Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 734

Chapter 734

Chapter 734: Before the Fight

Lan Jue scowled . “Right now we don’t know what the enemy is up to . This feels too rushed . I was just telling the Clockmaker that I think we need another scouting mission, see if we can discover any new information . At the very least we confirm their status before beginning the attack . This doesn’t seem right, why would they just wait for us to attack?”

The Wine Master responded with a sigh . “There’s nothing for it now, the North is under too much pressure to wait . A billion people! Already their society has begun to come apart . If this attack doesn’t begin right away the government is going to lose control . Even though the chances of bringing anyone back is slim to none, it has to be attempted . It’s the will of the people, the North will do everything it can to bring them hope . Tyrannosaurus hasn’t been fully repaired from its last fight but they’ve already put it out on the field, along with their four other bastions . That’s five from the North, and the West has brought another two . With Middle Heaven that brings the total number to eight – an unprecedented gathering of military power . That doesn’t take into account the twelve interstellar fleets that accompany them . There are five hundred million soldiers waiting on orders to deploy, two thirds of all soldiers on active duty in every Alliance . It’s time to finish this!”

After listening to the Wine Master Lan Jue understood the plight the North found itself in . Losing four planets had put them in a precarious position with their own people, and already the bulk of humanity’s soldiers had gathered for a retaliatory strike . If this didn’t succeed, they were as good as doomed . To them, even if the aliens had some trick up their sleeve, this power they were bringing down on them would have to be enough .

Eight bastion ships! And scores of warship as support . This time the fight was in home territory, with enough space for them to maneuver . No one doubted the strength of the planets, but they were facing an army the likes of which this side of the universe had never seen .

For the North, their greatest worry was that the planets would teleport before they got close enough to deal a fatal blow . This was the reason behind their rush, the quicker they mobilized the less likely it was their enemy was already gone .

But still Lan Jue felt they were going too fast .

“We’re setting out in an hour . The Northern bastions have already begun the approach . ” The Wine Master said .

Lan Jue nodded . “So when do we join the fray?”

“You arrived just in time,” the Wine Master explained . “We’re about to convene a Tri-Alliance meeting which we’ll be attending . The East’s forces will be represented by Admiral Lan Qing, who is acting as commander in chief for Eastern forces . He’s already as the meeting hall . We should head over as well . ”

“Alright . ” Never before had an operation of this scale been attempted . Be it manpower, resources or cooperation this war was unparalleled . It also meant it was incredibly involved, and even if Lan Jue spoke up it was already too late to stop the war machine from rolling . As leader of the charge, the North had already made up its mind . Things were unlikely to change this late in the game, especially based on the discomfort of one person .

After bidding the various Paragons farewell, Lan Jue followed the Wine Master to a verticar . They quickly left for the meeting hall .

“You convinced Bize? What about Aubert?” Lan Jue asked .

The Wine Master addressed him calmly . “Master Aubert has come to his senses . However he is too attached to his wines and refuses to leave the Barrows . The West has already abandoned the planet, and its wealth of vital energy makes it a prime target for alien aggression . Aubert decided he needed to remain behind and protect his vineyard . Bize was also reticent to leave him behind, but I convinced her to come . Her reasons are simple; if they want to pass on what they’ve learned, there need to be humans to pass it on to . ”

Lan Jue hadn’t thought it possible . Not only were Bize and Aubert masters of their craft, they were artists . They had put their hearts blood into their work, he’d have thought they would prize it above all else .

The Wine Master grew serious . “Aubert had me come back with a large bottle of wine . He asked me to protect it, and make sure this particular vintage survived . ”

Lan Jue swallowed . It’d been some time since he’d had a good drink, he’d had no time . Hearing the Wine Master talk about it made him itch for a taste .

A smile touched the Wine Master’s lips . “When all of this is over you and I will celebrate over a bottle . I’m sure the gods of wine won’t mind a few bottles to mark the occasion . ”

“Alright! If that’s the case I’m anxious to get this over with . ”

The Wine Master returned to more serious matters . “It looks like a significant part of this fight will take place on land . The North wants us to to direct Star Division there . ”

“What are they planning?” Lan Jue asked .

