schism could spell disaster for the species .

No alliance had the strength to face these aliens alone . Only together was victory possible . If their allies chose to abandon the fight, the monsters would continue their path of destruction unchallenged .

“We can’t let that happen . ” Lan Jue said .

Lan Qing agreed . “I hope they hold up . The West didn’t seem to get out in time, their losses will be the greatest . In a little while we’ll be able to reopen communications and get a better feel for the situation . ”

Lan Jue’s brows furrowed as he considered . “If it’s just the West then the loss is manageable . If it’s the North, that’s another story . Should I go see Admiral Kang?”

Lan Qing shook his head . “No need right now . Kang Hui may be their commander but he isn’t the North’s leader . These planets belonged to the Northern Alliance, their loss was a disaster . ”

Wait and see . That was the only thing they could do .

An hour or so later communications were reestablished . When damage reports started coming in the two brothers were shocked, though they had anticipated the worst .

Most of the North’s warships had made it back in time, but some had broken formation and fell behind . Three Capital ships, five dreadnaughts, and more than twenty battleships had been lost . Only a third of their transport vessels made it back . Luckily the Terminator and Chu Cheng were among them .

It was a significant blow, but it didn’t cut them to the bone . The North would recover . Things were much worse for the West .

The West’s two bastions refused Kang Hui’s suggestion to move in, which directly resulted in tremendous losses for the Western fleet . The reason was well-known, Western bastion defenses weren’t the best . They didn’t dare risk the pillars of their military strength, no matter the cost . They sacrificed their soldiers in order to keep their flagships at a safe distance .

Because of this only the West’s fastest ships had made it back . Half of their fleet was destroyed and nearly all of their transports . Shockingly few of their people made it back in one piece – notably Satan and most of his people . For the rest, their avarice had doomed them .

It was the Pontiff’s Citadel that suffered greatest . Reluctance to leave behind vital crystals forced them to stay until the last moment . They discovered something was wrong far too late, and only a handful survived . The Pontiff, Metatron and other Archangels were able to flee by virtue of their own ability to fly . The Pontiff was injured so severely trying to protect his people it seemed unlikely he would fully recover .

The fight was over . Looking out, the vista which had once revealed four beautiful planets was empty but for jagged remnants . No trace of the aliens remained .

Lan Qing immediately opened a connection to Admiral Kang . He offered his plan to track down the enemy .

“I’m sorry, Admiral Lan . I’ve been given orders to return to Luo immediately . They have no appetite to continue right now . ” After a minute of silence, Kang Hui gave him the unfortunate answer .

The North had succumbed to fear . Four of their planets had been lost . What of Luo? It was the heart of the Northern Alliance with ten planets in close proximity . If the enemy struck there it would spell the end of their nation .

“Admiral, we would like to request you put all occupied planets on alert . If there is any sign of enemy forces they should report it to us immediately . ” Lan Qing requested .

Kang Hui sighed . “I’ve already given the order . I believe the West will do the same, if they haven’t already . But the areas we need to protect are too vast, and the enemy is only three planets . They can do what we cannot . What if they teleport the next time we pick a fight? We’re stuck in a passive stance, waiting for them to make the first move . ”

Lan Jue spoke up . “But do you think we can fight the aliens with nothing but a passive defense? If they’re still in your territory, what will the North do?”

Kang Hui was silent for a time before speaking . “I know what you say is true, but this decision isn’t mine to make . The North is in chaos, and it will only get worse once news of what happened here gets back . Already many of our important families have begun to flee into deep space with their own ships and all their riches . If this continues on a large scale, then…”

Lan Qing’s pupils contracted as he stared at the screen . “Then we don’t have much time . Admiral, as soldiers our greatest responsibility is to our country . If we can’t do that we aren’t qualified to call ourselves military men . If you agree with my determination then I hope you can find a way to support us . ”

Kang Hui nodded ever so slightly . “Your analysis makes sense, there’s a high probability you are correct . I will support you as much as I can personally . Be assured that I will continue to advocate for war . But I am just one man with limited power, I’ll need more support if I am to convince our leaders . If you’re able to convince the Terminator it would go a long way . After all, he has tremendous influence out here . With him and I together we may be able to convince the congress to act . ”

Lan Qing nodded . Kang Hui’s promise had given them some measure of hope . With his responsibilities and status they couldn’t ask for anything more .

The Western military didn’t return their hails . Their bastions were already heading back toward the West with their tails tucked between their legs .

Things were worse than they’d hoped . Instead of ridding themselves of their enemy in one decisive stroke, they’d ended up worse off than when they began . Four planets were gone, along with all the soldiers that couldn’t get away from the blast . This didn’t only affect the North, the horror of their defeat would reverberate all throughout human territory .