Planet Master

“Report. The sensors are receiving signs of another civilization. Contact! Contact!” a command duty officer said to the captain of the Pioneer spaceship.

"Shield us from their detection, now. We need to assess them before anything else. That is the protocol the Federation has agreed on.” The captain, with a cigarette in his mouth, then picked it up, puffed out a smoke, and then said this.

The Federation Pioneer Fleet was then forced to follow the protocols out of necessity. After all, this Star Battle was unlike any that had occurred so far in their civilization's history.

The Federation’s shielding technology and stealth capabilities had reached new heights, capable of shielding against up to early T3-level sensors.

That should be enough for the needs of the Star Battle, but out of caution, the fleet should be located quite a distance from even the satellite celestial object, if there was one, or far from the geostationary orbit.

The Federation’s latest sensory devices could detect lifeforms, sentient beings’ brainwaves, as well as the signs of activity of the civilization.

From that, the Pioneer concluded that the civilizations they faced were barely at the T2 Technology and Transcendent Tree.

“Yes, Captain.” The command duty officer replied concisely and relayed the captain’s order to the crews of the spaceship and, from there, to the entire Pioneer Fleet.

All the Pioneer Fleet obeyed and stopped at the outer edge of the star system as their sensors detected numerous civilizations’ activity as well as intercepting signals from the two civilizations.

-

As the Star Battle progressed, the Capital Planet began to be crowded with military personnel as well as the Pioneers.

Ame, Charlene and Tatsumi finally arrived at the Capital Planet through the passenger spaceship. Since their battle prowess was the greatest among the people, the Federation summoned them to the Capital Planet.

Inside the recently built Planetary Fortress, which was connected to the Satellite Fortresses in orbit, Marshal Teach, the appointed leader of the Cerulean Defense Force, was sitting in his chair behind his desk.

The moment he heard the knock on his door, as well as a sweep of mental scan, he knew who was coming.

“Please, come in. You three are the biggest contributors to the Federation and the Star Battles so far.” Teach said while managing digital and physical documents.

The door slowly opened and the three entered. They were there to gain the latest information regarding the entire situation as well as the people’s well-being.

Even though Tatsumi and Ame had heard about the information beforehand through the Afterlife, hearing it directly from the person involved made the verification easier.

Furthermore, Marshal Teach was someone they had known for a long time since their cooperation was needed to enhance the effectiveness of the Cerulean Defense Force.

“Thank you for receiving us as usual.” Tatsumi said while looking around the simple room that had been made by the new 3D Printing Machine. The room was quite nice, but it needed more variation to liven things up.

Other than the chair and desk, there was also a bookshelf that was filled with books that Teach often read as well as a leisure sofa where he could rest for a moment.

Teach gestured for them to sit in a comfortable manner, and they did not refuse. After all, they had known each other’s preferences.

Tatsumi sat on the opposite side of the desk while Ame and Charlene sat on the sofa.

“What’s the situation on this side of the Rift?” Ame spoke up with a question.

“Yeah. I want to know about it too.” Tatsumi nodded in agreement.

Hearing the question, the Marshal kept working on his document without even raising his head while replying.

“The Pioneer Fleet has been dispatched and so far has found two inhabited civilizations on their route to the center of the galaxy.”

Tatsumi knew that to be true. But the current situation meant that the Pioneer Fleet followed the protocol that the Federation had discussed so far.

“Then what about those civilizations? What is the initial assessment?” Charlene became interested and asked. Her eyes had the excitement of finding new, interesting things.

“Hmm, that is a good question. Even the Pioneer Fleet has made the initial assessment a bit too much. In summary, they find that the first civilization is an expansionist and hedonist, while the second is an empire with a tendency toward diplomacy.” Teach replied with a somewhat somber tone.

“That is quite good already.” Tatsumi commented.

For him, that was quite good of an initial assessment. Of course, there was also a matter of a thorough assessment, but that could only be decided after they made thorough preparations.

“I have to agree. Since it has come to this, what are we going to do with them?” Charlene asked again.

“Further observation is needed before we decide their position in this Star Battle.” Teach said as he sighed wearily.

At that, everyone in the room became silent.

Tatsumi thought for a while; Ame was blinking her eyes while absorbing the implications behind the words, while Charlene twirled her hair, her eyes dazed as if she had achieved something greater than her own current knowledge.

Teach just kept on working on the documents; the sound of physical papers being shifted could be heard reverberating in the room.

“I hope we can become the warner for the civilization before us.” Tatsumi stated.

“In the end, it depends on them. If they listen to us, then that’s good. But if they don’t, then we are absolved of responsibility.” Charlene said while shaking her head.

To them, they had to do their best to warn the people, community, and civilization. It was because they were in a similar predicament that they understood more and more about the reality they were currently in.

As for what they tried to warn the civilizations about, it was the Star Battle they were currently in. They needed to know as much as possible before giving their thoughts about it.

