Chapter 978: The Desperate Metake

Sixth Star Sector, August Star, Planetary Defense General Headquarters.

General Metake stood before the curved star map, his expression grave.

The news of the disastrous defeat in the Kaipa-777 Region and the total annihilation of the Norn Legion and its assembled fleet left Metake feeling a wave of powerlessness.

This had already exceeded his estimates.

"Report! Lost contact with Canggu Star! The final signal indicates an ambush by an unidentified high-speed fleet!"

"Report! Communications with the industrial world of Diheishi Star are cut; intense energy bursts detected!"

"Report! The Longjie shipping lane monitoring station transmitted a blurred image before being destroyed—it's a fleet with white paint and red lightning stripes! Not the one from the Kaipa-777 Region!"

"Report! Gumu planet, Nijing colony, Juke outpost... all signals lost!"

The Command Center fell into silence.

Metake clenched his fist and slammed it onto the command table.

Two fleets! To think there were two such powerful fleets!

How did that faction manage it? A faction that appeared out of nowhere, pulling out so many fleets?

The goal of this faction calling itself the "Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance" was by no means just revenge or plunder, but to completely annex the entire Sixth Star Sector!

That white torrent of lightning—looking at the flight path, it was heading toward August Star.

No more hesitation! Must call for reinforcements! Immediately! Right now!

Metake gave the order.

"Communications Officer! Get me the Southern Theater General Headquarters, Highest Priority, encrypted channel! I want to speak directly with General Gelan!"

"Yes, General!"

The time spent waiting for the connection felt extremely long to Metake.

Finally, static flickered on the main screen, then stabilized, revealing the face of General Gelan.

General Gelan spoke.

"Metake, I just received the final battle report from the Kaipa-777 Region... the situation is even worse than I anticipated."

Metake reported rapidly.

"General! The failure at Kaipa-777 was only the beginning! We are not facing one fleet, but two! Another enemy fleet with white paint is sweeping through the hinterlands of the Sixth Star Sector at an astonishing speed! In the few minutes we have been talking, more than thirty planets have lost contact! Their speed of advance is too fast; our defense system can hardly form an effective blockade against them!"

Metake pointed to the star map behind him.

"General, please look! The enemy's spearhead is already pointed directly at August Star! The core of the Sixth Star Sector is in imminent danger! The defensive forces in my hands, after the heavy losses of the Norn Legion, are no longer sufficient to independently deal with an invasion of this scale and such a rapid offensive!"

I request, no, I implore the Southern Theater, and even the Supreme Council, to immediately dispatch all possible support to the Sixth Star Sector! Capital ships, Super Soldiers, any force that can be mobilized! Otherwise, the fall of August Star is only a matter of time, and the entire Sixth Star Sector... will not be saved!"

General Gelan's gaze fell upon the star map behind Metake, the rapidly spreading red making the corner of his eye twitch slightly.

"Metake, I understand your current situation and pressure. I have already submitted an emergency report on the situation in the Sixth Star Sector to the Supreme Council.

However, you must understand the overall situation at present. The war in the Western Theater against the Ash Star Alliance and the Canaan Star Alliance is in a state of the most intense stalemate; we have committed massive forces, the war situation cannot afford any mistakes, and it is simply impossible to pull out capital fleets to reinforce you. And other theaters and Core Worlds also need to maintain basic defenses..."

Gelan did not continue, but the meaning was already very clear.

Metake could not help but raise his voice, saying excitedly.

"Is the Council going to abandon the Sixth Star Sector?! General! The threat displayed by this 'Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance' is absolutely far beyond the Ashes and Canaan!

If they completely occupy the Sixth Star Sector and obtain the resources and strategic positions here, who will be the next target? The hinterlands of the Southern Theater? Or a direct threat to the core star regions? If we don't stop them now, the price we will have to pay in the future will be even greater!"

General Gelan frowned and shook his head, explaining.

"Abandon? No, the Council has not yet made such a decision. I will do my best to scrape together a portion of reserve troops and ships from other relatively calm sectors in the Southern Theater to reinforce August Star as quickly as possible. However, Metake, you must be mentally prepared; these reinforcements... may be limited, and they will take time to arrive."

Limited... need time...

Metake's heart sank.

He knew that in the face of the speed of that white fleet, "time" was exactly the thing they lacked the most.

Metake's emotions calmed down, and he spoke.

"I understand, General. I will lead all remaining forces in the Sixth Star Sector to hold August Star until the very last moment. Please... as soon as possible."

The communication ended, and General Gelan's face disappeared from the screen.

Metake stood alone, watching the red tide on the star map drawing ever closer, and gave the order.

"Order the entire army: August Star enters the highest state of defense! We will fight to the end! Other planets near August Star are to link up and form the 'Blood Bath' defensive line."

With August Star as the core, link up three nearby planets that possess considerable industrial foundations, populations, and defensive facilities.

The four planets will act as mutual support, capable of forming a barrier to delay the enemy's advance to a certain extent.

Metake's orders were transmitted to the Archons and major noble councils of Gaomi Star, Gangnanpan, and Fenghaohui Star.

Gaomi Star, orbital starport control center.

The ruler of Gaomi Star, Grand Duke Alfons Yinhui, was flying into a rage at Metake's order document in the holographic projection.

"Who does Metake think he is?! The Speaker of the Star Alliance?"

Grand Duke Alfons roared at his retinue of vassals and planetary officials.

"'Blood Bath' defensive line? Sounds nice! It just means he wants our Gaomi Star to hand over all our factories, all our skilled workers, and all our reserve resources without reservation to fill that bottomless pit of August Star!"

Grand Duke Alfons pointed at the busy orbital shipyards and factory clusters outside the window.

"Look! Look at the life's work of several generations of the Yinhui Family! These are the wealth of Gaomi Star, the guarantee of our status in the Star Alliance! By what right does he, Metake, demand we contribute everything with a single order? Who knows if he will take our resources to prioritize the defense of his August Star, and once the enemy strikes, our Gaomi Star will become an empty shell!"

An older military advisor spoke up.

"But, Grand Duke, General Metake's concerns are not without reason. The threat of the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance is real; if August Star falls, I fear our Gaomi Star will..."

Grand Duke Alfons rudely interrupted him.

"Fear what?! Our Gaomi Star has its own defense fleet! We have planetary shields! We have loyal guards! By what right must we completely obey him, Metake? He fought a losing battle and lost the Norn Legion; that is his incompetence! We should not be the ones to bear the consequences! Reply to him: Gaomi Star will fulfill its obligations to the Star Alliance and strengthen its own defenses, but resource allocation must be controlled by us! Want our factories and supplies? Fine! Bring August Star's treasury and strategic reserves to trade for them!"