Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 710

Chapter 710

Chapter 710: Lan Jue’s Suggestions

“Vital crystals are energy – condensed vital energy . When faced with the question ‘what can the aliens not afford to lose,’ these crystallized shards of power are one of them . We can safely assume that the only real aliens are the three planets themselves . The others we’ve faced are extensions of them – like appendages . Every crystal we take is like taking a piece of one of the planets . As far as we can tell, this is why Monarch didn’t send monsters into combat against Tyrannosaurus .  Were it not for Commander Lan Jue’s reconnaissance, the losses suffered by Tyrannosaurus and its fleet would have been much worse . ”

“We know that these aliens are beings of higher intelligence, and so we must assume everything they do has a purpose . It likely knew that sending in the monsters would have been useless against a Bastion . All it would accomplish is delivering vital crystals into our hands . To keep them safe, the alien homunculi were dispatched from the battlefield, and ordered to return once the danger had passed . ”

“Their ploy was very successful . We recovered no vital crystals in the course of the expedition . With all we know now, I suggest that any further clashes with the aliens should focus on gathering vital crystals . In this way we strengthen ourselves while weakening our enemy . Kill the homunculi and take their crystals by any means necessary . So much powered is stored in those crystals – power that can create whole living beings – that they must be the most important resource our enemy possesses . ”

As he listened Lan Jue slowly nodded his head . The Terminator’s analysis made sense . Why would so many reinforcements be instantly called whenever even one insignificant beast was harmed? Because the planets feared a vital crystal would fall into the hands of their prey .

Star Division had returned from their first tour in the Starfields with so many crystals because Jue Di was able to kill so many, so fast . At the time their aggregate strength was enough to handle a host of reinforcements .

If contemporary knowledge held true, then a direct assault against the planets themselves was ill-advised . Instead, ambushing the creatures – what the Terminator now called homunculi – and taking their crystals was the best plan of action .

After giving his report, the Terminator turned to military deployment and defensive strategy . It was also an important point of discussion . Plans needed to be laid for how the three alliances would work together for human survival .

The Shattered Starfields sat in the center between the three opposing territories . While some areas were thinner than others, the alliances were still separated by vast distances . For this reason accumulating troops in the appropriate areas was impossible . Nor did they have any clue as to where the aliens would appear . Their ability to teleport made determining at-risk areas impossible . Everywhere was at risk .

Lan Jue figured that the aliens would simply avoid any large gathering of soldiers . Their agility was a serious problem . Neither could humanity flee . Despite having nowhere to go, there were simply too many humans spread over dozens of star systems . Meanwhile the alien planets numbered only three, and could go where they pleased .

As the conversation continued on military strategy, Lan Jue listened but didn’t have any opinions . It was not his area of expertise . Instead, he set his mind to finding the most effective way for Star Division to help .

Star Division was beginning to take shape as a powerhouse of planetary combat . But out in space, that power was greatly diminished . Lan Jue suspected that even he couldn’t stand against a dreadnaught in outer space . Perhaps if he got close, but after a certain distance he would likely succumb to the ship’s cannons .

He was unsure how Star Division’s role would manifest itself in these conditions . How would he employ his soldiers to their full potential?

In the face of destruction the alliance representatives swore to put aside their own interests for the good of humanity . Sincere and cooperative discussion ensued about how best to protect the lives of their citizens .

Defeated their enemies wasn’t a simple feat that could be achieved in a single action . Nor was the defense of human worlds . The first step had to be to avoid unnecessary loss while impairing the enemy . The more they learned, the better they could craft a plan of attack .

Although the North had failed in their attack, it wasn’t without value . Alien defenses were discovered to have limits . Bastions may not have been as effective as the military hoped, but they nonetheless could contend with the aliens . Converging six Bastions on one of those planets would end in a different result, they were sure .

