Di area kosong di alam semesta, tidak jauh dari armada besar enam kapal induk DarkStar, armada Godoran yang masif tersembunyi di balik sebuah planet gersang. Berbagai kapal perang rapat menyusun barisan-baris rapi. Ini adalah salah satu formasi sementara yang dibuat untuk Operasi Hodellas.
Di layar kapal komando, koordinat semua kapal induk DarkStar ditandai merah di peta bintang. Enam kapal induk itu perlahan bergerak menuju area jebakan, dan pasukan musuh itulah yang menjadi sasaran Godoran.
"Sasaran mendekati lokasi jebakan. Perkiraan waktu tiba 11 jam 25 menit."
Komandan armada melaporkan situasi ke atasannya, dan dia adalah salah satu anggota Biro Perang yang mengetahui identitas sasaran mereka.
Demi mencegah kebocoran, setiap komandan yang bertanggung jawab atas Operasi Hodellas telah disaring ketat. Hanya mereka yang benar-benar setia yang mengetahui sasaran operasi mereka.
Komandan armada juga diam-diam bersemangat memikirkan peluncuran serangan balik terhadap DarkStar. Dia seorang pejabat Godoran murni darah tua yang kuno dengan kebencian mendalam terhadap DarkStar. Dia menantikan hari penghapusan tumor ini setiap hari.
Ini operasi penting, dan dipilih sebagai salah satu komandan oleh atasan tentu suatu kehormatan. Rasa tanggung jawab di bahunya juga sangat berat.
Setelah menyelesaikan laporannya ke atasan, komandan armada lalu menghubungi pemimpin formasi lain untuk bertukar informasi. Strategi mereka adalah melakukan serangan serentak pada semua unit DarkStar, jadi komunikasi diperlukan.
Setelah mengonfirmasi waktu operasi, komandan lain mengangkat topik di saluran komunikasi militer terenkripsi.
"Apakah kalian semua tahu sumber intelijen operasi ini? Saat aku menanyakan hubungannya dengan pihak tersebut, justru dikabari bahwa itu dilabeli rahasia tingkat tertinggi."
"Rahasia tingkat tertinggi? Sepertinya saluran atasan kita untuk memperoleh informasi benar-benar misterius."
Di mata para perwira senior, Godora sudah bertahun-tahun berperang dengan DarkStar tanpa hasil. Mendapatkan sekumpulan koordinat kapal induk DarkStar secara tiba-tiba, ada keanehan di situasi ini, jadi mereka tak bisa menahan rasa penasaran tentang sumber intelijen ini. Namun, tidak ada yang bisa menanyakan detailnya.
"Aku punya sedikit info. Kudengar serangan balik ini digagas Godora karena mereka berhasil membeli informasi dari orang misterius. Kalau tidak, Biro Perang tak akan bisa menghentikan DarkStar yang memainkan mereka di hidung sendiri."
"Orang misterius?"
"Orang itu bisa memantau koordinat DarkStar. Haha. Mungkinkah ada pengkhianat di kalangan atasan DarkStar?"
Semua berbagi pandangan, diam-diam penasaran pada orang misterius penyedia intelijen.
Siapa orang suci yang sendirian memprovokasi perang sebesar ini? Dia pahlawan Godora!
Setelah mengakhiri komunikasi, masing-masing komandan mulai menurunkan perintah baru.
"Sekitar waktunya. Beritahu armada tentara bayaran yang siap sedia. Suruh mereka bekerja sama dengan serangan kita.
...
Selama masa siap sedia ini, hal yang bisa dilakukan sedikit, tapi para pemain tidak diam, sering mencari tentara bayaran untuk naikkan favorability, mencoba tugas baru, serta menemukan gosip menarik baru. Mereka tidak butuh Han Xiao mengawasi dekat-dekat.
Han Xiao memanfaatkan kesempatan mengunjungi berbagai kapal di armada, berinteraksi dengan pemain dan terus menuai pengalaman dari mereka. Dia juga mencari kepala kelompok tentara bayaran besar untuk bersalaman. Sisa waktunya dipakai bikin mesin.
