Chapter 38 37:
The Viltrumite Empire, since the reunification under the leadership of the great regent, had presented itself before the universe as an indisputable hegemonic force throughout the galaxy.
Its warriors, bearers of the so-called smart atoms, a technology impossible to replicate by other races to this day, made them capable of crossing the interstellar void at relatively superluminal speeds.
They could destroy planetary surfaces with their own fists and survive conditions that would annihilate any other known or carbon-based lifeform.
Within the galactic ranking of bipedal species, they stood at the top of the entire food chain.
That image of absolute might, however, concealed a structural fragility that surprisingly, had been exploited through the multiple border fronts in the Luminus Sector.
Said sector, where the nebulas made up 47% of all its space, moving in storms that, to the naked eye of astronomers, created an alboreal figure, was constituted by a group of intelligent races that, unexpectedly, had presented multiple problems to the hegemonic empire of the moment.
Much to the displeasure of the viltrumites, who imagined that their campaign in this space sector would be just another territorial annexation for the glory of the race, they had run into the crude reality, the truth that the Luminus Sector was not a scenario of bilateral confrontation between the Empire and a single enemy.
On the contrary, they had crashed against a mosaic of minor powers that, although rivals among themselves, coincided in their opposition to Viltrumite expansion.
And boy were they giving them problems, many problems.
The investigations of the Imperial Intelligence and Espionage Department had identified two principal actors in the current chapter of the Viltrumite war, in addition to the hegemonic Lanther Force.
To begin with, they had encountered the appearance on the war stage of the Aizir, the Second Power of the sector.
The Aizir were a humanoid species with pearlescent skin and physiology adapted to high-radiation environments. They constituted the second power of the sector in terms of territorial extension and military capability. Generally, they were blue and gigantic, inhabitants of completely cold planets, not to mention completely frozen ones.
But more importantly, their physiology was highly susceptible to cosmic energy, due to their location in localities highly frequented by nebula storms.
In fact, their principal strategic asset was absolute control over the Igdracil Nebula, a vast cloud of interstellar gas rich in heavy elements and exotic compounds with possible connections to uncatalogued psionic energies, which allowed the Aizir to defend their territory with a fraction of the forces that otherwise would have been necessary.
Then there was their counterpart, the Cosmos Empire.
It had been designated as the second faction within the sector, self-proclaimed as a cosmic empire. They were an expansionist civilization that rivaled Viltrum in ambition, though not in raw might in the slightest. However, their technological advantage, added to their high reproductive capacity, was considerable and in certain aspects even superior to the imperial one.
Hence the saying, "If all the soldiers of the cosmos spat at the same time, even a viltrumite would drown," could be fulfilled very literally.
They had a humanoid physiology, but their skin was completely golden, with the exception of their eyes and teeth. Other than that, a gold bar and these guys could be considered cousins.
The most distinctive innovation of the Cosmos Empire was its elite military force: the Cosmic Force. These warriors wore a suit symbiotically linked to their nervous system, an armor that adapted itself to its bearer. Despite their kinship with the Geldarians, the fact was that one could very well assume that these supposed Cosmic Force were nothing more than a bunch of canned aliens.
However, they seemed to be competent in one notable trait.
These suits possessed the quality of channeling the Force of the cosmos, an anomalous power that allowed the user to absorb and convert ambient cosmic energy —background radiation, stellar emanations, even the kinetic energy of received impacts— into usable combat power, which made them problematic.
Their presence in the Luminus Sector was due to the fact that several of these border stations were located in territories disputed with the Viltrumite Empire.
Those unexpected factors had caused the empire to have to show for the first time in cycles, not to mention countless orbits, that they opted to maintain a defensive posture that had placed the imperial forces commanded by the great general deposed in the disputed sector in a difficult position.
General Varnak-Sul, wrapped in this unexpected crossroads. In fact, he had not been at fault for the countless failures on the part of the empire during the last 5 orbits, after having replaced the previous general, who had been executed for allowing the loss of 22% of the annexed territory.
He truly had been handling the disadvantageous situation of his forces as much as his possibilities allowed him, and at this pace, he was doing everything possible to avoid the death penalty through the sacrifice of his elite forces deployed on the resistance lines.
But pure war was already slipping out of their hands.
Or at least, that was what General Varnak-Sul believed, but he had no time to overthink things. In his command center, located in a fortified orbital station at the edge of the Vorkath system, the main door of the war bridge opened without prior announcement.
The alerts and protocols had been set aside, for the regent himself had made an appearance at the facilities, making his suffocating presence felt throughout the empire's main base.
Thragg, Great Regent of the Viltrumite Empire, crossed the threshold, his feet barely above the grayish floor of the fortification.
Behind him, three high-ranking counselors, each one of superior genetic class to the majority of all those present, with more than three hundred orbits of experience and existence, stopped three steps away from the great ruler, forming a semicircle of protection that Thragg did not need, and which only existed out of mere decorum.