"Are you sure you don't want to join me and Lucius at Tanya City, sir? As I said before, I know a few good local bars."
After Athena reiterated that she was uninterested, Adrianna conceded and left Athena's office alone. Despite not being able to get Athena to join her, Adrianna still had a smile on her face as she walked. She had the next four hours to herself, and she was going to spend every second of it enjoying life as much as she could. It was one of her few comforts in this world.
Tanya City was a lot of things. It was a major manufacturing center. It was the home of the headquarters of a number of companies local to the world. At the same time, it was also the city closest to four different Imperial Army military bases that often housed entire divisions of the Imperial Army. One of these bases was Fort 127, the current home to the 329th Infantry Division.
It was common to see officers of the Imperial Army going in and out of the expensive local bars and gentlemen's clubs, spending their hard-earned salaries on drinks and women.
Incidentally, the municipal government of Tanya City also had extremely high taxes for these businesses. As a result, most of the salaries paid to the officers would end up in the treasuries of the local Imperial government quite quickly.
As Adrianna left the room, Athena turned her attention to something much more important to her than drinks and women. There, projected into the middle of the room in front of her, was a 3D map of the galaxy.
There was a large portion of the map that was highlighted in red while another portion of the map, much larger in size, was highlighted in blue. The red represented territories of the Venya Imperium and the blue stood for the space that belonged to the United Republic of Dorn.
The Republic was much larger than the Imperium, and in most cases, more territories meant more resources, population, and manufacturing capabilities. This was a widely known fact that the Imperial government acknowledged, but at the same time, the Imperials also claimed that the Republic was a weak and corrupt government that didn't deserve its massive territories and living space. It was only right for the stronger Imperium to seize the planets that belonged to the Republic and liberate its populations.
Athena would be an idiot if she believed everything she was told by the propaganda. The Republic marines back in Outpost Delta might not be a good representation of the average Republic soldiers, but they still made it clear the Republic was hardly a pushover. Perhaps the Republic was weak and corrupt, but the fact it existed to this day after centuries of conflict with many nations in the galaxy meant it wasn't as vulnerable as the Imperium claimed.
In fact, not long ago, the Venya Imperium and the United Republic of Dorn signed a ceasefire agreement. The Venya government never really explained the reasoning to the people, but there would be no need for such an agreement if the Imperium could easily crush the Republic. As for how effective the ceasefire was or how long it might last…just look at the battle between the Republic and the Imperium on Morgo IV. Neither side let this agreement stop them from attacking the other. If any side wanted to resume full-scale fighting, Athena highly doubted this agreement would stop them.
From her perspective, neither the Imperium nor the Republic was the ideal place to go and try to expand her forces. The chances of getting caught while operating in the space of either nation were just too great, and at this point, she had no ability to challenge the strength of a nation with dozens of sectors and at least trillions of people.
She needed the protection of chaos. She needed to find a place where no one would bat an eye at a private army or some bloody conflicts.
It just so happened that she knew just the place.
There was a portion of purple color on the map right between the border of three blocks of color. The red of the Venya Imperium. The blue of the United Republic of Dorn. Finally, the yellow of the Salin Empire. This purple region was an area that included 9 sectors that, collectively, were known as the Chaos Sectors.
The Chaos Sectors were the product of centuries of war between three major superpowers in the galaxy. The Imperium, the Republic, and the Empire had been at war with each other for most of the last two hundred years, and the people of the Chaos Sectors were always caught in between. This was their curse, but this was also their blessing.
Individually, the nations in the Chaos Sectors, the most powerful of whom only controlled a handful of systems, were no match for the full might of any one of the three major powers. However, it was often quite difficult for any major power to attack a nation in the Chaos Sectors for an interesting reason.
If, say, the Imperium tried to take over a nation in the Chaos Sectors, the nation would likely call for help from the Republic or the Empire. It wouldn't take long before the Imperial forces find themselves fighting an expensive war in foreign space, against a powerful enemy supplied and reinforced by the locals.
Even if they were to win, then what? The Chaos Sectors have never belonged to the Imperium. They would have trouble holding territories whose population saw them as foreign invaders, which they were. There would be insurgencies, and the Imperium would be forced to ship troops and assets from their own planets across countless lightyears to put down the insurgents, who would likely be backed by both the local population and enemy nations.
How long would it take before the population finally considered themselves Imperials? How many resources would need to be deployed and spent during this process? Would the manpower and industrial output from the world really be worth the cost?