Determining further action would mean more reconnaissance, and so the important of scouting missions were also declared . Everyone agreed that Star Division’s help and intel was what brought Tyrannosaurus and its entourage back alive . For this reason, more than anything else, he had been given a spot on the first row of the dais . Granted he wasn’t military, but his actions had made Lan Jue an unwitting standard-bearer for soldiers throughout all the alliances .

Lastly, the delegates agreed on a master plan for resisting the alien menace; Scout, harass, research, and destroy .

Reconnaissance was determined to be a pillar of the strategy . In order to protect their scouts and assist in their mission, the alliances pledged to work on new technologies and provide them for use in the field . These would include better ships and anti-interference communication devices .

“Now we would like to invite the commander of Star Division, Commander Lan Jue, to help us ascertain best practices in scouting out the enemy forces . ” The Northern President invited Lan Jue to the podium with a smile .

Lan Jue paused . No one had told him he was expected to speak .

H rose to his feet and looked at the President, who nodded in encouragement . All of a sudden Lan Jue understood . They wanted him unprepared on purpose, in the hopes he would reveal something he might have hidden before . He’d told them everything before, what more did they want?

He approached the podium and, after greeting the delegation, spoke his piece . “I have had the unfortunate experience of encountering these monsters over a long period of time . The first time was on planet Taihua, where their sudden invasion had stunned everyone . The sheer aggressiveness of these beasts, their insatiable hunger, was burned into our collective nightmares . ”

“The Clairvoyant once said that this would be one of humanity’s greatest challenges . If we faced it, and overcome this adversity than humanity would rise to master the cosmos . If we did not, it would spell our destruction as a species . ”

The hall was silent . All of a sudden the atmosphere was dismal and heavy . Who did not know and respect the Clairvoyant’s reputation? He was one of history’s greatest prophets, who established Skyfire Avenue with his own hands . His vision helped lift humanity to the interstellar society it was today .

After a moment Lan Jue continued . “His Majesty the Terminator has given an excellent account of what we know about the aliens, I won’t address that further . However, I will emphasize that the aliens are an exceptionally intelligent adversary . They don’t just consume – they study, and learn . They knew all the North’s tactics and had counteracted their plans to assure the least cost to themselves and the greatest damage to our people . ”

“I have met one of them that was at least as strong as a third-degree Paragon . It told me that our inherent potency is what they were after . They wish to emulate us in order to further their evolution . ”

“So far I agree with everything this body has put forward . Reconnaissance must continue in order for us to learn more about what we fight, and why . I support His Majesty the Terminator’s determination that we need to send out our best troops to continually harass their supply lines for vital crystals . Little by little we can steal strength from our enemy and turn it to our benefit . However we must understanding that this is exceedingly dangers . We know that among the aliens at least one has achieved the Infinite . ”

“My team’s success in scouting the enemy forces is simple; we had enough power, speed and defenses to evade them . But what you may not have known is that evading death came at the cost of an s-ranked power gem each time we needed to teleport away . That was what separated us from success and failure, living and dying . In addition we were strong, strong enough to strike fast and hard before they could muster a response . ”

“In my view there are several things that must be done to assure the future success of our scouting missions . First, we need better and faster ships . Second, we must develop psionic shielding techniques . These creatures are capable of carpeting an area in a psionic pulse that locks on targets even if they’re invisible . ”

“Third, find way to protect ourselves . We found teleportation to be best, but there are other methods . You also need sufficient support . ”

“Fourth, ensure that every scouting unit is strong enough to do the job . Even against common homunculi they need to be able to kill it and flee before reinforcements arrive . The higher caste of these creatures are frightening, but few . The alien planets are among this higher cast but they are restricted by their size . So long as you don’t get close they won’t be a problem . As long as our people have the ability to get away, our scouting and guerilla missions will be a success . ”

“So, it is my suggestion and hope that all of the alliances put their focus on finding soldiers that can do these jobs and protecting them . For Star Division, this is how we’ve managed to survive . If we can maintain constant surveillance of the enemy we will know when they transfer, giving us time to prepare and react . That is all I have to say, thank you . ”