Distance is the chokehold of space warfare. With such a vast expanse between the wormhole entry points and the Solar System, it was impossible for the invaders to hide, no matter how stealthy they tried to be. Knowing this, they didn't even try. They had the numbers advantage from the start. Within ten minutes of the invasion's launch, more than one hundred and fifty fleets had already entered imperial territory.For now, they moved in unison, attempting to secure advantageous positions while simultaneously gathering absolute coordinates to allow for rapid reinforcement. As this was happening, nearly fifty of those fleets headed directly for the Oort cloud, targeting the primary entry point to the Solar System. Their goal was to punch through the defenses at the Trade Hub, secure it, and then push deeper into the system. Their intelligence, gathered during their previous time in the system, told them it would take the bulk of the imperial forces longer to arrive, giving them a crucial

Trade Hub.“What are you doing?” a Bogomar shouted at the imperial soldiers. Their rifles were leveled at him and his family, who trembled as they clung to him while being escorted back to their room. “We came here under a Visa from the empire! And it promised safety!”The soldiers didn't respond. His family's terror elicited no change in their impassive stance as they continued their rhythmic march, indirectly forcing the Bogomar and his family to keep walking backwards or else be shot by the soldiers. Their faces were unseen behind the helmets of full combat armor, a sight the Bogomar and his family had never witnessed. Previously, the soldiers had only worn their basic uniforms, but in a matter of an hour since they last saw a soldier, they had become fully kitted and ready for war.Once escorted into the room, one of the soldiers finally spoke.“The Conclave has attacked,” the soldier said, his voice coming through the helmet's speaker in the Bogomar’s native tongue. “To ensure y

{As you have already learned, our citizens are currently being held as hostages in their space stations, and the rescue forces will be moving in half an hour, which will also be five minutes after you start your missions,} an Athena sub-AI provided the mission briefing inside what looked like a large theater, as soldiers in their military dress uniforms sat at attention and listened.Ismail, just a speck among the ten thousand mecha pilots present, sat at attention and wondered what they were going to be doing that required them to move five minutes ahead of the rescue forces. Still, it was easy to guess the general reason was to attract and divert the Conclave forces' attention to facilitate an easier rescue, despite knowing the potential of it working was very little.{Since they attacked by surprise and took our people hostage, we are going to return the favor. In return, we are going to hold a thousand of their planets hostage. This should act as both our response and a large enou

BOOMA snow avalanche was triggered as the black mecha, adorned with red highlights, straightened its knees that had buckled from breaking the fall from orbit. Its head rose from the cloud of snow dust created by the impact.Ismail, now one with the mecha, reached back and drew a sword as tall as the machine itself, its colors matching the mecha's own.He raised the sword as if it weighed nothing and pointed it toward the military base, which had been relentlessly firing upon his mecha since it entered the atmosphere. His shields had already expanded to cover a kilometer radius, creating a protective dome that now contained the very avalanche his landing had caused.The sword, etched with runes, glowed for a moment before sending out a shockwave.BRRRRRRRRWWWWWWWMThe shockwave immediately turned the snow accumulated within the shield into a large lake of water.“My time to shine,” Ismail said as the cutting edges of the double-sided sword disassembled, moving to hover around the mech

Mars, Stargate Base 47Streams upon streams of people continued exiting the wormholes, some requiring tractor beams to soften their speed after being thrown as if they were cannonballs.As their bodies passed through the Stargates, they were fully scanned, their imperial digital profiles updated with new information. For many, diverse tags were added to their profiles: #Needs targeted therapy for PTSD, #Currently in active denial, #Suicidal, #Saw his wife killed in front of him, #Killed a person and feeling guilty, #Abnormal mana waves detected in the body, #On the verge of awakening, #Currently awakening, #Needs a full body rebuild, #Dead, #Weirdly Fine, #Emotiaonal breakdown, #Murderous intent, #Signs of XenphobiaSome walked through the gates as if they were simply entering a room, while others floated in cocoons, either heavily injured or dead. The cocoons were color-coded: green for those alive but needing treatment and care, black for the dead, whose bodies were taken for storag