Original A/N:

"A/N: I err, had a lot of fun writing this entry."

Hongxi: "Of all those in the army close to the commander none is more intimate than the secret agent; of all rewards none more liberal than those given to secret agents; of all matters none is more confidential than those relating to secret operations."

News of the mass suicide of Maybellene Fashion headquarters on Tianxia was quickly covered up by the corporation itself. It was an enigma, the entire Tianchao branch HQ suicided overnight as if the result of some sort of pact suicide. Everyone from the regional manager to the janitor had killed themselves. Worried that this piece of news would cause their stocks to drop, Maybellene covered up the entire story and sent in a fresh new staff.

Any foreign merchant that had traded in Tianchao on the day of Hongxi's speech disappeared when they left the system. Some had errors in their navigation system and fell to the various hazardous anomalies of the galactic core. Others were raided by pirates, their floating hulls serving as a warning to all those who entered.

Despite the suspicious coincidences, news of their disappearance never seemed to generate much media attention. In a world where blood generates the most news activity, very little news agencies actually inquired about these events. Those that did were state press with relatively little viewers. That month however saw an abnormal amount of activity from the Jin Yi Wei, the Tianchao emperor's secret police. Everyone talked about it, for these orphans were highly revered as well as feared. Bypassing all judicial systems, they had full discretion in the judgement and execution of those wanted by the state. Their tenacity and skill in martial arts were unrivaled as well. Thus when accidentally crossing one of these stoic and heartless servants of the emperor, one would throw themselves at their feet to beg for mercy. And to shed a tear for them when they are let go, for these were street orphans taken at a young age and placed into a program which would pit them friend against friend, brother against brother all in order to cultivate utmost loyalty to the emperor. Often times meeting their end at the whims of politicians, such was the sad fate of Jin Yi Wei.

Hongxi: "All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."

107th Alliance Patrol Fleet, Orion Sector Asteroid Field
Alliance Cruiser San Felipe

Radarman: "The enemy dreadnaught is located in alpha quadrant, 60 kilometers out sir! There are no visuals of incoming enemy fire. However they are continuing to jam our radar and sensors."

Bonifaz: "Must be spending all they have just keeping us all jammed. Can we raise communications with the rest of our fleet yet?!"

Communications Officer: "No sir, the noise is only getting stronger the closer we get!"

Bonifaz: "Continue under the cover of the asteroid field, we will engage with kinetics when we are in range. Continue laser barrage! They think just by stopping our ability to communicate that we can't coordinate attacks? They underestimate the Alliance!"

Gunnery: "Yes sir!"

Meanwhile the First Officer continued to stare out the window at the ship in the distance. Something seemed odd about the ship. It had not moved once since they detected it on the radar and when all sensors and antennae were suddenly jammed, none of it seemed to have come in the direction of the dreadnought. The way the streams of lasers had impacted the hull too was strange, jostling the entire ship with just 1 stream.

First Officer: "Sir? I don't know about this."

Bonifaz: "What do you mean?"

First Officer: "Something, something's not right. I suggest we turn back Captain and call for reinforcements."

Bonifaz: "This is some sort of new PACT secret weapon, an ECM capital ship! It's been jamming all our sensors and communication thus far, that is something we MUST capture. If we let it get away, it'll wreck far more havoc than here. Besides if it could have shot at us, it would have done so already. No, we're going to go in close and subdue that thing with th-"

Several heavy impacts rocked the ship, sending the bridge crew to their knees.

Bonifaz: "S-status report!"

Radaraman: "Incoming fire!"

Bonifaz: "From the ship?!"

Radarman: "No, the asteroids!"

The Alliance fleet suddenly found themselves in the midst of a deadly trap. Dozens upon dozens of Lau Hu Heavy Tanks anchored into the asteroids lit up the cruisers with KEPs, sabots filling up the space around them as fast as they could fire.

The cruisers blasted away into the rocks, hurling massive kinetic rounds into the asteroids in an attempt to hit them. Many didn't and instead simply shattered the asteroid, sending the tanks hurling into space on whatever piece of rock they anchored themselves on. However there was simply too many and the cruisers weren't completely invulnerable to the return fire. While these kinetic energy projectiles did not contain any explosives, they were still able to penetrate deep into the bowels of the ship and tear up any systems that got in their way.

When it became clear that they were at a disadvantage, fighting an enemy hidden away in heavy terrain while they were out in the open, as if in a general consensus the cruisers charted a course out of the asteroid field. However with communications jammed, the cruisers could not coordinate and things essentially boiled down to each their own. As the cruisers blazed away from the asteroid field at full speed, tiny figures could be seen jetpacking off of the asteroids and latching themselves onto the ships.

Bonifaz: "A-are we clear of the asteroid field?! Damage report!"

First Officer: "Multiple hull breaches across decks five through seventeen. I evacuated all personnel from the area and sealed off all the bulkheads. Targeting arrays and sensors were physically destroyed and engines are running on 70% output."

Bonifaz: "Can we warp?"

First Officer: "Unstable, engineering is currently working on emergency repairs. Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes captain."

Commodore let out a sigh of relief. He took off his cap and wiped his face of sweat. Looking down at his hand, it was completely wet. Meanwhile the first officer was staring at a diagram of the ship and frowning at what he was seeing.

Bonifaz: "Good, good… This, what we saw today. That, that wasn't PACT… Commander. Commander!"

First Officer: "Ah- yes captain?"

Bonifaz: "What's the matter with you?"

First Officer: "Just system malfunction sir. I'm detecting multiple life signs heading towards engineering and the bridge. That's impossible, I sealed off the bulkheads in those sectors. Those areas are complete vacuum and open to the outside. Nobody should be able to survive that."

