A light lit, A fire kindled

We have approximately a month of preparation before the threat is upon Earth, which might seem like plenty of time but it isn't.

Against a threat, so colossal, months would be needed minimum to give them a chance of winning a direct confrontation, so they would have to improvise.

Abandoning Earth is impossible, too many people and resources would have to be moved, and Reclamia isn't capable of sustaining such a large population yet.

And even if they did move, they would only be more vulnerable there, without the defenses Earth sports.

"Do we know what that thing is capable of?"

"Yes your majesty, despite the unpredictable nature of our enemy, we have been able to piece some things together." Adam nodded, signaling the general to continue. "It seems the Hive has taken a liking to the cruiser's main gun, as the ship appears to have the same thing, except significantly bigger and more efficient."

"Additionally," Another commander spoke, "There seem to be a large number of small vessels surrounding the ship, like fighter jets, they form a secondary shield around the ship itself, protecting it from most forms of attack unless we break through them."

"The only weakness we have identified is that the ship itself seems quite squishy, weak to almost all forms of attack."

"..." A heavy silence covered the room as everyone present took some time to think, what could they do in this situation? something that could turn the tide...

"Your majesty, this idea is frankly suicidal, but it's the only thing I can think of." A commander began, "We could send as many spare soldiers as we have into the large ship, dealing damage from the inside out."

"The men who go in will most likely never see the light of day again, but it is possible thanks to the large, vein-like structures covering the ship, we may be able to kill it or severely weaken it."

"We may even be able to send in some heavier equipment like tanks, increasing the probability of success."

"...Any other ideas?" Adam questioned but only got silence from the rest of the table.

"Very well, we will go with this strategy, our scientists have only developed an experimental virus so far, but we will have to use it." The generals gave a grave nod.

"Also, the 'great cradle' project is going strong, we should just barely finish it at the end of the month, a few days before the expected arrival of the Hive."

The great cradle is a massive shield that should cover the entire planet in a shield more powerful than ever conceived, but it will use so much power that essentially the entire planet is going to shut down except the generators and the facilities needed to run them.

That includes all other defenses, and it will take hours to restore the power to the entire planet, so they are going all in on defense, abandoning any chance of fighting back if all fails.

The shield should theoretically be able to withstand two shots from the large ship, but they haven't seen it fire yet so they aren't sure.

It should also forcefully stop any creatures from going in or out, halting any travel, and giving them complete safety at the cost of making it impossible to give the fleet any additional reinforcements.

only signals can go through.

This whole operation is one desperate dice roll.

All stations in the path of the aptly named "World Devourer" were filled with bombs and abandoned, the AI reprogrammed to crash into the protective lair, which unfortunately didn't work, as the ships destroyed the station in minutes.

Still, at least they tried.

The Empire did anything it could to weaken the enemy and delay them, including hit and runs, which worked surprisingly well.

The World Devourer couldn't shoot at them since it would severely damage its only protection, and the fighters couldn't rush at them since they needed to protect the Devourer.

They were helpless, as long as the Empire stayed at long range.

Still, the sheer amount of fighters made it difficult to make any visible difference, but at least they were doing something.

All soldiers were allowed to return to Earth for a day, not all at once, but during the course of the month, families reunited if only for a day, as theme parks, cinemas, and other attractions reopened for a little bit, reminding the soldiers what they were fighting for and giving them a well-deserved break.

Morale was higher than ever, as men prepared themselves to fight their last battle, very few would make it out of this alive, and Adam knew for a fact that the Empire WOULD suffer catastrophic damage here, no matter the outcome of the battle itself.

The fleet, if one remained, would be damaged severely, and manpower would run low, as all men will either fight on ships or in the Devourer.

After this fight, a repopulation crisis will most likely happen, as most men over twenty will die off, Adam will have to make policies that encourage re-population, and so many other post-battle troubles will follow even if they win.

Adam busied himself with preparations and making drafts for these policies whenever he wasn't preparing for the battle itself.

So much so that he hasn't even seen Serena for many weeks straight, which he simply swallowed and moved on.

Some people never learn.

Well, Adam continued working as hard as possible, going on the news and making speeches to his people, giving them unity and strength in one another.

Adam is not religious, but he couldn't help but pray in his mind that everything would work out, just this once.

The Empire has been tested by this universe again and again, he feels they deserve a break now, but that's up to luck.

Now, as snow fell on the palace, the dreaded news came in.

"Your majesty! They are in a neighboring system. They will be here in a few hours!"

"On the way."

Adam could see the city stretch below, and the massive skyscrapers requesting that people go into their designated bunkers could be seen from here.

He could see the way all of them stopped dead in their tracks, and ran towards safety, as the men boarded the last few corvettes and destroyers remaining on the ground.

The cruiser awaited him, as he refused to remain grounded while his people fought for their survival.

As Emperor, he must lead, even if it means endangering himself.

He walked briskly through the corridors, but not fully sprinting, as he knew he has more than enough time to make it there even if he walked.

Still, his nerves forced him to walk faster than he had to, making the Cruiser's large form appear before him sooner than expected.

The captain greeted him with a salute, and the two walked into the ship, but before they could make it inside, he heard an all too familiar voice, one which he missed dearly.

"W-Wait Adam!" Serena's usually calm and peaceful voice cracked with anxiety, she panted and sweat dripped down her forehead, it seems she ran here straight after finishing work if she even finished it.

The captain seemed a bit taken aback by her calling Adam by his name but decided not to say anything, it was his Majesties business.

The surrounding servants also looked a bit shocked, although they knew that the two met in the throne room often, they were surprised that Serena dared to be so familiar in public.

It isn't a problem that the Emperor fancies one of his maids, that's one of the reasons why they are the best of the best in looks and skill, so that the Emperor could always choose one he likes to be the Emperess to prevent inbreeding.

Still, showing such affection before the Emperor has made it clear to the world that he likes the maid is considered insulting, as it forces the Emperor to make a decision on the spot.

Adam analyzed all of this and realized he has to make a choice, does he want her to be by his side for potentially hundreds of years?

"Are you really going? Do you have to??" She seemed to be worried for him, and Adam could see no deeper meaning behind it.

He tested her, made sure so many times that he can trust her that he couldn't even count it.

So his heart caved, and for the first time since coming into this world, he allowed someone inside his heart.

Serena now seemed to have realized what she has done, and her panicked look was as always a sight to behold for Adam.

She kneeled and apologized in a very composed and professional manner.

Adam hated it, it felt so fake.

"I apologize, your majesty, I did not mean to disturb you."

Adam said nothing and simply walked forwards toward her.

She also said nothing, but a slight shaking could be seen.

No one angered the Emperor of the Azburgians and lived to tell the tale, or certainly not in one piece.

"Stand up." He ordered and she did so, looking down at the ground in fear or shame, perhaps both.

"Look at me." She did as ordered, little tears gathered at the sides of her eyes.

As she looked up, Adam leaned forwards and whispered something into her ear, her face did a one-eighty and went from dread and fear to happiness and embarrassment.

What he said is unknown, but what is known is that afterward, he kissed her for all eyes to see, the kiss was messy but filled with passion as the two hugged each other.

Eventually, Adam decided that he had enough and let go, much to Serena's disappointment.

After telling her to wait for him and kissing her on the cheek, Adam boarded the Cruiser and embarked to his greatest battle yet, and the greatest battle humankind has ever had the glory of witnessing.