The battles involving the three warfleets of the Cybernetic Empire shook human-occupied space. Many people already had a vague idea that the Cybernetic Empire took advantage of the Time of Isolation to develop superior technology and construct a large number of powerful mechs and warships. With a leader as smart and productive as the Polymath in charge, Bridgehead One should have definitely made good use of the additional time that she managed to buy. Yet how good were her new warfleets, really? Nobody had a clear idea. This was why it became necessary to stage a demonstration. Until her forces tested their mettle in actual combat, few parties were willing to bet on the Cybernetic Empire. Now that the three warfleets had shown off completely different but equally effective combat capabilities, all of those doubts melted away. There were many more warfleets that possessed their own traits that had yet to showcase their strengths in combat, but it was not strictly necessary for them to show off their capabilities on an individual basis. Most people were willing to believe that these other fleets performed at least just as well as the three that had debuted in full view of the public. This caused many people to raise their evaluations of the Cybernetic Empire and treat it as a more serious threat, rival or potential ally. The Cybers had shown that their bites were just as strong as their barks! They no longer appeared presumptuous whenever they threw their weight around. The confidence of having much superior tech in reserve and many more military assets that had yet to commit themselves in battle granted their negotiators a lot of bargaining power. All negotiations between the Cybernetic Empire and other human powers started to tilt in the former's favor. It couldn't be helped. Everyone wanted a piece of that sweet CE tech. Multiple states also urgently requested military reinforcements. Their core territories were on the verge of collapse and the existing defenders had increasingly run out of mechs, warships or supplies to hold hte line. What made these negotiations all the more frustrating for the different states and organizations was that the Cybernetic Empire was not in a hurry to take action. The Polymath ignored all of the appeals to her conscience and morality. She maintained her silence while restraining her negotiators from offering her empire's services for free. It appeared that the Cybernetic Empress had inherited the time-tested mecher tradition of never engaging in a transaction at a loss. Many parties grew upset at the heavy demands imposed by the Cybers, but what could they do? They were literally in a crisis and urgently needed help. The good news was that the Red Split enabled the Red Two to free up a lot of combat assets. Perhaps the mechers and the fleeters still felt sour at the defiance of the Terrans and the Rubarthans, but that did not change the reality that the Red Two no longer had to spread out their forces far and wide anymore. The warfleets and smaller detachments of the RA and the RF that had previously contributed to the defense of the Terran Alliance and the Rubarthan Pact decisively retreated from the places where they were not welcome anymore and retrenched themselves in the Red Ocean Union. The loose colonial alliance suddenly gained a lot more cohesion as the mechers and the fleeters suddenly became a lot more attentive to the demands of the states that had been struggling to hold the line. The reinforcements to the first-rate, second-rate and even third-rate states significantly stalled the advance of the native aliens that had been assigned to this front. What was even more significant was the transfer of multiple god pilots and dreadnoughts. These top-level combat assets suddenly became a lot more prevalent than before now that they no longer needed to burden themselves with covering the lengthy Terran and Rubarthan fronts. The improving conditions at the Red Ocean Union even granted them enough breathing room to retreat from the front in order to obtain much-needed upgrades, assist in secret ground-breaking experiments or even engage in clandestine operations that more often than not took place deep behind enemy lines. "Heh. Unlucky bastard." Ves smirked when he heard the latest news from Davute. The Colonial Federation of Davute had suffered enormous damage during the Red Tide Offensive so far. The native aliens continually battered the capital star system to the point where half of it already turned into ruin. During the most desperate moments of the ongoing struggle for the Davute System, Saint General Ark Larkinson abruptly proposed that if he took over the Larkinson Clan, he would apply for it to join the Cybernetic Empire. Such a campaign promise had massive implications, especially when made by a prominent figure such as Ark. It was already bad enough that he lost the election. What was worse was that the Red Two had finally ceased their neglect of the Krakatoa Middle Zone and began to offer real military aid to its states. The Colonial Federation of Davute was finally able to catch its breath. Together with the increased presence of god pilots and dreadnoughts of the nearby border regions, Davute had become very much aware that they owed the Red Two a lot. This was despite the fact that the RA and RF's prior neglect of the Krakatoa Middle Zone put them in trouble in the first place. Whatever the Davutans and their government might think, the reality was that they had become a lot more dependent on the protection of the Red Two. The mechers and the fleeters had also begun to govern the Red Ocean Union more actively. No longer would the states in this part of the dwarf galaxy be able to do whatever they wanted with relatively little attention from above. The mechers and the fleeters could not afford to lose control over the territory and more importantly the resources of these states. That was why the Red Two did not hesitate to transfer more troops and offer more technological aid to the various states, especially those who survived the brunt of the invasion but managed to stay aloft. Davute just so happened to rank