Such a pain...

Rico slouched in his usual seat aboard the Crimson Suns’ command ship. Before him, dozens of screens glowed, providing him with status updates on every ship in his fleet. Long before he knew whether or not the Suns would fight to control Specter, he had drafted battle plans to take on a battlecruiser with the org’s ill-equipped forces.

Potter reported.

“Three in position. Foxtrot Romeo,” Rico’s comms officer repeated.

Marshall reported.

“Two in position. Uniform Golf.”

Most players in Parallax Gate would think taking on a battlecruiser without a medium or large ship to be suicidal, and that the correct course of action would be to retreat from the system and sell the nav data to an org which could. But the Suns did have a chance, one which Rico saw, though most players would not. That possibility was akin to walking a tightrope, where a stupid mistake would be fatal, but at least in combat the players of his org did not make stupid mistakes.

But, thanks to Marshall’s inexplicable identification of the most valuable planet yet to be discovered in the game, that narrow chance they had made defending Specter the most rational choice for Rico and the Suns, considering the system’s worth. Thanks to Vince sharing the discovery with the entire org, all of Parallax would soon know of the system, seeking a claim.

Now, Rico had to coordinate an operation with the objective of sinking a battlecruiser using nothing larger than a frigate.

Fayco reported.

“Do it,” Rico replied.

Such a pain...

Though the rational choice, and with the preparations of his plan in full swing, Rico still didn’t want to walk that tightrope.

There is an easier way. There is always an easier way.

In his mind, a more optimal, easier strategy to use in battle always existed. That belief drove him to take one step further when planning his org’s actions and commanding its fleets. Ideas danced in his head. Different positions to take. Different objectives to prioritize. Wild tactics akin to those the Wraiths’ FC used against him. But with the Wraiths' arrival looming, changing the game plan for an org their size would be more detrimental than beneficial.

Can we withdraw and reclaim the system with more force?

Such was his inclination prior to Marshall’s discovery. With his best available strategy, near perfect execution was necessary to defeat the Wraiths. Retreating from the system and returning with greater power was the exact strategy his opponents adopted against him, and could have a greater likelihood of success. But, no number of frigates and single-seat fighters could contest a gate defended by a battlecruiser with station support. The sole method to bolster one’s forces that fast enough was through mercenary contracts, which in turn released the private nav data to the public.

Form an alliance with someone?

Countless orgs would leap at the opportunity to claim a habitable system, but few possessed enough strength for an alliance to match the Wraiths. To make matters worse, the only such orgs would never offer him a partnership on equal terms.

Rico scoffed at the thought. I’d rather join the Wraiths.

That moment, his thoughts reached a pause. Rico’s brow furrowed. He straightened his lax posture and mulled the idea over. Kill logs showed that the Temple Wraiths engaged the Fortune Divers in the Lucre system as opponents, but the two orgs fought as allies against the Suns in Specter. It appeared, at least, that meeting the Wraiths in combat did not preclude orgs from future alliances.

There was a chance, Rico concluded. A chance with better odds than his planned defense of the system. If anything, the greatest barrier to such an alliance lay within his own org. He ordered his comms officer to open a channel to his org council.

“Can we just join them?”

On the bridge of the frigate Merope, April sat in confusion. Laughter and cheers poured through the comms, while on her main display, Legius pinned Sinn in some form of submission hold. Despite thinking she knew all the Wraith’s quirks, the situation shattered her preconceptions.

Face down against the floor, Sinn flailed about as the marine, with the weight of all his combat gear, pressed down against his back.

“Hey, Nova?” April asked. “Can I ask you something?”

Sinn raised head.

“If Sinn was just going to end up… like this, why did Aero let him command the Prominence?”

Nova tilted her head on the comm screen.

Sinn tapped at the arm pinned behind his neck.

A sadistic smile flashed on Legius’s face, and Sinn continued squirming on the floor.

“But Aero’s the FC, right? I mean, everyone knew Sinn would go crazy with the missiles.”

In many PG orgs, a fleet commander’s decisions on the battlefield took precedence over even that of org leaders. Yet for some reason, Aero allowed Sinn to create an obvious disadvantage in the Wraith’s upcoming battle with the Crimson Suns.

Is it? April paused for a moment. It was true, from her experience, that Sinn had gone wild before. However, the prior incidents with the Phantasm and this action with the Prominence conflicted with Aero’s orders.

Myles appeared on April’s screen.

Suppressing his laughter, Myles continued.

