Interstellar Survival: Invasion

The ship's door opened and three imperial policemen clad in golden outfits walked in. The leader, someone who had probably inspected countless ships already, didn't even bother to raise the device in his hand and lazily said, "Hand me your travel papers. If your papers are in order, we will proceed with genetic scanning."

We did not have travel documents. Instead, Prince Toruse took out the golden pass we stole from the governor and handed it over.

The policeman was stunned. He raised his head and looked at us in surprise.

"Immediately verify the authenticity of this golden pass," said the policeman to the officer beside him.

The officer immediately left with the golden pass.

"Xingxing, prepare for combat," I said stealthily.

After a few minutes, the officer with the golden pass returned. He whispered into his superior's ear.

"Emperor Fille wishes to meet you. What a surprise that you would show yourself here," said the policeman.

"We have done nothing wrong. Take us to the emperor," I said.

"Everyone, please come with me. Arrangements have been made for your arrival," said the leader.

We followed the leader out of our ship. There were over 20 armed policemen and a steel shuttle waiting outside.

"Quite a group here. Look at that shuttle, it is obviously used for transporting prisoners," I whispered to Zhang Xingxing.

"Raise your alert level. Maintain combat readiness," Zhang Xingxing commanded.

We entered the steel shuttle. Within, there were also over 20 policemen. One of them led us to the innermost room before leaving. Several red beams formed at the exit, sealing us in.

"Looks like the emperor is quite wary of our ability to escape," I laughed.

The shuttle took off, bringing us to Planet Eternal. I looked out the window, once again appreciating the planet's beauty.

"Finally, we don't have to sneak our way around anymore," said Zhang Xingxing with a sigh.

From outer space, Planet Eternal was a light blue planet. Originally, it was a planet with plentiful water. Perhaps due to overpopulation, but the stretches of oceans on the planet had been reduced into numerous small lakes. Only at the planet's two poles did the sea still exist.

A massive mountain range was sprawling across the middle of the planet, and the tallest peak was tall enough to pierce through the clouds and reach outer space.

"I reckon that anyone who tries to climb this mountain will have to wear a spacesuit," I mused.

The shuttle suddenly accelerated. When it entered the atmosphere, the friction created dazzling sparks around the ship, hiding the planet from our view. After about 10 minutes of intense shaking, the world before us opened up. A clearing surrounded by three mountains appeared before us, and a series of imposing building complexes became visible.

"This must be the palace," exclaimed Zhang Xingxing.

"Yes. This place has grown even larger than it was during my visit many years ago," said Toruse as his eyes widened in shock.

The palace before us was nestled between three mountains, with the three precipitous mountains providing the palace natural protection. Behind the towering palace walls were dozens of palace buildings in different shapes and heights. The largest palace in the building complex stood out from the rest. Its purple-black stone pillars were over 100 meters tall, showcasing the imposing might of the imperial family.

"This must be the emperor's temporary palace. It is quite a majestic building," said Zhang Xingxing.

The steel shuttle slowed down and landed in an open space on the palace grounds. The door opened, revealing the 50 imperial police officers standing in the plaza. Drones and light tanks could also be seen in combat-ready positions.

"Looks like the emperor is quite looking forward to seeing us. Look at the big welcoming party," I joked to Xingxing.

An imperial policeman clad in armor with a deeper color walked out and said, "The emperor is waiting. Please come with me."

We followed the police officer toward the palace, escorted by the other policemen as we walked. Surprisingly, we weren't heading toward the largest palace building in the complex. Rather, we were being brought toward a side palace.

Shortly after, we arrived at a relatively small courtyard. A massive juxi beast could be seen seated in front of the courtyard. The police officer made an inviting gesture to me. I stepped forth, allowing the juxi beast to perform a full scan on me. Immediately, alarm sounds rang in the air. Numerous red warnings blazed from the scan, indicating the weapons I had on my person.

"All weapons must be taken off. No weapons are to be carried in the presence of the emperor," said the police officer.

"Canyue, is this safe?" asked Prince Toruse.

"Since we have decided to meet the emperor, there's no point worrying about it. What do you think, team leader?" I asked.

"We shall seek salvation from death itself. Let's hand over our weapons," said Zhang Xingxing firmly.

The two of us then took off our morph-capable suits and handed over our guns. The prince also took off the sword he carried at all times. Finally, the juxi beast indicated that it was safe for us to pass.

"Please come with me," said the police officer.