According to the protocol, the Federation must observe the civilizations that their sensors caught contact with before appearing before them and giving them the warning of the painful reality of the Star Battle.

Of course, the Federation’s warning was about the many civilizations in the Star Battle that had the potential to become the inhabitants’ opponents, including the Federation.

This, the Federation found out, was not violating the higher order so they could assume that this would only liven things up.

“Have you found the other opponent’s civilization?” Ame asked with concern.

“Not yet. Either the distance between us is intentionally far enough or they conceal themselves altogether.” Teach said in a serious tone.

“But I think that those civilizations don’t win just by that. They would choose to improve their offensive capability.” He added.

“Since there is no news from our opponent, let us return to the topic of the newly discovered inhabitants’ civilizations. Do you want the three of us to be Emissaries to them?” Charlene asked with certainty in her tone.

Teach nodded with a heavy heart. Only the three in front of him could become the suitable Emissaries from the Federation to the two civilizations.

“What should we do exactly? Warn them that there are a dozen civilizations who vie to win, either by exploiting them or using them? We are no different.” Tatsumi said.

“But we have become the first civilization to warn them about it, something that the other civilizations with deities will not do.” Ame added.

Tatsumi then listened to Ame since she was the most professional in this regard.

“Therefore, the advantage is with us. We need to be a bit more transparent to the two inhabitant civilizations.” Ame said with confidence in her tone.

“Therefore, do you have the observation log from the Pioneer Fleet?” Charlene asked the most important question.

Teach then opened a drawer and handed Tatsumi some papers. Tatsumi then read it in a few moments before giving them to Charlene.

Charlene then read the papers, focusing on the content and some of the notes it wrote.

“Um, what is this about the first civilization being a sentient mushroom?”

“As it stated, the expansionist and the hedonist sentient mushrooms are on their path to be like us. They have Technology and a Transcendent Tree.” Teach said while looking at the minor details of the three expressions.

“Sentient mushrooms…I’d like to see what’s so special about them.” Tatsumi let out a small smile when he thought about it.

“The first civilization is the sentient mushroom. Therefore, we named it the Enoki Civilization.” Teach explained and the three understood that even more since it was written on the paper.

“What about the second civilization? What is remarkable about them that you can highlight?” Ame asked.

Teach then raised his head, looking at Ame directly in the eyes and said, “They are very good at diplomacy. Their civilization’s historical trajectory shows that they are adept at befriending their people and their allies even more.”

“Meaning that they are very likely to listen to us as well as becoming our potential ally. Is that what you are trying to say?” Ame interjected before he continued.

“As expected from you. It is really that case among the Pioneer Fleet’s people who are observing them right now.” Teach praised while also informing them about the opinion of the Pioneer Fleet.

“Then we are going to the first civilization’s planet. The second civilization looks to be easy to get along with.” Tatsumi realized this issue. The first civilization was one that revered something like strength.

“They…are they revering the strong one? I mean the sentient mushroom ones.” Charlene was stunned and said this.

“Hahaha, as much as it pains me to say this, that is what the latest intelligence said. If we want to make the Enoki Civilization into our ally, we must deploy you three, who are the most excellent at strength.” Teach had to grit his teeth as he said this.

But first, the Federation had to appear before them. The Pioneer Fleet was waiting for further instructions from the Federation to appear before these civilizations formally.

“And so we wait.”

-

The Pioneer Fleet was currently in stealth mode. They were waiting for the Federation to give them a signal for advancement but had not yet received it.

Furthermore, there was a direct order from the Marshal that there would be people to handle the Enoki Civilization.

After observation, the Pioneer Fleet found out that the sentient mushroom had a strange reverence for strength, devoutly believing that it was the foundation of everything in life. Therefore, they developed numerous methods of getting stronger.

Then a transport spaceship was scheduled to arrive from the Capital Planet, which made the captain of the Pioneer Fleet take this seriously.

Whoever the Cerulean Defense Force sent was actually someone who could handle the situation.

The transport spaceship was also specially designed for stealth movement in space. The Pioneer Fleet then received confirmation that the person the Marshal sent was here.

“Report. The transport spaceship has successfully transported the VIP.” The adjutant said to the captain.

“Receive them directly into my spaceship.” The captain said seriously. His spaceship was the flagship of the Pioneer Fleet, so he quickly decided to meet the person himself.

“According to the intel given by the Marshal, there are three people who go this time. But he does not specify who it is.” The captain murmured as he watched the digital documents.

Then the transport spaceship went right to beside the flagship and formed a connection with it. This procedure took some time but it maintained its stealth feature.

When the door to the bridge was opened, the captain could finally see the three people that the Marshal had personally suggested.

“Hello, Captain Jack.” Tatsumi had already been given the information about the Pioneer Fleet as well as its renowned captain.

“Eh, no need for the tedious introduction. I'm just here for the good payment. But seeing you like this makes my childhood dream come true, I guess.” Captain Jack sighed as he looked at the distant planet where the Enoki Civilization was located.