This was the same problem the Imperium faced when it came to occupying planets in the Republic or the Empire. The borders of the three factions have more or less been the same for the last decades. Many planets have never known anything other than the rule of their own nations.
Military occupation was good, and enough brutalities might be enough to maintain temporary control. However, as long as the Republic or the Empire still existed to support the rebels and give them hope, there would always be resistance.
When it came to matters like this, the Imperium was smart. With most conquered Republic territories, the Imperium would often create puppet client states to maintain an illusion of freedom. Of course, this was just a step in the greater Imperial strategy. The people of client states would gradually find their rights stripped away piece by piece. Imperial culture and propaganda would gradually take over the minds of the next generation. Imperial rule of law would get rid of any troublemakers. Eventually, after a few decades, the local populations would think of themselves as members of the Imperium, and the Venya Imperium would gladly welcome the client state into its domain.
With nations in the Chaos Sectors, the Imperium preferred to make alliances with local governments instead of simply replacing them with their own governors. Compared to client states, these nations would have a lot more power and influence.
Still, most nations in the Chaos Sectors were often quite weak. The lack of resources was just one issue. The three major powers also didn't want a nation to unite the Chaos Sectors and become another threat, and they have all taken measures to prevent this from happening.
With this weakness came the lack of control. Many planets and systems in the sectors become home to unsavory characters from all over the galaxy who had nowhere else to go.
This included nobles from empires all over the galaxy who lost political struggles and had to go into exile with whatever personal forces they had left. This included powerful corporations and their security forces who wanted space to work in without being observed by their governments. This included various terrorists and revolutionary groups. This included mercenaries and pirates, many of whom wore whichever hat could get them the most wealth with the least amount of risks. This included narcotics cartels who used the Chaos Sectors for manufacturing and transportation. Merchant ships would often travel through the Chaos Sectors to cut some distance and save time. Many of them, wisely, had sizeable escort fleets.
The Imperium was fine with letting its people know about the Chaos Sectors. In the words of the local Imperial propaganda department, the chaos and lawlessness in the Chaos Sectors were the consequences of having weak, incompetent governments too soft to do what had to be done to reinstall law and order. Propagandists would often tell the people stories of atrocities committed by the worst factions in the Chaos Sectors to show the Imperial citizens how fortunate they were to be under Imperial protection. The Imperium might have a lot of rules, but they offered ample security in return.
In a sense, they were right. For all its sins, the Imperium had always been extremely tough on crimes. The things they would do to the sentenced murderers, rapists, and cartel members often instilled fear in the most toughened criminals.
Athena tapped her chin thoughtfully as she sat down on a sofa in her office. The Chaos Sectors followed the law of the jungle. In those sectors, name and family background meant nothing. Education and titles meant little. The only relevant thing was strength.
For most people, this made the Chaos Sectors hell. For warlords and pirates, this made the Chaos Sectors a dangerous place with a lot of opportunities. They might lose everything, but they might also get everything.
For her, the Chaos Sectors was heaven. It was a place where she could use her Starcraft units to their full strength without worrying about being smashed by the full might of the Imperium. It was perfect.
Using the Zerg units would raise a lot of attention even if she was in the Chaos Sectors. Luckily, her Terran forces likely wouldn't raise any eyebrows. Sure, their technologies were quite advanced, but it would be difficult for anyone to really investigate. Plus, given the lack of population and control, it would be much easier for her to tie up loose ends if needed.
With her Terran forces, she would also be able to take over local factions and perhaps install her own trusted Terrans as leaders. Hopefully, captured human technologies would help her unlock more Terran structures and allow her to build more supplies of Terran.
There were risks and problems, of course. For one thing, the Chaos Sectors were a distance away, and she wasn't too sure how she would get there. In fact, she couldn't even smuggle her way off this world without taking a ridiculous amount of risk. Without that, all her plans would become meaningless.
Unbeknownst to her, an opportunity would soon present itself in the form of yet another bloody conflict.
At the same time as Athena was staring at a map of the galaxy and wondering what her future might hold, trouble was growing in a star system in the Chaos Sectors countless lightyears away.
The Kingdom of Decima had ruled the Sierra System for the last 70 years. For seven decades, the golden banner of the Decima lioness had flown over the skies of the 12 inhabitable planets in the star system.