“He’s the leader. He…” That moment, April realized that despite all her talks and other interactions with Sinn and Aero, she didn’t quite understand what Sinn did as the org leader. “He… holds meetings and makes decisions?”

Myles grinned.

Aero interrupted the spectacle.

Legius released Sinn from the hold and saluted Aero from the bridge floor.

Stevie took over the video feed,

After stepping over Sinn, Legius looked off the screen.

After a muffled reply, Legius grinned.

Jake groaned.

Mayto replied.

Still laying on the bridge floor, Sinn rolled onto his back and splayed out with a wide grin.

Stevie said,

“Wait. Hold on,” April asked, “you guys were betting on how many missiles Sinn would use up?”

Stevie asked.

“But, doesn’t that get in the way of winning battles?”

Stevie shrugged.

No, I was not wondering that. April sighed. “Will you guys really be alright?”

Still unmoving, Sinn reassured her.

Stevie said.

April could only groan. Of course.

Sinn sat up.

Legius said.

Sinn looked toward the marine captain behind him.

The second marine, Match, cracked his knuckles and stepped forward.

Sinn scrambled to his feet, but before he could regain his balance, he was tackled from behind.

A smile cracked through April’s lips as she turned to her NPC crew with new instructions. But she peeked one last time at the comm screen.

Following a long and uneventful trip, the Wraiths finally reached the Specter system, but when they emerged through Specter’s gate, not a single shot greeted them.

April asked.

Myles glanced at his tactical map. “Sensors, get me a full system scan.”

Mayto said.

It was true that fighting a battlecruiser head on with fighters, bombers, and frigates would guarantee defeat. But the Wraiths knew better than any org the extent skill and tactics could impact the outcome of an engagement.

Sinn said.

“Contact” The sensors officer added. “One heavy frigate, Fu-zi class, and two Duvi fighters in orbit over Specter II.”

April whispered.

“Yeah, they found out. I got a bad feeling about this” Myles read the scan results. But just three ships? If they know about Specter II, where’s the rest of their fleet?

Aero appeared on the bridge comm screen.

Sinn replied.

Is there even anything to talk about? Myles sighed.

Aero nodded.

Within moments, the image of a sturdy Hispanic man slouched in his command seat appeared on Myles’ main screen.

Rico said.

Negotiations? Probably just buying time.

“What do you want?” Myles asked. Under most circumstances in Parallax, negotiations prior to combat did little more than stall for time or allow two fleets to pass by each other in transit. However, Myles knew the Temple Wraiths had enough firepower to steamroll the Suns’ fleet. As the Wraiths’ objective was the system itself, the only negotiation Myles could consider was the Suns’ surrender. “And what are you willing to offer?”

Well that is interesting, Myles thought. The offer was fair in its terms, strictly speaking, and both sides would stand to benefit from such a deal. In addition, having the Suns’ combat strength would bolster the system’s defenses beyond what the Wraiths could manage in the short term. However, the offer also ignored reality; exploiting the planet’s full potential far outweighed any potential costs either org would incur through battle. That Rico offered a deal at all said enough about the Suns’ disadvantage.

“We can easily sink your ships and reclaim our dominion,” Myles voiced his original thoughts. “Without your fleet here, you’re not in a position to negotiate.”

The entire fleet is here? Myles glanced back at his map. Where? Sensors didn’t detect any other…

“Sir,” his communications officer said, “We are receiving infrared scan data from the Phantasm.”

While the standard sensor array used by fighters and frigates consisted of high-gain passive radar and lidar, larger or more-specialized ships such as the Phantasm and Prominence also carried several complementary instruments in their kits. A new layer of data appeared on Myles’ tactical map.

A spot glowed white hot at the map’s center, representing the system’s star. In addition, each of the inner planets also lit up. And among the cold, outer asteroid belt, the thermal map showed dozens of red hotspots, revealing the approximate positions of the Suns’ fleet.

Mayto whistled over their org channel.

April asked.

If their fleet is entreched among the asteroids, Rico does have a point, Myles thought. While engaging the Suns’ would be more difficult than sinking a frigate with light escort, the Wraiths were already prepared to do so. Hiding in the rocks did not change a ship’s offensive strenth.

Rico asked.

Sinn said,

Rico nodded.

Sinn nodded in apparent thought.

April interjected.

The tension melted from Rico’s face.

Of course they’d misunderstand if you phrase it that way. Myles shook his head.

With a devilish grin, Sinn proclaimed,