The Wine Master glanced at him . “It seems the four former planets have become support for the enemy . We’re not sure how, but the aliens seem restored after a visit to the planets’ surface . According to the Keeper they’re replenishing themselves on the captured planets’ vital energy . So it seems that if we want to win we need to take the four planets back first . ”

“For the first time we humans have the upper hand in sheer force . The North’s strategy, therefore, is a slow but steady march straight in . First they want to recapture the planets, then move in for the alien home worlds themselves . We’ll approach from four sides to make sure the enemy can’t evade or escape . ”

Lan Jue nodded his head thoughtfully . Though the North was being hasty, at least their strategy was sound . Recapturing the lost planets had to be first, otherwise they’d act as a protective screen .

They were sure to face progenitors when they invaded . Perhaps they would be lucky and managed to save the planets from absolute death . After all, it took time for all the vital energy of a planet to be consumed .

“It sounds good to me,” Lan Jue said with a nod .

When the verticar landed, Lan Jue and the Wine Master stepped off, then made their way for Middle Heaven’s control center . After a series of checks, they were permitted to enter .

Lan Qing was already absorbed in a video conference . The two new arrivals took seats nearby .

Six large screens filled the meeting room, flickering between whoever had the floor . Representatives from all three alliances were heard . Lan Qing’s face was among them .

Lan Jue manipulated the acoustic currents to speak only to Lan Qing . “What’s the situation? Is the plan all set?”

Lan Qing gave his answer . “The chief commander of the operation is Admiral Kang Hui . He has experience facing the aliens in battle . For now everything seems rational . We lead with the fleets, which will spread out and engage the enemy on several fronts . They’ll kill as many of the creatures as possible and soften things up for a ground incursion . The bastions will stay back as support and deterrence . Their cannons will be charged and ready to fire the moment the alien planets are in range . The second the enemy is in their sights, they’ll let loose with all their strength . ”

“When the landing operation commences the North will be responsible for two of their former planets . The remaining two have been left to us and the West . The North has asked us to dispatch Star Division to take the planet . ”

Lan Jue nodded . “Not a problem . The Wine Master has already let me know, it’ what we’re good at . We’ll need air support . ”

“That’s one of the problems we’re faced with,” Lan Qing explained . “Part of the North’s requirements are that we don’t lay down fire on the planet’s surface . ”

Lan Jue blinked . “Why? If that’s the case our job just got a hell of lot harder!”

Lan Qing remained stoic . “There’s no other option . Our long-range telescopes have found people still alive . There are survivors down there . This changes things for the North, saving them is a priority . The Northern public is on the verge of rioting, and if they find out survivors were shot down by friendly fire the results will be catastrophic . Warships will have to handle things out in space . The planets’ surfaces are going to have to be left to ground troops alone, with the hope we can bring some citizens back alive . ”

Lan Jue’s brows were wrinkled as he thought . “That definitely makes things harder . We’re likely to suffer casualties . We also have no idea what’s in store for us when we get down there . You know what will happen if we run into something like the Violet Prince . ”

Lan Qing nodded . “That’s why the North has called for Star Division specifically . They’re hoping we can clear out a planet quickly then move in to support other incursion teams . ”

Lan Jue frowned . “I guess we just have to make the best of it . ”

The Wine Master chimed in . “That’s the way it is . All of our Paragons are ready to fight . We should take a planet quickly, assuming there isn’t a particularly powerful foe to face . With his Majesty Jue Di in the lead, finding a Prince or Princess may be a good thing . ”

Lan Jue’s heart skipped a beat . The Wine Master was right, aliens had vital crystals . The stronger the alien, the more potent the crystal . Lan Jue’s father was suffering, but if they could get a crystal from a beast as powerful as him, that could turn Jue Di’s condition around .