Begitu beberapa hari berlalu, Gureja memanggil semua komandan. Perintah dari Godora sudah turun, dan akhirnya waktunya memulai misi.
Armada tentara bayaran mempercepat, tiba di lokasi jebakan yang ditentukan. Tentara Black Star ikut mengikuti.
Kembali ke BlackLight Stealth-nya, Han Xiao menerima komunikasi pribadi dari Godora.
"Black Star, operasi akan segera dimulai. Kita butuh kau mengendalikan Kecerdasan Buatan yang sudah menyelinap untuk mengacaukan musuh."
"Mengerti." Han Xiao mengangguk menjawab.
Menyuruh pengkhianat bikin keributan di dalam, tugas simpel.
"Imbalan pekerjaan ini sudah disahkan dengan Aliansi Tentara Bayaran dan misi pekerjaan resmi dikirim ke arsip Tentara Black Star."
Membuka antarmuka Kelompok Tentara Bayaran, pekerjaan resmi Godora sudah diotorisasi dengan nama Operasi Hodellas.
Pekerjaan perang bukan transaksi pribadi dan harus dicatat di Aliansi Tentara Bayaran. Setelah selesai, Poin Kredibilitas besar akan ditambah untuk naikkan Peringkat Kredibilitas Kelompok Tentara Bayaran. Detail misi juga masuk ke arsip misi mereka.
Ini juga pekerjaan tingkat perang pertama bagi Tentara Black Star.
Antarmuka memunculkan notifikasi perekrutan bersesuaian, total 18.000.000 pengalaman serta 1500 Favorability untuk Faksi Godoran.
Sebagai Komandan Armada, imbalannya paling tinggi, dapat 3,4 juta Enas. Selain itu, perwira dan tentara bayaran dibayar individu.
Terutama untuk pemain. Selain misi Black Star [Tentara Black Star: Pertempuran Pertama], mereka semua juga memicu misi [Operasi Hodellas – Pekerjaan Perang]. Semua dapat hadiah pengalaman dan uang substansial, meskipun jauh di bawah miliknya.
Ini pekerjaan tingkat perang, jadi sementara pemain cuma minum sedikit sup dari panci, hadiahnya jauh melampaui standar mereka saat ini, sangat murah hati.
Di forum, puluhan ribu pemain semangat tinggi, posting pamer hadiah banyak pertempuran pertama mereka bergabung ke Tentara Black Star. Ini semakin memikat minat semua orang ke Tentara Black Star.
Pekerjaan besar ini membuat pemain paham bahwa mereka punya kepentingan bersama dengan faksi mereka, sehingga memperkuat rasa memiliki mereka. Han Xiao mengajak mereka ikut perang untuk tujuan ini.
Karena kebanyakan pemain ingin memainkan 'peran', berbagai pengaruh di game memungkinkan mereka mewujudkan mimpi dan fantasi. Agar Tentara Black Star jadi faksi mirip 'cinta pertama' mereka, Han Xiao harus memanfaatkan alur cerita, perasaan, kepentingan, dan cara lain.
Saat Han Xiao pertama kali mendirikan faksinya, dia sudah buat rencana ini.
...
Di alam semesta luas, tentara bayaran tinggal di titik jebakan mereka. Cuma butuh lompatan pendek untuk sampai posisi medan perang. Selama ini, aksi musuh dipantau lewat koordinat di peta bintang, yang dibagikan Godora.
Formasi Tentara Black Star ditempatkan di belakang, karena mereka tidak ikut serangan frontal ke kapal induk DarkStar.
Di dalam BlackLight Stealth-nya, Han Xiao mengamati aksi DarkStar lewat umpan balik dari Risda.
Monitornya beda. Orang lain cuma lihat koordinat di peta bintang, dia bisa lihat kondisi internal kapal induk. Saat ini, anggota armada DarkStar masih tidak sadar akan kiamat mereka, menjalankan urusan seperti biasa.
Serang Planet Aquamarine dan kasih aku kerugian besar... waktunya kalian bayar utang.
