The Mech Touch (Web Novel)-Chapter 6999: The Day of Return

"Have the Terrans and the Rubarthans gone mad!? Their insurrection threatens to break apart our unified human civilization! How will we be able to maintain a united front against the native aliens! Their stupid desire to regain their sovereignty will divide us during a time where we can least afford division!"

"Damn, those first-raters are engaging in stupidity again. Instead of fighting the aliens who are trying to kill all of us without causing any drama, the Terrans and the Rubarthans have decided to pick a fight with the RA and the RF at the worst possible moment! Our third-rate state will get overrun by the native aliens by the time these selfish and entitled people have finally finished their big spat. Why can't they resolve their grudges after they have taken care of our alien enemies?"

"My business is ruined! The Red War has been bad for my company in general, but I was still relying on trade between the colonial alliances to maintain a barely positive balance sheet. If commerce between the different human states is disrupted by the introduction of trade barriers, this will make everything more expensive!"

The news spread across human space within minutes. Many people celebrated the secession of the Terran Alliance, the Rubarthan Pact, the Eternal Vulcan Empire as well as a handful of other ambitious first-rate states.

People were already calling it the Red Split.

Nobody knew what was in store in the future. What exactly did the Terrans and the Rubarthans mean by 'regaining their sovereignty'? Did this mean that they were thinking about engaging in diplomacy with the aliens?

Which contracts and agreements would remain valid and which ones got dissolved due to the occurrence of an unforeseen event?

Everyone became confused!

It would take many days in order for the people across human-occupied space to adapt to the new changes.

The Red Split generated a lot of uncertainty in a time where red humanity was under heavy assault.

Many people had already begun to castigate the Terrans and the Rubarthans for putting their selfish desires for independence over the more fundamental need to save their race!

However, out of all of the groups of people who felt most uncertain about the attempted secessions, the mechers and the fleeters were greatly appalled by what had happened!

They had long feared that the Terrans and the Rubarthans would attempt to take advantage of the current crisis and slip out of their grasp.

The fact that they managed to prepare such a grand conspiracy and not leave behind any solid enough clues in advance was a massive intelligence failure on the part of the RA and the RF!

At this point, the Red Association and the Red Fleet had yet to make their stance clear. So did the Red Collective for this matter.

The mechers and the fleeters had genuinely been caught flat-footed. Most of their attention had been squarely focused on the native aliens, which could explain why they had failed to sniff out this plot in advance.

"It is impossible for us to bring the insurrectionists into compliance through the application of violence." Commodore Cory McArmin of the 124th Monitoring Squadron spoke in a measured and composed voice. "The first-rate colonial superstates are correct in their claims. Attempting to divert our fleets from the frontlines in order to wage war against the insurrectionist states will lead to unacceptable losses. The Terrans and the Rubarthans are too proud to surrender without resisting. Their foolish pride and nationalism will see them fight to the death for every star system we take."

When humans started to fight against each other, the native aliens benefited immensely.

It would not be a surprise if the native aliens bided their time and continued to build up their invasion forces while different human factions squabbled against each other!

Not only would attacking fellow humans during this critical time cause the morale of the mechers and the fleeters to plunge, but it would also tank their legitimacy across human-occupied space.

The Big Two had always been keen on maintaining a strong amount of legitimacy over the centuries.

It was the single most important quality that cemented their right to rule over every human.

For a long time, the masses genuinely believed that it was best for the mechers and fleeters to remain in charge of everyone. This belief had become so strongly rooted in the Milky Way that there had never been any real chance to question its validity.

Until now.

For the Terran Alliance and the Rubarthan Pact to repudiate the Red Two and their hegemony so vehemently indicated that there was a larger plot afoot!

When the projected RF officer issued a counterargument, Commodore McArmin grimaced.

"I refuse to believe we are out of options. We can still rely on our soft power and other gentle means of bringing the insurrectionists into compliance. We can impose trade embargoes. There are many goods that they rely upon to keep their planets and settlements prosperous and functional. By interrupting this form of commerce, we can make Terran and Rubarthan citizens dissatisfied without generating too much hostility."

"..."

"If economic pressure is not enough, then we can apply military pressure as well. Both colonial alliances rely extensively on our military support. Compared to the Rubarthan Pact, the Terran Alliance is especially vulnerable due to being protected by only a single god pilot. Let us see how long the Terrans will maintain their stubborn stance when they are truly left to fend for themselves."

The good commodore was not the only person to make this proposal. Many mechers and fleeters elsewhere thought about relying on pressure tactics to make the insurrectionists reconsider.

However, there was little chance that this would happen.

The Terrans would most definitely pay for their stubbornness, but so would everyone else!

If the Terran Alliance ever collapsed, the rest of red humanity would probably follow suit. The Red Ocean Union was not large enough to maintain enough population and industrial capacity to maintain the war effort.

In short, the mechers and the fleeters could not afford to endure the consequences of seeing the insurrectionists fall!

Since this was the case, the Red Two had to be extremely careful about which tactics they chose in order to encourage the insurrectionists to reverse their foolish decisions.

Perhaps it was no longer possible to demand a complete return to the old status quo, but they may be able to negotiate a more acceptable alternative in this day and age.

While the Terrans and the Rubarthans were willing to fight hard to regain their sovereignty, they probably made a miscalculation.

The Red Association would never give up its jurisdiction on mechs!

The same went for the Red Fleet in relation to warships!

There were many mechers and fleeters willing to resort to the worst options and go to war in order to preserve their dominion over these aspects.

Perhaps the threat of that may be enough to get the Terrans and the Rubarthans to agree to reason.