high in priority by the Red Association for its steadfast resistance and other qualities. With Davute and the RA cozying up to each other, the status of a military commander who openly proposed to defect to the Cybernetic Empire therefore became a lot more awkward. While Davute would never seek to spoil any relationship with the Cybernetic Empire, it was impossible for its government and major players to do anything that would make the mechers upset. That was why Ark's political position had become untenable within the Davutan society. "He's become a pariah, though he has not completely fallen out of favor." Gavin Neumann reported to Ves. "It is undeniable that Ark has made massive contributions to the war effort. He is one of the reasons why the Davute System still remains in human hands. That means a lot to the Davutans, so he is still able to maintain his position without suffering official sanction. However, as long as the mechers begin to increase their influence in the state, voices that are openly in favor of siding with the Cybernetic Empire will continue to become more marginalized." "So what does that mean for the clan?" "The impact to our clan is not too great, but the story may be different for the Davute Branch. For a long time, its influence was growing in Davute. There was even talk of granting it control over multiple territories that have been razed by the native aliens. Those ideas are not mentioned anymore. Ark and his Warborn have fought hard and made many sacrifices to defend the capital and the heart of the Davutan state, yet all they get in return is a pat on the back and the normal rewards that conform to the letter of their contracts. Ark has lost any hope of squeezing the Larkinson Clan into the same level of status as the pioneers who founded Davute. He could have taken over as the president of the state in the best case scenario." That would have been a massive political achievement. Even if Davute was a mere second-rate state, this success in the political arena still meant a lot to a clan that previously had no significant territory to count upon in its short and mostly nomadic existence. By essentially taking over the Colonial Federation of Davute, Ark would have completed the first steps to turning the Larkinson Clan into a territorial power, one that was not necessarily bound to a single second-rate state. It was very much possible for the Larkinson Clan to repeat the same plan in a small first-rate state! If he became the patriarch of the Larkinson Clan, he would have been able to gain control over the Premier Fleet, which was already powerful despite still needing to build up its numbers. Instead of letting the Premier Fleet roam around wherever it was needed, Ark would have leveraged its strength to offer protection to first-rate states in exchange for territorial concessions. If this happened, then the Larkinson Clan would definitely be able to gain a permanent foothold in the Upper Zones as well! Alas, Ark's plan went bust at the first step as he failed to become the patriarch. Other changes such as the realignment of major powers undermined his plan even further. Ves was not sad to see Ark's political ambitions getting ruined. His ideas about owning territory may have just become a lot more viable now that the Cybernetic Empire had arrived to strengthen red humanity, but he still disagreed with the principle of the matter. "So the Red Ocean Union is becoming a lot stronger due to the Red Two's retrenchment." Ves thoughtfully said. "How are the Terrans and the Rubarthans doing?" "Well, the native aliens have not made any major shifts to their current strategy, but there are signs that they may be looking to increase their focus on the Rubarthan Pact. If the native aliens want to weaken our race the most, then hitting the Rubarthan when they are down is the best choice. The Rubarthan Pact is currently being threatened by the voribugs. If the native aliens push harder, they can more easily collapse the defenses of vulnerable Rubarthan star systems and raid everything of value before the voribugs come and ruin the rest." "What about the Terran Alliance?" "There is a chance that the Red Cabal may decide to attack the Terrans instead." Gavin noted. "This is based on the assumption that the Terran Alliance is only protected by a single god pilot. If the Red Cabal chooses to dispatch many ancient phase whales to this front, they can quickly invade the Upper Zones and ruin many strategic colonies, thereby inflicting a major blow onto Terran R&D as well as industry." Ves frowned. "The Cybernetic Empire won't let this happen, though. With their Translocation Gate, they can easily transmit several dozen warfleets across the entire Terran frontline. Even if they are no match against the power of a genuine ancient phase lord, they can still delay the alien advance and buy time to deploy more powerful and effective deterrents against these powerful alien leaders. Perhaps… the Polymath will even agree to dispatch the Dominion of Man." The mention of the living dreadnought evoked mixed feelings from Ves. He was the reason why the former CFA and RF dreadnought underwent a profound transformation and eventually became alive. Ves had risked his own life and fought against one of the most powerful lightning tribulations that could descend upon the Red Ocean. He even provoked a powerful extra-galactic God King for his troubles! All of this effort and sacrifice had given him a strong sense of ownership towards the Dominion of Man. To see this godship fall into the hands of the Polymath who thoroughly treated the living vessel like her own crown jewel was maddening to say the least! Ves feared that if he ever came into contact with the Dominion of Man again, his heart might break when the living ship and her crew had forgotten all about his contributions. After all, it had been over half a century since his involvement with the dreadnought. In the half century that passed since then, the Polymath had plenty of time to endear herself to the Dominion of Man! There was no way she would miss this opportunity to convert the dreadnought into her possession!