Han Xiao menyipitkan mata.
Seiring waktu, enam kapal induk DarkStar akhirnya masuk lokasi jebakan.
Mereka datang!
Mata Han Xiao berbinar.
"Serang!" Perintah Gureja menyebar ke seluruh armada dalam sekejap.
Saat itu juga, armada tentara bayaran gabungan melompat serentak. Alam semesta di luar kapal mereka berubah jadi aliran cahaya mengalir saat mereka mengaktifkan hyperdrive.
Dalam beberapa detik, armada sudah melintasi jarak jauh, dan enam kapal induk DarkStar yang tak terlindungi muncul di depan mata mereka.
Di sisi lain, aliran cahaya muncul saat armada Godoran keluar. Mereka menyerang dari dua sisi, langsung mengapit armada DarkStar.
Titik jebakan keduanya di luar jangkauan radar DarkStar, dan mereka muncul bersamaan, mengejutkan musuh.
Tanpa bicara banyak, Godora dan tentara bayaran mulai membuka api, meriam dan laser tak terhitung menghujani enam kapal induk DarkStar. Dengan perhitungan sengaja itu, pasukan di dalam kapal induk langsung kacau.
Di dalam kapal induk tempat Degulish berada, lampu jadi merah saat alarm peringatan berbunyi.
Orang di kapal kaget, buru-buru ke posisi mereka. Kapal induk digoyang-goyang ledakan, bikin orang jatuh sesekali.
"Apa yang terjadi?"
Degulish berwajah marah meminta alat pengamatan. Saat dia melihat penyerang dari Godora, dia langsung kehilangan ketenangan.
Bagaimana bisa Godora?!
Apakah Godora merencanakan jebakan kita?
Bagaimana mereka bisa tahu lokasi kita?!
Proyeksi Kepala Intelijen mereka muncul di layar, wajah cemas. "Degulish, kita dijebak, dan musuh siap sekali. Bukan cuma armada kita, kapal induk DarkStar lain di Zona Bintang lain juga diserang! Godora sudah lama merencanakan ini. Mereka sudah pecahkan alat stealth kita dan menguasai gerakan kita!"
Ini pertama kalinya DarkStar diserang Godora saat mode stealth!
Kemampuan masuk mode stealth ini andalan terbesar DarkStar. Sekarang gagal, Degulish langsung sadar betapa serius situasi mereka.
"Kirim perintah ke semua armada. Jangan bertarung dan cari peluang tembus. Ini jebakan Godora, dan ini situasi hidup mati penting. Kita tidak bisa berhadapan langsung dengan mereka!"
Degulish mengeluarkan perintah.
Tidak ada peringatan serangan Godora, dan insiden terjadi terlalu cepat. Atasan DarkStar tidak sempat bereaksi, bahkan tidak sempat pikir bagaimana Godora bisa tahu keberadaan mereka.
Saat ini, prioritas utama mereka adalah lari!
Kalau Godora datang dengan rencana, DarkStar tidak akan tahan serangan dan hanya bisa lari.
Namun, perintah tidak terkirim. Notifikasi di antarmuka komunikasi menunjukkan koneksi terputus.
Bukan cuma Degulish, tapi seluruh kapal induk DarkStar koneksinya ke dunia luar terputus.
Ini karena Degulish berada di kapal induk yang dikendalikan Risda.
Risda sepenuhnya memutus koneksi mereka ke dunia luar.
Pengkhianat telah memulai aksinya!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In an empty area of the universe, not far away from the large army of the six DarkStar motherships, a huge Godoran fleet was hidden behind a barren planet. Various battleships were densely packed to form neat rows. This was one of the temporary formations created for Operation Hodellas.
On the screen of the command ship, the coordinates of all the motherships of DarkStar were marked in red on the star map. The six motherships were slowly moving toward the ambush area, and it was those enemy troops that were the objectives of the Godorans.
“Target is approaching ambush site. Estimated time of arrival is 11 hours and 25 minutes.”
The fleet commander reported the situation to the upper echelons, and he was one of the members in the War Bureau who was aware of the identity of their target.