Throughout most of its existence, the Kingdom of Decima allied itself with the Venya Imperium, not really out of choice but rather out of the lack of it. The kingdom was located much closer to Imperial Sector 9A2 than to any Republic territory. An Imperial fleet could descend upon the star system in a fraction of the time it would take for a Republic fleet to do so. Given that information, it would be quite foolish for the kingdom to side with the Republic.
Even though the agreement the kingdom entered into was that of an alliance, the reality was that the Kingdom of Decima was more like a client state to the Venya Imperium than an ally. It had to pay a sizeable amount of money to the Imperium every year. It was required to allow Imperial fleets to pass through its system unharassed and with no questions asked, and during times of war, the forces of Decima were required to aid the Imperial cause.
Still, for seven decades, there was peace. There had been wars between the Imperium and the Republic in the Chaos Sectors, but the Kingdom of Decima had rarely come under attack. The Imperium was often the more aggressive side, and Republic counteroffensives often went straight for Imperial territories instead of trying to go through the Chaos Sectors.
Granted, the peace they had was an expensive peace, but it was peace nonetheless.
This peace was shattered when one day, the old king, Decima the Wise, mysteriously died in his sleep. Before his son Decimus I, the Imperial-aligned heir to the throne, could become the new king, his younger brother Decimus II suddenly presented to the entire kingdom evidence of his older brother being the culprit behind their father's death. He accused Decimus I of poisoning their father. As such, in the words of the younger brother, Decimus I should be stripped of all ranks and titles and sentenced to death.
Almost immediately, multiple high-ranking government officials in the Kingdom of Decima announced that they have verified the authenticity of the evidence and called for the arrest of Decimus I. Once again, acting uncharacteristically quickly and decisively, the Decima Royal Guard stormed the palace of Decimus I. All in the name of vengeance for their king.
The battle ended in less than an hour as the surprised palace guards were overwhelmed, but by the time the Decima Royal Guard breached their prince's chamber, Decimus I was nowhere to be seen. He had escaped the betrayal via a secret underground tunnel. Within days, he had fled the Kingdom of Decima and escaped to Sector 9A2 of the Venya Imperium.
Now the rightful heir by elimination, Decimus II quickly ascended to the throne of the Kingdom of Decima, taking on the new name of Decimus the Just.
It was unsurprising that this military coup led to quite the reaction from the Imperium. Many important people in Sector 9A2 were quite concerned. Decimus II had always been a known rebel in the royal family. Against the wishes of his Imperium-aligned father and older brother, Decimus II had journeyed to the Republic and spent several years there. It was almost certain the United Republic of Dorn was behind his coup, and its support was what made the operation so successful.
Did Decimus I really kill his father? Unlikely, not that it mattered. The fact was that Decimus II was likely aligned with the Republic. If the Kingdom of Decima was turned to the side of the Republic, the Republic would have a good staging ground from which to attack the Imperium. In the same way that the Imperium could reach System Sierra quite quickly, a Republic fleet stationed at the system could also strike worlds of Sector 9A2 with ease.
In the end, for the security of the Imperium, and also themselves, Lord Vitz and his high-ranking officials came to a simple decision. They would launch a military invasion into the Kingdom of Decima, get rid of the illegitimate king that was Decimus II, and put the rightful heir Decimus I back on the throne.
This wouldn't be a war of invasion. This would be a war of liberation. The Imperium hoped this meant the population of the Kingdom of Decima would see the Imperials as friends rather than enemies.
Lord Vitz was aware that this attack might lead to another full-scale war with the Republic, but it was decided that it was better to go to war now than to allow the Republic to strengthen its grip on the Sierra System. They couldn't afford to lose the Kingdom of Decima, and the longer they waited, the more time their enemies had to build up the defenses and bolster their numbers.
Soon, countless orders were passed down the chain of command throughout the sector. War fleets of the Imperial Navy were assembled. Unlike the squadron of three light cruisers that Instigator Kendrick summoned, these fleets belonged to Battlefleet Silver Lance. They were the elite of the elite, known for taking on their counterparts in the Republic and the Empire and frequently emerging victorious. They were the expensive yet effective blades of Lord Anton Vitz, and they were out for blood.
At the same time, Imperial Army units were mobilized throughout the sector. Fleets could reduce worlds to ashes, but only armies could conquer and hold planets. When the missiles of warships couldn't wipe the enemies off the face of the planet, it was up to the expendable grunts on the ground to flush the enemies out and grind them into dust.
Thousands of Imperial Army divisions were mobilized throughout the sector, and among them was one 329th Infantry Division from the planet of 9A2-C-8.