Whatever the case, Commodore Cory McArmin doubted that his voice would make a difference in this great debate.

He was just a relatively unimportant RF squadron commander.

Instead of being stationed on a fleet that was directly involved in the Red War, he had the unenviable privilege of being stationed as far from the frontlines as possible.

The Second Sphinx, the light cruiser that he was stationed on, and a handful of other warships and science vessels had been assigned to reside close to the location of Bridgehead One.

To be more precise, they continued to linger at the edge of the greater spacetime bubble that enveloped the central star node for a long period of time.

The good news was that if the data was accurate, Commodore McArmin might not need to stay much longer.

"Is the greater spacetime bubble ending today?"

"The speed in which it is unraveling has fluctuated multiple times." A senior CFA astrophysicist responded to the commodore. "We are 85 percent confident that this is not a natural unwinding process. The humans inside the bubble have been actively manipulating their own spacetime cage, though we do not have enough indications to learn what they have done or whether they are successful."

Commodore McArmin looked wary. "What is your personal opinion?"

The scientist paused for a few seconds. "I fear that the humans that are about to be reunited to the rest of the cosmos may not be the ones you expect to welcome back."

Those words stuck to the commodore's mind when the greater spacetime bubble finally collapsed.

As soon as the photons that had previously been trapped in the spatial anomaly finally receive a chance to escape into the rest of the Red Ocean, the sensor systems of the Second Sphinx and other starships immediately became overwhelmed by foreign sights!

"Did we park next to the right star system?! This is not Bridgehead One! There is much more orbital infrastructure present around the planets! The surfaces of those globes have also become much different!"

"How many warships and carriers are there in this star system?! There are tens of thousands more hulls than we expected to see! Wait, these ship classes are completely unfamiliar. They possess recognizable human design styles, but their tech and materials are completely new and unfamiliar!"

"The Dyson spheres surrounding the 12 stars of Bridgehead One have become much more developed. We have detected the presence of mass siphoning devices that extract particles from the stars and convert them into solid matter."

"Those planets! Of the over 100 planets that originally orbited this mega star system, over half of them have transformed into war fortresses that are armed to the teeth. Wait, why are they embedded with gigantic thrusters? Can they move under their own power?"

The sensor officers and analysts practically went crazy as they witnessed the arrival of a completely different version of Bridgehead One than they expected!

Shouldn't the greater spacetime bubble cause the passage of time inside of it to slow down by a factor of 100?!

Even as the bewildered mechers, fleeters and collies tried to make sense of what they observed, a familiar yet unfamiliar warship instantly seemed to teleport a few dozen kilometers away from the 124th Monitoring Squadron.

Alarms rang throughout the Second Sphinx as the ships all detected that they were at the mercy of the dreadnought that had appeared into the naval equivalent of knife fighting range!

"Is that… the Dominion of Man?"

"Yes, but… she has received enormous upgrades from top to bottom."

"Commodore! We are receiving a direct hail from the capital ship that claims to be the Dominion of Man."

Commodore Cory McArmin had a strong suspicion that this upcoming conversation would no doubt become part of a historic record.

"Accept the hail. Let us talk with whoever has chosen to greet us. Be mindful to stay on your best behavior. We cannot afford to make decisions based on false assumptions. Remain on your best behavior."

When he finally accepted the hail, a projected screen depicted what appeared to be a metallic throne room.

The entire chamber was empty save for a massive throne and reliefs that told a grand story in the form of carved images.

When the view zoomed in, a certain woman sat on the throne.

Clair Hamza, otherwise known as the Polymath, sat on the throne like a sovereign overlooking her domain.

She had once again dressed herself in regal and opulent garments. She had completely eschewed the plainer and more minimalistic lab coat and suit that she typically wore in her guise as a Star Designer.

"Commodore Cory McArmin." The Star Designer spoke. "I am pleased to observe that my star system has merged back into the Red Ocean not too late. We have remained physically disconnected for too long."

The RF commodore was not surprised that she knew his name. Bridgehead One stored extensive records on everything.

His suspicion on what may have happened grew stronger. He was certain that he was addressing the mastermind behind all of the unexpected changes!

"Your Excellency, if I may ask, how long… has Bridgehead One remained in isolation… from the perspective of the humans inside the former greater spacetime bubble?"

The Polymath formed a very deliberate smirk. "Through my successful experimentation and manipulation of what you call the 'greater spacetime bubble', my subjects and I have experienced a total of 53 years. As your sensors can no doubt observe, we have experienced many changes during this lengthy period."

"If I may ask, Your Excellency…"

"Your Imperial Majesty." She pointedly corrected him. "This is how you should address me. During the Time of Isolation, I have gained supreme power over Bridgehead One. It is now the heart and body of the Cybernetic Empire. I have crowned myself as its empress, and I expect the Red Three to recognize my claim."

"..."

Commodore McArmin became speechless, and so did the other members of the Red Three.

What the Star Designer said was so outrageous that he did not dare to offer a concrete response!

This was way out of his pay grade!

The Polymath knew that she shouldn't expect any real answer to come out of the squadron commander.

"Please convey my words to your superiors. They should be in contact with us soon. Do remind them not to keep up waiting for long. Tell them that my Cybernetic Empire is already recognized by the Terran Alliance and the Rubarthan Pact and vice versa. Just because my star system has remained physically isolated does not mean it is impossible for us to communicate across barriers."

This was a critical piece of information! Somehow, the Cybernetic Empire had already contacted the Terrans and the Rubarthans before the greater spacetime bubble had completely unraveled!

This is likely explained by the Terran Alliance and the Rubarthan Pact chose to declare their secession from united human civilization on this particular day!