“You are my fan? That’s…unexpected.” Tatsumi replied in an uncertain tone.

“Yes. We did not expect that either.” Ame said while glancing at the captain. Charlene heard the information, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

“My talent in the transcendent aspect is average so I can only reach the Core Formation Realm after this long. But it is enough to live a good life.” Captain Jack spoke a little about himself, something that the adjutant and the crew found rare.

Tatsumi could feel the emotion in the way Captain Jack said about himself. But he did not comment on it and just listened. Sometimes, all you had to do was to be a good listener.

Ame and Charlene also let the captain spoke about himself a bit more.

“…that is the reason why I decided to go for the position of the captain of a fleet.” Captain Jack stopped talking about himself and looked around in confusion.

“So inspiring.” Tatsumi nodded with a grin.

“Thank you. For my idolized person to say that to me is better than any of my dreams.” Captain Jack blinked and looked at Tatsumi with slight admiration.

“There is a saying that you should not meet your idol, since your filter will shatter. But in this case, I see that you are not disappointed.” Tatsumi looked at Captain Jack with a serious look.

“What is there to be disappointed about? You are just human, but you defined yourself even more broadly than I thought. To think that you do all of that for self-profit is almost unbelievable.” Captain Jack laughed at that.

“Yeah, yeah. All that talk is just for that reason.” Tatsumi said before he extended his hand and demanded, “Well, how about giving us the document? I assume that the Marshal has given the delegation to the three of us.”

“Certainly.” Captain Jack hummed and nodded before grabbing some documents from his desk and handing them to Tatsumi.

Ame and Charlene then quickly went to his side and also read the content of the documents to make sure that it was legitimate.

Only after that could they proceed to act toward the Enoki Civilization.

“Good. Then when do we proceed?” Tatsumi then gave the documents to Ame since she was the most professional in administrative matters.

“Now should be good.” Captain Jack said with confidence.

The adjutant and the crew on the bridge listened in and were surprised to hear that. But that only lasted for a full second before they returned to their ready to deploy self.

“Now, order all the spaceships of the Pioneer Fleet to go to the two civilizations. The one who handles the Enoki Civilization has come, while the second civilization will be handled by Chen Fei.” Captain Jack said as he gave orders and information.

“Yes, Captain.”

The Pioneer Fleet then went to remove their stealth cloaking device and made themselves visible to the two civilizations.

The flagship and some of the spaceships of the Pioneer Fleet went to the Enoki Civilization.

On the planet where the Enoki Civilization thrived and lived, it was ruled by a Mushroom Emperor. Currently, the astronomer of the empire was having an emergency meeting with the Mushroom Emperor in his chamber.

They talked to each other in their own network, so the way they communicated was vastly different than the way most sentient beings communicate.

“Your Majesty, Colony 13 has detected something beyond the horizon moving toward us.”

Colony 13 was designed for observation of outer space. Therefore, after verifying that there were movements of UFO coming from outer space toward their planet, the response had to be given by the Mushroom Emperor.

“Quickly intercept those UFOs. Use everything to prevent their approach!” The Mushroom Emperor quickly gave the order through the connection between them. The Mushroom Emperor was the strongest mushroom capable of affecting the entire Enoki Civilization.

“We already do that, but those UFOs can withstand our bombardment.

“I am afraid that those UFOs belonged to another civilization altogether, different from ours.”

The Mushroom Emperor used his connection to sense and perceive the UFOs. To him and to the Enoki Civilization, those UFOs radiated extreme heat at the deepest part of their hulls, indicating some sort of energy being used to move them.

The Mushroom Emperor could also see that the attack by Colonies 14 to 19 was bombarding the UFOs with impunity but achieved little to no effect.

Then the Mushroom Emperor empowered Colonies 14 to 19, enhancing their damage and capabilities. But no matter what, the UFOs kept their approach at a steady rate. At this moment, the Mushroom Emperor realized that this was a blatant show by the UFO civilization in order to intimidate them.

Otherwise, they would just use their weapons to eliminate them all, including the Mushroom Emperor.

The Mushroom Emperor was at the pinnacle of strength of the Enoki Civilization so he felt humiliated by this show even more. It could not accept that there were beings stronger than it and assumed that only its UFOs were strong.

But then the Mushroom Emperor perceived something else. Something with a dreadful pressure and energy radiated from this entity was at the bow of the UFO at the foremost.

Seeing this, the Mushroom Emperor focused the attack on this entity.

But sadly, that was the first mistake the Mushroom Emperor made. No sooner had the bombardment from the Colonies come than the entity swung something, and the blade-like strike eradicated all of them, as if an eraser were wiping the stroke of the pencil on the paper clean.

Then the flying blade strike continued toward Colonies 14 to 19, destroying it in its entirety. The display of strength made the Mushroom Emperor aware that this was an attempt to establish authority, the way that the Enoki Civilization recognized it most.