The human race, one of the pioneers of the Orion Arm, was readying for war.
Military training reached another level to prepare for the war on the horizon, reaching spartan levels of difficulty and even going beyond the already hellish training, with men left to fend for themselves for a month not only on Earth but also on alien worlds.
With nothing but a week's worth of time to learn as much as they could about the new environment they would find themselves in, the soldiers were dropped off unprepared and with only a few rudimentary weapons.
Not many survived, but now the Empire had millions of men in a new special ops unit, they would no doubt prove useful in the conflict to come.
This would be a conflict of enormous proportions, with the previous chaotic age palling in comparison.
Hundreds of billions would die, all for the ambition of the greater whole.
The Xeno scum would struggle desperately like the cockroaches they are, squirming beneath the human foot of dominance, and they would suffer dearly for it no doubt.
Human casualties would also no doubt be immense Unfortunately, men across the whole empire were given great wealth so they could spend their last days as they wished, enjoying the best amenities the Empire could offer with their families.
The Empire's treasury emptied by a noticeable amount, but Adam gave little to no care.
This would decide if mankind would serve, or be served, no expenses would be spared to aid the war effort, and the war-battered men deserved all the amenities the Empire could offer, they were the ones keeping the Empire alive after all.
The Azburgian fleet is now one of immense scope, and while the previous conflicts mainly consisted of fleets fighting in single systems, now the fleets would no doubt try to encircle each other and use a divide-and-conquer approach instead.
And they are fully prepared for this outcome, their vast knowledge of warfare proving useful in this turbulent time, the mistakes of their ancestors used for good and the betterment of humanity.
Of course, the Xeno scum were just as determined if not more so to survive, they studied every inch of their rivals, discovering any weaknesses in their ships and bodies, determined to strike their opponents where they were weak.
Humanity did the same, utilizing their sprawling network of spies, some of whom have even managed to gain considerable power in their respective positions, feeding the Empire crucial information.
And then, finally, a few weeks later, the Azburgian Interstellar Empire initiated its attack, dealing heavy damage to the nearby Great Shield, which was caught off guard thanks to the immense network of false information as well as other scheming tactics.
The Great Shield reeled at the sudden invasion, many of its members rendered useless in one swift maneuver.
The blitzkrieg as the humans called it.
They sent out their fleets which surged towards the capitals of each nation, where all the leadership usually resided, and took control of it, effectively forcing the nations to wait for assistance.
And it came fast.
The Greater Shield lived up to its reputation as the only one capable of holding off the humans for so long, and their expertise when facing humans showed.
Humans were not easy to kill however, their durability and willpower were one of the key features that made them so feared and infamous as a predatory race.
Each destroyed ship took a monumental effort, and ten more would appear every time they destroyed one.
The humans had years of preparation, and they have not been slacking.
Of course, neither was the alliance, and months into the conflict, a frontline was once again established, with neither side being able to push the other back.
The flames of war were however not limited to this area, as other champions rushed, not willing to give the humans the upper hand in the inevitable conflict between them.
The outer powers simply watched for now, their fleets standing at attention in case any of their fellows got any ideas.
Billions died, countless families mourned, as millions of human men fought to their last bitter breath, each taking down tens of aliens with them out of spice and protective instinct.
The highly advanced Power Armor allowed them to become killing machines, and while plenty have copied the idea, humanity had a long head start, putting them at a significant advantage.
Adam spent some time on the front but did not neglect his home duties either, he had to pass several new policies concerning the newly captured planets, and how to treat their residents as well as discussing with his generals about new plans and any adjustments they would need to make.
The first year of the conflict passed with two billion casualties between the Empire and all the nations in the Great Shield, a loss that was noticeable, but not catastrophic.
The Empire still had plenty more where those two billion came from.
Not only that, but the special ops unit has been decisive, breaking the front on key points, meaning the Empire still advanced, albeit slowly, but their planets were only months away at this rate, a relatively short time, and a massive improvement compared to their last conflict.
The first year ended with two billion humans dead, approximately eight billion Great Shield soldiers dead, and hundreds more across the entirety of the Orion Arm.
It was a miracle they haven't gone extinct considering how common war has been for these civilizations.
This experience would no doubt aid them against the outer powers, which hosted a significantly larger army, more experience, and more territory.
Not to mention the Hive's possible return, something which they all dreaded equally.
Aside from the outer powers, they didn't fear the abomination, for it posed no threat to them if it was killed by primitives.
If they knew it was so weak, they would have attacked sooner, and never let these nations rise from their worlds, enslaving them and dooming them to an existence of misery and servitude.
Now the Orion Arm was once more in conflict, and only one nation would come out on top.