Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Another War
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Another war?
It had barely been a few years since the last one ended, and here was a new conflict already.
The road to galactic peace was long and treacherous.
At least this war wasn't on a massive scale, which was something of a silver lining.
Compared to the recent clash between the galaxy's top powers—the Sacred Nation and the Empire—it felt like a minor local skirmish.
The newly independent Ozztlan Democratic Republic was a coalition of states suspected to be under the Empire's influence.
A civil war in the Sacred Union, which lacked its own advanced tech base. If outsiders got involved, the outcome was predictable.
The Sacred Nation might tip the scales on the other side and change things, but so far, there were no signs of movement.
After all, the Sacred Union had broken away from the Sacred Nation, so they had no reason to interfere.
Still, they might step in to curb the Empire's expansion.
This was something only the Prophet's judgment could clarify.
Unfortunately, this war offered little economic upside.
The major powers like the Empire and Sacred Nation had deep pockets and bought up mountains of war materiel last time, but the Sacred Union probably couldn't match that.
With their weak economy spread thin over vast territory, the odds of full-scale fighting breaking out were low anyway.
Not much appeal for mercenaries or manufacturers.
But a thin wallet was still a wallet.
Demand could be created.
In a war deciding a nation's fate, they wouldn't cut spending just because money was tight. Impossible.
Weapons and mercenaries were what you scraped together or borrowed for if you wanted to win.
To beat the enemy, they'd take loans and print cash if they had to.
Problem was, taking their bonds felt risky.
These splinter states from the Sacred Union didn't look like they'd skyrocket.
Hell, their bonds might turn to worthless paper.
Better to watch the situation and squeeze out every last credit.
One more factor demanded attention: whether the flames of war would reach the Lourka Star System.
PATO's home base was too far from the Sacred Union to care, but Lourka—newly joined to PATO—was a different story.
It came down to geography.
Lourka sat right in the heart of the former Sacred Union.
Before, with hyperlanes linking surrounding systems, blocking one didn't matter much—no one would quit over it.
Just detour through two or three more.
Lourka wasn't some hyperlane nexus anyway.
But now that the Ozztlan Democratic Republic had broken away, everything changed.
The path back was gone.
Sandwiched between the Sacred Union and the Democratic Republic, Lourka had become a key strategic chokepoint.
PATO's neutral stance mirrored Lourka's declaration of neutrality.
To push into enemy territory while ignoring a neutral system smack in the center meant wasteful detours.
You couldn't just march through a neutral power.
And terrain that hindered movement always favored the defender.
Attackers had to stretch their lines around the neutral system; defenders didn't.
But assumptions could flip everything.
If the defender could pass through but the attacker couldn't? Or vice versa, letting them flank?
That opened another revenue stream.
Play it smart, mix in some favors, and it'd pay off handsomely.
Ozztlan must be rooting for PATO's ascension.
They kept handing us these growth opportunities.
I'd considered sending Verrak and Koralrak to the front like during the Sacred Nation-Empire war, but scrapped it.
The Sacred Union's tech lagged far behind PATO's—no need to scavenge wrecks for scraps.
Plus, they were so weak, we'd accidentally wipe them out trying to steer the war.
I figured veterans of the big war would field decent fleets. Nope.
The Prophet's almighty flagship and guard fleet, the Sacred Nation's knight orders, and faith-driven volunteers.
These guys were the volunteers.
Ridiculous, but it made sense.
If I were the Prophet, I'd back fanatics willing to die for Ozztlan, not these half-hearted believers.
Ozztlan faith had psionic waves as a measurable devotion meter—easy to sort the true faithful.
And it proved a wise call.
The escapees who formed the Sacred Union lacked that fanatic zeal for Ozztlan.
The loyal species still thrived in the Sacred Nation.
What did the Prophet's choices matter now?
The Sacred Union was weaker than expected. That was key.
And weakness drove up weapons prices.
Buying gear beyond your tech level meant paying a premium.
With that tech gap, skipping the purchase meant no counterplay.
They'd pay big despite their empty pockets.
A war ripe for extraction.
Once I mapped the economic gains, I realized there wasn't much else worth grabbing.
Swallowing new systems into PATO? Tough.
Couldn't just conquer non-belligerents.
And convincing war-torn fighters to bail and betray? Sketchy.
Did we really need more systems?
Hong Kong was enough—no need for Macau too.
Sure, extras would be nice, but wartime greed felt risky.
Other systems weren't as isolated as Lourka—costlier to snag.
No PATO member had lured a single one before this civil war. Lourka was lucky.
But the civil war had its oddities.
The Empire's support for the Sacred Union felt half-hearted.
Couldn't read the imperial brass's minds, but publicly, they wanted to seem uninvolved.
The Union's independence came amid peace cries during the Sacred Nation-Empire war.
Backing war now might look bad, but it wasn't reason enough.
Winning meant gobbling the whole vast Union.
The Sacred Nation dipped in indirectly too.
The moment war broke, every "me" in the Sacred Nation felt it.
Regular worship cycles shortened.
Psionic pulses grew more frequent, more intense.
Some of that vast energy didn't go to Ozztlan—it funneled to certain ships and vanished.
The Democratic Republic cried foul, claiming it broke the Sacred Union non-interference pact. The Sacred Nation ignored them.
"Anyone can join in worship to Ozztlan."
Predictable.
The Sacred Nation trampling treaties to hold influence? Par for the course.
But the Empire stayed silent too.
No reaction to clear signs of psionic aid?
They must have coordinated already.
Probably divvied up the spoils in advance.
Hell, the Republic's independence might've been pre-approved.
Though they seemed genuinely all-in on the fight.
Supporting either side was pointless then.
Even if PATO backed one hard, it wouldn't matter.
With the big two carving the cake, the ingredients' struggles changed nothing.
Did a third party snatching berries make them wary?
Seeing PATO nibble the Union might spook them.
Better not fight and just draw lines before distant PATO takes a big bite.
Fine for the Empire, but if the Sacred Nation thought that way? Shocking pragmatism.
They'd abandon their old turf cleanly and grab only the easy wins.
Realpolitik at its finest.
First, confirm if Sacred Nation-Empire collusion is real.
If so, PATO's extra gains look slim.
Better grab what we can quick and bail.
The Sacred Union... tough luck.
That's small nations for you.