Chapter 57: Isirus
The MK.1 would soon arrive at the Isirus Space Station for the galactic auction.
On the way there, the crew discussed many things. All five crew members were quite different from one other, with perhaps the most contrast between Antanria, a little girl from an extinct alien race, and Colonel Ralfot, a disciplined military man from the Federation.
Despite the strangeness of the crew's composition, the atmosphere was surprisingly good. Chocolate, Lotus, and White discussed girlish things with Antanria, who seemed to be listening attentively. She was picking up more and more of their language as time passed.
Hulk, meanwhile, was fascinated by the stories of military affairs which Colonel Ralfot was happy to talk about.
Only Apophis, alone on his own, was lost in this thought.
After a few hours, the ship finally arrived at the docking platform of the Isirus Space Station.
The station was absolutely huge, almost the size of Hong Kong! It served as a central commercial relay for the surrounding systems, and was therefore absolutely vital for the Federation's revenue in the area. This abundance of wealth had led over the years to the development of an entire set of related services. All these amenities eventually made the Isirus Space Station one of the largest commercial destinations in the galaxy!
After landing, the crew disembarked and made their way from the hangar to the station's main entrance.
There was an incredible queue of several thousand people there, all waiting to pass through the Federation customs post. Apophis noticed many players among those who were queuing and was slightly surprised at how quickly they'd managed to get there.
Fortunately, Apophis and Ralfot were senior officers of the Federation military and could skip the queue completely. Their group passed in front of everyone in a wonderfully arrogant way, only pausing to present their military documents.
Inside, an incredibly diverse and dense crowd of xeno species thronged everywhere. Elves, Golems, Lizardmen, and Orcs all rubbed shoulders. Apophis even spotted such magnificent species as the "Nestarians," humanoids with literally angelic appearances.
Apophis was used, in his former life, to the melting pot of the galaxy, but the other players shared none of these memories! For them, this was a truly unique experience!
The entrance hall was filled with all kinds of exotic stores. Of course, all the players wanted to explore these stores. Ralfot cared little for this sort of shopping and remained stoic.
Apophis saw this as an opportunity for a little quiet, and gave each of the players 1,000 GC from the Guild's treasury. He asked Ralfot to escort them, then found the station's Chamber of Commerce and registered for the galactic auction. He also found out that it would take place in only a few hours. They'd just barely made it in time!
But before entering the building, Apophis noticed a new queue forming in front of it, which he assumed was to register for the auction.
But Apophis quickly lost interest in the queue when he saw the screens on the building's side, all broadcasting galactic news.
"Hello! I'm Helene, your anchor for Federation news and galactic politics. Today, Chancellor Souley announced the mobilization of the Federation's military following the Orc raid on Era.
"Though Orc Emperor Xarxar XVI has denied any involvement of his army in the recent events on Era, the Chancellor announced a massive military exercise on the border of the Orc Empire. Our sources say this exercise will be led by the recently promoted Grand Admiral Azerof."
Apophis hadn't realized anything would actually come of the claim that the Orcs had attacked Era. He'd assumed that both sides, wary of a war, would simply forget the entire event. He hadn't realized his and Azerof's lie could cause such damage.
But he finally signed up for the galactic auction and went to the main hall to await the auction's start.