Shi Lang and his team sailed off through the stars to meet the Commander of the Galactic strike force, Harley Xers. The man did not say much during the ride because he knew he would face a war-like situation when he reached the Strike Force headquarters.
It was not confirmed whether they would receive support from the strong sides or will the Galactic Strike Force try to throw them under the bus for the so-called greater good.
The spaceship entered the wrap sequence and appeared in the periphery of the Blue star. Shi Lang said, “I hope you all stay prepared for whatever comes our way. Ikeras will not let us waltz to our tunes. So, stay alert and do not reveal all your cards from the get-go.”
The squad members all nodded to him. They knew that their Commander must have sensed something. That’s why he was warning them. Jill pondered over his words and asked, “Boss, do you think those from the citadel will speak in our favor?”
After all, the two communities were now tied in a bond of an alliance, it was customary for her to think like this, but Shi Lang shook his head as he said, “I would rather not depend on the others for a helping hand in this situation. The alliance primarily focuses on helping each other grow stronger and not helping the other party fend off threats. At least, not until the threat is endangering the foundation of an ally.”
Jill nodded and then sighed as she said, “Boss, do you think we can survive?”
Everyone had their ears trained at this conversation and wanted to know how Shi Lang would reply. Finally, leaning back in his command chair, Shi Lang said, “You do not have to think whether we will survive. Instead, focus on destroying the enemy before they get a chance to kill us.”
The people nodded in agreement, they all had their pride, and if someone came to bully them, they would not hesitate to retaliate. Fortunately, Shi Lang would not take such shit lying down. As the discussion ended, the spaceship entered the docking port.
Sonic controlled the ship and said, “Boss, it seems we are being watched.”
Shi Lang nodded and said, “Ignore the flies. They are mostly dogs of the Ikeras, posted to keep tabs on us.”
The people nodded, and the ship docked successfully. Shi Lang led the ace division off the vessel, and they first sensed many gazes focused on them. Sonic said, “I can feel them from miles. What sort of scouts are these guys?”
Sparrow replied to him, “Rookies. Ten meters to the right, one of them even has a camera focused on us.”
Shi Lang said, “Pick up the pace. I do not want to destroy them just yet.”
…
The people nodded solemnly, and one of the guys said, “Boss, this thing, are you sure, is the truth?”
Harley sighed and said, “Chad, as much as I wish for it to be a lie. But, unfortunately, it is a truth that cannot be changed. The evidence is conclusive. After the council meeting tonight, the decision will be made public, and the four upper echelons have ordered me to be prepared to take action against the accused.”
The nine people nodded, and one of them asked in a calm tone, “Our teams will follow all your commands, but what about the rest? So many people in the forces are pets to Ikeras. Do you think they will be willing to help us?”
Harley took a deep breath and began to think. She was pondering over this question for the past few days as well. Then, just when someone was about to step in, the meeting room door was knocked, and Harley said, “Come in.”
Shina stepped inside the room and said, “Captain Ace is here with his team.”
Harley raised her head and said, “Call him in.”
Shina hesitated, but then she nodded and left the room. A few moments later, Shi Lang walked inside the room. Shina told him that the top players were all gathered here, so he should converge a bit. Although the young man did not wish to comply, he found no issues watching the show from the sidelines to gather the information before joining the fray.
The young man saluted the lady and said, “Captain Shi Lang is reporting for duty, Commander.”
Harley nodded and said, “Take a seat and read the file I sent you.”
Shi Lang nodded and took the vacant seat on the table without any fluctuations on his face, but the people became curious about him. After all, how come this guy did not even bother to cast a glance at them? After all, who among them was not a big shot? The top nine were from the big five or the next-in-line clans. Their fame resounded throughout the galaxy.
Shi Lang read the files, and his face became incredible. He asked, “Boss, is this legitimate and not a ploy to entrap me?”
Harley asked, “Why do you think I will entrap you? Have you been watching too much spy drama back at home?”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “No, but to think that these greedy bastards will be one in like this. So, looking at the directives mentioned, do you wish me to participate in this encirclement?”
Harley nodded and said, “The higher-ups are adamant this time. After the next meeting, the Ikeras will no longer recognize as one of the big fives.”
Shi Lang looked at everyone and scoffed, saying, “Naive.”
The person closest to Harley’s right hand asked, “What do you mean by that?”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “If you think that a clan that can stand on top of the galaxy for the past few hundred thousand years will not have any means to protect themselves, then you are naive. Please pardon me for being blunt.”
The person retorted, “Captain Shi Lang do you think that you are the only one who has thought about that? The Ikeras must have some sort of a fail-safe. What we are discussing is to find the ways to sabotage this fail-safe.”
Shi Lang shrugged and said, “The only condition they will be triggering the fail-safe would be when they are under pressure. For example, if we stop the Ikera soldiers. The only way to win this level is by misleading the enemy.”
The people raised their eyebrows, and Harley asked, “What do you mean?”
Shi Lang stood up from his chair and said, “Boss, we need to make the Ikera big shots think that whatever is happening is only a play to calm the public opinion. This way, the people might calm down. Otherwise, we will have to massacre.”
Harley nodded, and the entire group again began interacting. Shi Lang provided input from time to time as well. After a few hours, the meeting was finished, and the teams were told to prepare for the upcoming battle.
The person who had retorted against Shi Lang earlier came to his side and said, “You have a good brain, kid.”
The young Terran frowned and asked, “Why do you call me kid?”
The man chuckled and said, “You probably do not know much about me. I am a member of the big five clans, too. Jayl is my name. I might look young, but my age is two hundred and five years.”
Surprised, Shi Lang replied, “You do not look a day above thirty, Old Sir.”
The man did not mind himself being called old and began to talk to Shi Lang about the plan he had in mind. However, to his surprise, Shi Lang replied, “My method is a bit different from the rest.”
The other person nodded and said, “Keep going.”
Shi Lang replied, “The weak ones can be left alone. The real trouble originates from the strong and the wise. So, first, take out the intelligent people. Without a brain, the body of the strong will be anxious and vulnerable.
A war is won when you know how to control your enemy. If they do not have a brain for it, even if the resources left in their home will not be able to help them against our attacks.”
The man nodded and said, “This is the best way, but how do you disable the intelligence?”
The other captains were also listening to Shi Lang and the captain of the first team. They wanted to know if this guy was all talk or did he have any skills to back his sass up.
Shi Lang replied, “Wrong information is more dangerous than poison. Is it not?”
The people were shocked. This guy was a terrifying tactician. The old man raised his brow and said, “What sort of misinformation?”
Shi Lang smiled and said, “Sorry, trade secrets cannot be divulged.