In order to prevent any leaks, every commander responsible for Operation Hodellas had been thoroughly screened. Only those that were absolutely loyal knew the target of their operation.
The fleet commander was also secretly excited at the thought of launching a counterattack against DarkStar. He was an old-fashioned, pureblood Godoran official with deep-rooted hostility toward DarkStar. He looked forward to removing this tumor every day.
This was an important operation, and to be selected as one of the commanders by the upper echelons was undoubtedly an honor. The sense of responsibility on his shoulders was also extremely heavy.
After completing his report to the upper echelons, the fleet commander then contacted the leaders of all the other formations to exchange information. Their strategy was to perform simultaneous strikes on all DarkStar units, so there was a need for communication.
After confirming the operation time, another commander raised a topic within the encrypted military communication channel.
“Do all of you know the source of intelligence for this operation? When I asked about the relationship with the party, I was actually told that it was labelled as a secret of the highest level.”
“Highest level secret? Seems like the channels our superiors have for obtaining information are really mysterious.”
In the eyes of those senior officers, Godora had already been warring with DarkStar for so many years to no avail. To suddenly obtain a set of coordinates for the DarkStar motherships, there was some strangeness to this whole situation, so they could not help but wonder about the source of this intelligence. However, no one could inquire about the specifics.
“I do have some information though. I heard that this counterattack was organized by Godora because they managed to buy some information from a mysterious person. Otherwise, the War Bureau would not have been able to stop DarkStar leading them by their nose.”
“Mysterious person?”
“That person can actually monitor the coordinates of DarkStar. Haha. Could it be that there’s a traitor among the upper echelons of DarkStar?”
Everyone shared their views, secretly curious about the mysterious person who provided the intelligence.
Who was this sacred person who single-handedly provoked such a huge war? They were the hero of Godora!
After ending their communications, the respective commanders began handing down their new orders.
“It’s about time. Inform the mercenary fleets on standby. Tell them to cooperate with our attack.
...
During this standby period, there was little to do, but the players were not idle, often looking for the mercenaries to improve favorability, trying out new tasks, as well as discovering new and interesting gossip. They did not require Han Xiao to pay close attention to them.
Han Xiao took the chance to visit the different spaceships in the fleet, interacting with the players and continuing to harvest experience from them. He also looked for the various heads of the large mercenary groups to exchange pleasantries. The rest of his time was used to make machinery.
In such a manner, a few days passed, and Gureja called over all the commanders. The orders from Godora had been passed down, and it was finally time for them to start the mission.
The mercenary fleet sped up, arriving at the predetermined location for the ambush. The Black Star Army followed as well.
Returning to his BlackLight Stealth, Han Xiao accepted the private communication from Godora.
“Black Star, the operation is about to begin. We need you to control your Artificial Intelligence that has snuck in to create chaos for the enemy.”
“Got it.” Han Xiao nodded in response.
To have the whistleblower cause a ruckus within, that was a simple task.
“The remuneration for this employment has been notarized with the Mercenary Alliance and the official employment mission sent to the file of the Black Star Army.”
Opening the Mercenary Group interface, the official employment of Godora had been authorized with the name Operation Hodellas.
A war employment was not a private transaction and needed to be recorded in the Mercenary Alliance. After it was completed, a large number of Credibility Points would then be added to raise the Credibility Rating of the Mercenary Group. Furthermore, the mission details would be added to their mission files.
This was also the first war-level employment for the Black Star Army.
The interface popped up a notification of the corresponding hire, with a total of 18,000,000 experience as well as 1500 Favorability for the Godoran Faction.
As the Army Commander, his remuneration was the highest, receiving 3.4 million Enas. In addition, the officers and mercenaries would be remunerated individually.
This was especially so for the players. Other than Black Star’s mission of [Black Star Army: The First Battle], all of them also triggered the mission [Operation Hodellas – War Employment]. They all received substantial experience and monetary rewards, although they were a far cry from his own.
This was a war-level employment, so while the players only got to drink a bit of soup from the pot, the rewards were far beyond their current standards, which was extremely generous.
