It didn't take long before the allied nations began to suspect that this had been a setup from the start. The Kepler Loyalists had used the hidden strength that the Rebels assured them was secured under their control, leading to the Kepler Royal Family holding almost everything. At the same time, Cygnus got a nice handout for their trouble and a free shot at their weakened neighbors.
It was just after midnight, Station time, when news came through that the section taken by the two mighty Mecha had declared itself the Inner Rim Federation, under the control of Empress Nobu, the Emperor's Neice, daughter of the Emperor's sister, who was best known for her work in designing the MK IX standard issue infantry laser rifle.
Nobody had thought she had larger business or political aspirations. However, at the key moment, it was found that she had managed to take a controlling interest in the major businesses on over four hundred planets all along the borders of the Kepler Empire.
Through her shell companies, she was making a truly fantastical amount of money thanks to her position along the border and aggressive trade negotiations.
Max was impressed. The self-appointed Empress would have made a better Reaver Commander than any Reaver he knew.
The allied nations were shouting and screaming about the fact that the Kepler Royal Family now held everything that Cygnus did not, and Max was certain that there would be no stopping the violence this time.
Then, a message arrived on his wrist device, tagged as having been sent from Rae 5.
[Commander Keres, Lady Mary Tarith would like to inform you that a trade agreement between the Reaver Empire and the Inner Rim Federation, as prepared in advance by Herself and Empress Nobu.]
Sneaky. Max approved.
"The Inner Rim Federation has completed trade negotiations with the Reaver Empire. The Reavers stand with the new Empress and will be supplying them with goods as approved in our agreement." Max informed the room, and chaos broke out.
It was impossible to say who fired the first shot, but within seconds, energy beams and bullets were flying in every direction, and Nico was herding their delegation and Cygnus back toward the only exit to the room while their team laid down suppressive fire from the Archangel Exoskeletons.
The advantage was overwhelming; by the time they managed to blast the locked doors open, there was very little resistance still standing.
"Get to the shuttles and back to your command ships. It was a pleasure seeing you again, General, and I suspect that we will see you again very soon. There are a lot of weakened and angry nations gathered here, and the Reavers are always up for mercenary contracts if the odds are good and the price is right." Max told the Cygnus Lord with a sly wink.
"Wait for our message. I suspect that the Cygnus Council will have a job for you within the next few minutes, and if your words about the firepower aboard Terminus are correct, the odds should be heavily in your favor." Lord General Kirkland replied with a slight bow, then led his team at a run toward their shuttle bay.
"Let's get out of here before we have to shoot our way out," Max ordered his security detail.
"Shoot our way out more, you mean. These suits are phenomenal. We should really start stocking them inside the Heavy Mecha in case we need to bail out. The firepower keeps up with a Line Mecha, and the shields didn't go down at all during that firefight." One of the Pilots in the bodyguard detail replied while running toward the bay.
The shuttle was powered up and ready when they arrived, thanks to Nico, and they were exiting the station by the time everyone was seated.
[Terminus, to battle stations. I don't know who is going to be the first to attack, but the Allied Nations think they have been betrayed.] Max informed the Regiment.
[We saw it on the live feed. Excellent shooting, Commander. All Mecha Battalions are ready to launch. Take your shuttle straight to the secure hangar. I am informed by Inquisitor Ming that the Shattered Pride has been repaired and is ready to go.] Admiral Drake replied.
This might be just the moment to reveal the fact that they had a Titan Class Mecha of their own, but if the resistance were light, Max would hold off and only take Cleansing Light out when they made it to a larger battle.
[Terminus, this is Cygnus Command. We have an official request for the Reavers. The compliance of Tapani has been sanctioned, and a battle fleet has been dispatched to ensure the compliance of the nations from Cygnus to Tapani.
Will the Reavers be available to assist?]
Now that was the sort of insanity that Max should have expected. The section of space from Cygnus to Tapani comprised half of the nations in the Alliance, and Cygnus intended to take them all into their fold by force.
[Hold for an official response.] Max sent his response back, then relayed the request to Rae 5 so that they could see how the other Reaver Companies felt about the matter.
There was a ten-minute pause as all of the Reaver Company Commanders who were in the main council came to a decision, and then the decision was returned.
[The Reavers can send twenty Mechanized Regiments, led by Thunder Pattern Super Heavy Mecha, to the compliance of the smaller nations, but Cygnus must take Tapani and maintain the border against the Klem threat. Standard intervention fees, with double penalties for lost forces.]
Max relayed the message and got an almost immediate confirmation, with a declaration that Cygnus had dispatched an envoy to Rae 5 for the official signing of the agreement. They also sent a list of planetary targets, all of them single-system nations that had joined the fight against Kepler and had been left very short on defensive capabilities.
That was ideal for the Reavers and would save Cygnus a significant amount of resources in penalty. Max might have to apologize to the Innu, though. They weren't going to get to the next vacation destination before they had to go home. The battles would take too long.
