Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos

The leaders of the three groups approaching the Ceperet Solar System gathered in a hologram room to speak with each other. They were all similar in appearance, being a mix of humanoid and insect.

Their special features placed them apart, but the three formed part of the same alliance. In the Explorer association, they were called the <Insect Trinity Pirates>. Most of their works were intercepting vessels, and many other pirate-related activities. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

While they didn’t plunder worlds, they didn’t hold back against those who had a target on their back. So, while they were called pirates, most referred to them as bounty hunters.

Zerrek, the leader of the <Light Mantis Space Pirate Group>, tapped his sickle-like finger on the armrest and spoke aloud. "Have we gathered enough information?"

Xalis, the leader of the <Gilded Hornet Pirate Swarm>, snorted. "Are you stupid? What information is there other than the Floating Starry Mercenary Group being annihilated, with only the stragglers left alive?"

Rhex, the leader of the <Void Cicada Pirate Fleet>, spoke with calm and a calculated expression. "This <Open Coordinate> is tempting for us. However, we don’t need to be enemies with the local party."

Xalis laughed twice. "We don’t need to be? Then why did you ask us to activate our special starships? Zerrek’s Severance Mantis, your Resonance Husk, and my Aurum Queen ships are all here. While the rest of our fleets are standard Astral-Type Vessels, those three are powerful enough to be comparable with mothership-type ships in sheer firepower."

Rhex answered calmly. "It’s a reassurance. From what we’ve gathered, the Starry Group was attacked without prior contact. We can’t risk our defeat just because we lacked preparation..." Rhex paused here and looked at Xalis. "Is it your mating season? Why are you so irritable and short-sighted? While you are sharp-tongued, you are not someone stupid."

Xalis felt as if her hornet stinger had been stomped and buzzed aggressively at him. "Who is in their mating season, you annoying cicada!?"

Rhex chirped one with annoyance, while Zerrek spoke up. "Alright, enough. We are here to confirm the plans. We even took a few extra years while wandering outside the Solar System to make sure that the True World Tree’s domain didn’t extend that far."

Xalis relaxed and flopped back onto her seat, her compound eyes flashing with annoyance. "That’s the reason I am so angry. We wasted a fortune only to reveal that this True World Tree has just become multiplanetary. Why are we being so careful with a weak True World Tree like this one?"

Rhex sighed again. "You should be thankful that we are with you. Otherwise, I can see a notice of your group being slaughtered right next to the Starry Group."

Xalis didn’t answer, knowing that she had been far too irritable. Actually, Rhex had accurately guessed that it was her mating season. So, being away from her colony for this mission, plus spending a terrifying amount of resources to check the spatial structure of the Ceperet Solar System, had made her lose some of her usual calm.

Zerrek, noticing Xalis’s expression, chuckled. "Alright, now that we’ve vented, let’s focus on the task ahead. First of all, underestimating a creature that can deal with a Star-Lord-level fleet is nothing to take lightly." The mantis-like man started. "Therefore, we’ll approach in peace at first. If we can make contact and reach an agreement, that’s perfect. If things devolve into a fight because they are hostile, then we fight while fleeing. Risking our strongest ships and subordinates for this <Open Coordinate> is foolish."

Rhex and Xalis both agreed with this notion. Xalis pointed out something, though. "How do we communicate our goodwill? This Solar System doesn’t have any advanced communication systems we can interact with. While we’ve felt a few space-wave signals from ships, they are in an encrypted mode and unable to be contacted."

Rhex answered, his tone calm. "We just need to do it like in olden times. We send a delegation."

"Delegation?" Xalis asked, her tone disbelieving. "Do you think they are primitive enough to use this instead of interstellar hologram communication?"

Rhex actually nodded, surprising the other two. He moved his hand, moving some documents through the hologram and placing them in front of them. "This was a lucky find, but I am quite sure that it’s true. It comes from a reliable information network."

Zerrek murmured. "<Astraelis> from the Covenant was encountered a few decades ago flying in this direction in a nearby sector... Later, a few World-Types from the Nexus came, only to return a few years later with fewer numbers... There were no signs of True World Trees in this area until a few decades ago..."

Xalis tilted her head, surprised enough to forget the annoying buzzing feeling inside her. "Where did you find it?"

"As I said, I was lucky," Rhex answered. "When we gathered information, I encountered a nearby intelligence network that took notice of the Covenant’s <Astraelis> because it was a <Sixth Energy Cycle> one. It’s rare for them to be in this low-level area, after all. After encountering it, they decided to pay a bit more attention and managed to collect these three pieces of intelligence."

Zerrek frowned. "But... This information feels... false. How can a True World Tree that appeared only a few decades ago have the strength to wipe out the Starry Group? Their strength is not worse than any of ours individually. Even if they were ill-prepared, this is a bit too absurd."