On the forums, the tens of thousands of players were in high spirits, posting to show off the many rewards of their first battle upon joining the Black Star Army. This piqued everyone’s interest in the Black Star Army further.
This large-scale employment allowed players to understand that they shared common interests with their faction, thus helping them strengthen their sense of belonging. Han Xiao had led them to participate in the war for this purpose.
Because most players desired to take on a ‘role’, the various influences in the game allowed them to fulfill their dreams and fantasies. In order for the Black Star Army to become the faction akin to their ‘first love’, Han Xiao had to utilize plotlines, feelings, interests, and other means.
When Han Xiao first set up his faction, he had already made this plan.
...
In the vast universe, the mercenaries stayed by their ambush point. It would only take a short jump for them to reach their battlefield position. During this time, the enemy’s actions were monitored through the coordinates on the star map, which were shared by Godora.
The formation of the Black Star Army was placed behind the rest, as they were not participating in the frontal attack of the DarkStar motherships.
Inside his BlackLight Stealth, Han Xiao watched the actions of DarkStar through the feedback provided by Risda.
His monitor was different. While others could only see the coordinates on the star map, he could see the internal conditions of the mothership. At this moment, the members of the DarkStar fleet were still unaware of their impending doom, conducting their businesses as usual.
Attacking Planet Aquamarine and giving me such huge losses... it’s time for you to pay your debts.
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
As time progressed, the six DarkStar motherships finally entered the ambush site.
They’re here!
Han Xiao’s eyes gleamed.
“Attack!” Gureja’s command spread through the entire army in an instant.
The next instant, the joint mercenary fleet jumped simultaneously. The universe outside of their spaceships turned into flowing streams of light as they activated their hyperdrive.
In just a few seconds, the fleet had crossed a long distance, and the undefended DarkStar motherships appeared in front of their eyes.
On the other side, streams of light appeared as the Godoran fleet emerged. They attacked from both sides, instantly surrounding the DarkStar fleet.
The ambush sites for both were out of DarkStar’s radar detection range, and they appeared at the same time, catching them off guard.
Without another word, Godora and the mercenaries began to open fire, and countless cannons and lasers bombarded the six DarkStar motherships. With such deliberate calculations, the troops in the mothership were immediately thrown into chaos.
Inside the mothership where Degulish was located, the lights turned red as they sounded the warning alarms.
The people on the ship were shocked, immediately rushing to their positions. The mothership was being rocked around from the explosions, causing people to fall from time to time.
“What’s happening‽”
Degulish had an expression of anger as he called for the observation equipment. When he saw that the attackers were from Godora, he lost his composure immediately.
How could it be Godora‽
Did Godora plan to ambush us?
How could they know our location‽
The projection of their Head of Intelligence appeared on the screen, with a face of worry. “Degulish, we’re being ambushed, and the enemy is well prepared. Not just our fleet, the other DarkStar motherships in the other Star Zones are also under attack! Godora has planned this for a long time. They’ve cracked our stealth equipment and grasped our movements!”
This was the first time that DarkStar had been attacked by Godora while in stealth mode!
This ability to go into stealth mode was DarkStar’s biggest reliance. Now that it had failed, Degulish immediately realized the seriousness of their situation.
“Send orders to all fleets. Do not engage and seek opportunities to breakthrough. This is Godora’s trap, and it is an important life or death situation. We cannot fight head on with them!”
Degulish issued the order.
There was no warning of Godora’s attack, and the incident happened too quickly. The upper echelons of DarkStar had no time to react, and they did not even have time to think about how Godora had managed to grasp their whereabouts.
Right now, their top priority was to escape!
If Godora had come with a plan, DarkStar would not be able to stand up to the attack and could only escape.
However, the command was not sent out. A notification on the communication interface showed that the link had been cut off.
Not only Degulish, but the entire DarkStar motherships had their connection cut off from the outside world.
This was because Degulish was residing in the mothership that Risda was controlling.
Risda had totally cut off their connection to the outside world.
The whistleblower had begun his actions!
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