Meeting the emperor had always been our goal in the first place. When we were finally going to achieve our goal, I suddenly felt nervous. After entering the courtyard, a small square door appeared before our eyes. Two four-meter-tall Gando warriors stood guard before the door. Hands gripping their battle hammers, they stood loftily.

"Please go up the stairs. You may open the door you see at the top and enter. The emperor will be waiting," said the police officer.

Under the gaze of the ferocious Gando warriors, we walked up the stairs and pushed the door open. It was brightly illuminated inside the building thanks to a square installation on the ceiling that provided both light and heat. Fille IV was seated atop a golden throne in the middle of the room. A golden mask covered his face, his person emanating the dignified temperament unique to a ruler. Standing beside him was a relatively short person with a staff and white robe whose face couldn't be seen clearly.

"Prince of Akko, it has been a while. You have grown up since the last time we met," said the emperor.

The prince blanked out slightly before dropping onto his knees to pay his respects to the emperor. I couldn't bring myself to do the same. When I saw Zhang Xingxing bowing, I quickly did the same.

"My apologies for having you take off your equipment. Due to a bad moment in the history of the empire, this rule was made, and it is still being maintained to this day," said the mysterious person in white.

"You Bluelings are very impressive. Not even my inescapable net can catch you. What you did shows your disrespect toward the Divine Empire," said the emperor.

"That's not their fault. It was me. I was the one who wanted to meet you, Your Majesty. I was the one who sought their help," Prince Toruse hurriedly said.

The emperor glanced at Toruse and slowly said, "I have been made aware of your matter. Whether it is you or your brother who is loyal, the burden of proof is on you."

"What my brother, Arude, claimed about my betrayal are empty rumors. I was the one who had attempted to stop them from getting mixed up with the Interstellar League. That is why they had exiled me in the first place," explained the prince anxiously.

"But your brother claimed that you were the one who had exiled him," said the emperor.

We didn't know if we should laugh or cry hearing that.

'Has this old emperor gone senile?' I thought.

"Most Honorable Emperor, look at our sorry state as we stand before you. Do we look like the exiled ones or the ones doing the exiling?" said Zhang Xingxing.

"Prince Arude had arrived at Eternal a day before you. He had also been exiled by Akko," added the person in white.

"What? Arude is here? He has been exiled as well? Where is he? Can we have him clarify his accusations in person?" asked Prince Toruse in astonishment.

"That sort of confrontation is pointless. I already have a good idea. Both of you will be given a fair chance to prove yourselves," said the emperor.

"What should we do, Your Majesty?" asked Toruse.

"The one to persuade your father, King Xido, to expel the Interstellar League from your borders and hand over Principal Sosse will be the true friend of the empire," said the emperor.

"What if both of us fail?" asked Prince Toruse.

"Doesn't matter. I can give you another chance. Each of you can lead an imperial army to pacify the rebellion," said the emperor.

"What? Your Majesty intends to have us attack our own father?" said Prince Toruse in astonishment.

The emperor remained silent.

"Are you loyal to your royal father or to the Divine Empire? Only by proving your loyalty will you be able to earn his majesty's trust," said the mysterious person in white.

"Can I meet Arude once? I want to know the reason for his exile," said Prince Toruse.

"He does not wish to meet you. If possible, I hope you can set off immediately. After all, the one to act first will have a better chance at proving his loyalty to the empire," said the mysterious person in white.

"In that case, let us leave for Planet Akko," I said to the prince.

"Bluelings, the prince's mission is Akko's internal affair. Outsider interference is not needed. As the fugitives of the league, there is no reason for me to risk my reputation because of you," said the emperor.

"What do you want, then?" I asked.

"You had caused a lot of destruction with the rebels from the Brotherhood in imperial territory. You must answer for that," said the emperor.

I stood before Zhang Xingxing and said, "Oh? Is the noble emperor about to attack helpless and unarmed opponents?"

"Hehe, as the emperor of the great Divine Empire, how can I be such a person? If I really want to harm you, do you really think that I'm unaware of your escape to the abandoned trade station? Also, the rest of your people are hidden on a Jido trade station, right?" said the emperor coldly.

I broke out in a cold sweat. He was an emperor after all. It seemed like he was aware of everything we had been doing.

"How do you want us to answer for the damage we did?" asked Zhang Xingxing.

"Yes, that's the correct attitude to have when trying to solve an issue. I need you to honor your words and complete a task for me. Of course, it would be a rather difficult task," said the emperor.

"What task? We won't perform any evil deeds," I said coldly.

The emperor sneered before nodding at the mysterious person in white. The person in white then took out a scroll from their wide sleeve.