Ch.227Sowing Discord and Political Scheming

# Chapter 227: Sowing Discord and Political Maneuvering

The news that Prosnack’s elite fleet of 60,000 ships was on the move quickly began to spread to other nations.

“What the hell? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“60,000? Did you say 60,000?”

Naturally, the nations that shared “borders” with Prosnack were the ones having seizures over this news.

“Maintain communications with all fortresses and issue partial mobilization orders to secure human resources.”

“Re-examine our strategic resource reserves. We need to increase production of ship-grade alloys!”

The Syr-Hod Federation, which shared the longest border with the former Kerzin Federation, was gripped by the fear that their hard-won independence might be threatened.

“ISTO members! Isn’t this precisely the moment when the Interstellar Security Treaty Organization should take its first true action?!”

“We urgently need the full support of the Galactic Alliance!”

At the ISTO and Alliance headquarters, the cries of Syr-Hod Federation diplomats echoed through the conference halls daily.

——————————————-

And Syr-Hod wasn’t the only nation adjacent to Prosnack.

“Full mobilization order! All citizens must enlist to protect our homeland from the Prosnack bastards!”

The Fuxsoviet Federation, which was always quick to provoke other eastern nations at the slightest provocation.

This military dictatorship, saturated with red flavor, judged that Prosnack was now targeting them.

‘Do they think we’ll fall so easily?’

‘We’re not like the Kerzin Federation, few in number and incompetent.’

‘Just try coming at us, we’ll turn you into a honeycomb.’

They scraped together every resource they had, mobilizing a fleet of 70,000 ships.

Simultaneously, they were showing nervous reactions by advancing their existing border defense fleets to the frontier.

The problem was that the Fuxsoviet Federation was preparing to commit all their resources to wage total war…

Strictly speaking, this was merely a reaction to the movement of the Prosnack fleet.

“Those fucking Prosnack bastards, they’re finally trying to push us around!”

Perhaps it’s because they’re the red-flavored federation.

Unlike “that” federation which caused Arto to mispronounce Fuxsoviet as Fuksoviet whenever he saw them.

The Fuxsoviet hadn’t committed the insanity of dismantling their carefully built fortress defense line to push it back to the border.

They were showing “still” rational responses, focusing their countermeasures solely on Prosnack.

But the world doesn’t always proceed rationally…

“Advance deploy the fleet!”

“To where, sir?”

“To the border! Those are the orders from the Supreme Military Committee!”

The Fuxsoviet leadership had intended to advance deploy only to the border facing Prosnack.

According to the original plan, fleets in other sectors should have maintained their positions.

“Should we go too?”

“When I say go, you fucking go!”

The problem was that, due to the unique blend of military dictatorship and red-flavored absurdity,

The severely tense Fuxsoviet Federation fleet misinterpreted the leadership’s orders as applying to “all borders,” not just the Prosnack front.

——————————————-

As a result.

“Oh look, those bastards are having another fit.”

“Judging by their behavior, aren’t they trying to ally with Prosnack to attack us again?”

“Oh.”

Given that the Fuxsoviet Federation shared much more of its border with ISTO member states than with Prosnack,

Anyone could see this was essentially the same as when the former Zeltech Conglomerate fell.

And just like when the Kerzin Federation collapsed, it appeared they were forming an alliance with Prosnack to attack them.

“No, you idiots! Come back!”

“Huh?”

“We’ve already moved everything.”

“AAAAARGH!!!”

The Fuxsoviet Supreme Military Committee, belatedly grasping the situation, tried desperately to reverse course.

“Prepare for war!”

“We cannot become another Zeltech or Kerzin!”

They had frequently provoked border frictions in the past.

And although their previous simultaneous invasion of current ISTO member states ended anticlimactically due to the Sebelli Empire’s intervention:

“Neighbors! Look at what those bastards are doing!!”

“I saw them conspiring with Prosnack with my own eyes!”

The former Eastern Triple Alliance, which had suffered from this.

The current ISTO member states—Syr-Hod Federation, Nurval Republic, and Uko`Praknar—were understandably terrified.

“ISTO members, we need help immediately!”

“Those vicious Fuxsoviet bastards might invade us at any moment!”

“With Prosnack causing trouble above us and Fuxsoviet pushing down from the side, we absolutely cannot hold out.”

Thanks to this, following the Syr-Hod Federation diplomats who were already freaking out about Prosnack’s movements,

Diplomats from the Nurval Republic and Uko`Praknar Interstellar Union also began having fits at ISTO headquarters.

——————————————-

“Whoa, how did the situation develop like this?”

At ISTO headquarters in the capital system of Kar-Du, confusion reigned over the suddenly changed political landscape.

“Didn’t the Prosnack Union say they were normalizing diplomatic relations?”

“That’s why their Supreme Commander is in the Holy Sebelli Empire’s capital planetary system with an escort fleet.”

“…Then what is all this?”

The Prosnack Union, which had always moved as one under the Supreme Commander’s leadership, was suddenly split in two.

“And why are the Fuxsoviet causing trouble again?”

“According to the Supreme Military Committee, they’re merely protecting their country from Prosnack’s threat…”

“…Who would believe such nonsense?”

From the beginning, Fuxsoviet had moved large fleets to their borders while blatantly lying without even bothering to make it convincing.

Perhaps because the situation was the very embodiment of chaos,

Discussions on how to handle this situation continued daily at ISTO headquarters.

“This is nothing short of a show of force by Prosnack and Fuxsoviet against our ISTO!”

“That’s hard to claim when Prosnack’s Supreme Commander is planning foreign visits, isn’t it?”

“Isn’t that just using the carrot and stick approach? Either listen to them or get beaten to death.”

“Ahem, let’s use more sophisticated language, shall we?”

But amid this chaotic meeting, one opinion gained majority support:

“Isn’t this all happening because they don’t believe we have serious ‘military means’ at our disposal?”

“What do you mean…?”

“I declare in this assembly that we need to show those two powers that we too have strength!”

This referred to a statute in the initial laws of the treaty when ISTO was formed.

Treaty member countries were required to contribute a certain percentage of their fleet strength as a “treaty force.”

The proposal was to deploy these treaty forces now to test their war deterrence capability.

“…I think this is a good idea.”

“Well said.”

“Even if it doesn’t work on Prosnack, wouldn’t it at least teach Fuxsoviet a lesson?”

After another week had passed,

ISTO finally began dispatching their “treaty forces” toward the galactic northeast where the current situation was unfolding.

The problem was that this stimulated the Fuxsoviet Federation in a different way.

“These sons of bitches, are they launching a counteroffensive even though we said it wasn’t us?”

“Gather all ships produced under the full mobilization order at the front!”

“We must be prepared to check both Prosnack and ISTO!”

As a result, the Fuxsoviet Federation reinforced their fleet.

“See that? Those bastards are just as we expected.”

“Wow, such foresight.”

Seeing this, ISTO member states subtly sent their own fleets along with the treaty forces to strengthen their position.

While these two powers engaged in a strange battle of nerves,

—————————————-

“…Such pathetic idiots.”

Fern`Dus, the Supreme Commander leading Prosnack’s elite fleet.

No, the Holy Sebelli Empire’s emperor disguised as him…

Was muttering quietly while glaring at Ethernia’s fleet, which had gathered in response to the Prosnack fleet he had brought.

“I failed to break through in the past, but this time I will pierce your precious warp barrier… and personally plunge my dagger into your heart.”