Rhex shrugged. "I know. But as I said, we lose nothing from showing a friendly approach. If they are strong, we don’t get our wings clipped. If they are weak, we can always change our approach later."

Xalis hummed, her wings buzzing with interest. "Say... Do you think this is a good location to settle?"

"It is," Zerrek answered before Rhex. "It is remote, and it is unattractive to any group with decent strength. For pirates such as us, this is a safe haven where we can settle permanently, or at least for a few decades or centuries."

Rhex added. "It’s also easy to defend. With no powerful neighbors, anyone who wants to approach and has decent strength will be like a firefly in the night. Complicated to detect, but once you see them, impossible to lose track of."

Xalis hummed, reading the documents and eventually nodding. "So, we see how strong they are. If they are weak, we take over. If they are strong, we see their attitudes. Once we see any threat, we flee. That’s the overall plan?"

Rhex chuckled. "You’ve summarized it nicely."

"Alright, I am in."

Zerrek looked at Xalis with disdain. "What do you mean I am in? We were "in" a couple of years ago!"

Xalis looked at Zerrek with a deadpan expression. "That’s why you can’t find mates, Zerrek. Can’t you follow along a pretty lady’s banter and make her laugh for once in your life instead of being a pretentious prick?"

Zerrek smiled coldly. "I’ll keep in mind to follow your advice once I find a pretty lady."

Xalis buzzed aggressively again. "You are lucky we are seeing each other as holograms, or I would’ve bitten off your head to feed my children!"

Zerrek snorted. "Leave that kind of pleasure for my future wife. You are not worthy."

Rhex sighed. "That’s why I don’t like doing missions with you guys. Why did I interact with aggressive insectoids in the first place? I could’ve found myself some pretty mothkins or butterflykins instead."

Zerrek chuckled and answered playfully. "At least we are not those hive mind-type insects. Try reasoning with those."

Rhex’s expression grimaced. "Don’t remind me. Horrors beyond our comprehension, really. Thankfully, there are powers that bother suppressing them."

Xalis murmured. "I hope there are insectoids in this place."

"Hard to say. Insectoids are usually exterminated due to our appearance. It’s difficult to distinguish hive mind-type insectoids from individual ones at first sight, after all."

Rhex’s reminder made Zerrek and Xalis silent. Xalis muttered. "Hey, if they are weak... Let’s not be too harsh with them. Perhaps we can... you know... live together or something."

Rhex chuckled at her slightly embarrassed tone. "That was the intention. As long as they are not lacking in the intelligence aspect, we can slowly integrate them into our forces."

With that sorted, they chose a few people from each group and gave them some instructions. A month later, one <Astral Phantom Vessel>, a stealth-type spaceship, separated from the fleet and began its journey toward Ceperet.

Meanwhile, in Ceperet, Melody was notified of the approaching vessel. It was not hiding itself, after all. "Hm... They’ve done the opposite of those mercenaries. Sending only one vessel... Are they trying to make contact with us first, or are they intending to spy on us?"

She was not one to call the shots on these matters, so she gathered the info and visited Flor’s office. Soon, a few leaders gathered together, and Melody shared the news with them.

Melody looked at them and asked. "So, do we go with the initial plan? Or do we allow this ship to arrive at Ceperet?"

Flor shook her head. "We can’t do that. If this ship intends to communicate with us, we can send ours and meet them outside Nualis’s orbit. Since there is a chance for communication, we can’t act like rabid dogs that bite everything that comes near us. Otherwise, we might be labeled as a dangerous zone by the Explorer Association. This will probably create extermination missions we are not prepared to face."

Hearing the Flower Fairy’s words, the others nodded. Ignatia spoke lightly. "How about we send a few ants in the spaceship?"

Verdantia blinked. "You must have something in mind. Explain, mother-in-law."

Ignatia smiled. "If they want to interact with us amiably, then they will eventually know of my and my babies’ existence. So, revealing it upfront will cause the least amount of conflict. Of course, the ants I’ll send are strong fighters that can aid our delegation to flee in case it is a trap."

Cinderielle agreed. "If they can’t accept mother-in-law’s children, then they are not worth allying with."

Ignatia, sitting by Cinderielle’s side, snatched the girl into her arms and rained kisses on her face. "My daughter-in-law is so cute!"

Cinderielle was slightly embarrassed; she was almost 120 years old, so this kind of affection made her somewhat shy. Still, she didn’t struggle. Ignatia’s body was warm, soft, and comfortable.

Flor chuckled and nodded. "Alright, let’s decide who to send. We must do it quickly to intercept them before they reach Nualis’s orbit."

Verena, at the side, asked, curious. "Do you have any other fear? Your emphasis on the meeting point is... jarring."

Flor nodded. "Tree’s methods have made me realize that opening portals with beacons is not that difficult. With their advanced technology, they might be able to open a portal that crosses the Solar System and move their entire fleet right to Ceperet. So, I thought that we should guard against that type of teleportation."