Bonifaz pulled himself over to the screen.

Bonifaz: "Could be our own? Given that they got to their protective gear in time?"

First Officer: "No sir, all hands are accounted for. I thi-"

Bonifaz suddenly clasped his hand over his mouth and motioned him to shush. The bridge drew quiet when a faint, muffled explosion and decompression rang though the entire ship. They could hear it now, footsteps. Faint footsteps getting closer and closer until it stopped just outside the doors to the bridge. Bonifaz motioned for the navigation officer to check it out.

The navigation officer nodded and walked towards the door. Just as his hand reached out to activate it, the door exploded and all the air inside rushed out. Those who weren't initially sucked out suddenly found themselves gasping for air, the moisture on their tongue and eyes starting to boil off.

Meanwhile onboard the Yamato several hundred kilometers away, Yayoi received a stream of reports.

Yayoi: "The ambush was a success sir. We lost 22 out of the 75 Lau Hus Heavy Tanks deployed, well within the acceptable range. The San Felipe, San Pedro, Santa Isabel, and Incendio have all been captured with acceptable levels of damage. Who knew an amalgam of multiple pieces of PACT hulls slapped together with a beacon and thrusters could work so well?"

Hongxi: "Pareidolia. Humans are fearful creatures, they see what is not there. Especially, when they see something they do not understand. It is an evolutionary offshoot from the hunter gatherer age of mankind, when all we had were stone spears to fend off whatever the wild threw at us…"

Hongxi: "Where the army is, prices are high; when prices rise the wealth of the people is exhausted."

Alliance Trading Post, Korris System

Rear Admiral Antonio: "Ahh, good doing business with you!"

Antonio stood up and warmly shook Kwanghoon's hand just as Kwanghoon was about to leave.

Antonio: "At first we were surprised when we heard you want to secede from the Alliance, but being able to trade like this. It's really not that bad after all. Who knew it'd be the governments, not the merchants, that'd be sending out traders. We rarely see you guys in our markets, we were beginning to wonder if we really didn't have anything you want."

Kwanghoon: "It is of no problem. You need rare and heavy metals, you need gas. We need food, and we give better price than Mining Union. Heavy drought on our planets, our people starving."

Antonio: "And that's why I'm here for you my friend! We have plenty of foo-"

The door opened as Antonio's secretary barged in.

Secretary: "Sir, anotherrebellion has broken out in the Forlorn System!"

Antonio: "Tch, what? Again?"

Secretary: "They don't have enough food sir. We've been takin-"

The admiral glared at her and motioned the Kwanghoon discreetly. She stopped and nodded when she saw Antonio hold his thumb to his neck and drew it across.

Kwanghoon: "No… No food?"

Antonio: "Ah ha ha ha, no no no! That's not it. No need to worry fine sir. You misheard her. Here, here. Right this way, I'll even show you our warehouses myself! Now uh, about that extra shipment you requested…"

Kwanghoon: "Yes, our moon colonies. Require much terraforming, cannot grow food. In exchange, for buying more food. Two thousand kilograms of gold."

Antonio: "T-two thousand? Secretary, tell the warehouse guys to uh. 'Reallocate' some of the supplies."

Secretory: "Reallocate? Sir, a lot of those supplies are heading to the fro-"

Antonio shot her a death glare causing her to shut up.

Secretary: "Yes sir. I shall take another look at the logistical side, there seems to be some wastes we can cut down on."

Antonio smiled from ear to ear.

Antonio: "That's what I want to hear! Now now, come. This way Mr. Kwanghoon."

Hongxi: "Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. The ultimate in disposing one's troops is to be without ascertainable shape. Then the most penetrating spies cannot pry in nor can the wise lay plans against you."

Empty Space, Merchantman Fortuna

What was thought to be a simple delivery mission ended up being the last one he would ever make in his life. His ship was violently wretched from warp and thrown back into normal space. An intense gravitational object had pulled his ship out of warp, but there was no planetary or solar bodies to be found. Trying to re-engage warp only came up with a warning stating that it is impossible to warp near a large gravitational body. Lightyears away from the closest star system, Garibaldi launched a distress signal. However any help would come too late… His entire ship suddenly lurched when multiple objects slammed and embedded themselves into his ship.

Admiral Stukov's Command Room, 201st Reserve Fleet

First Officer: "Sir, the 76th convoy freighter was ambushed. All hands were lost, all ships either captured or destroyed."

Stukov slammed his fist into the control panel while staring at a hologram of the local cluster of systems. On it a red X was added to an already increasing amount of Xs spread throughout all the entire space in no distinct pattern. With transmissions from the convoys cutting off when they were suddenly pulled out of warp, they had little to work on.

Stukov: "Where! Where are they COMING FROM!?"

First Officer: "I… I don't know sir, our patrols in the nearby systems reveal nothing. Either they're here and we're not seeing them, or-"

Stukov: "They came from somewhere else, far far away…."

First Officer: "Sir, no pirates would have those kind of resources to sustain long range warp raids."

Stukov: "Unless, they're no pirates…"

Hongxi: "Fear… Some call it the eight deadly sin. Where does it come from? The unknown. People fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer. Fear, so easily confused with doubt and when taken form, becomes panic…"

Planet Norn, Sevastopol Station, Fourth Launch Point for Alliance Auxiliary Fleet
Complement: 56 Machiavelli Battleships, 175 Battlecruisers, 22 Support Cruisers
Battleship Petropavlovsk, Regional Command Ship

Radarman: "Admiral, the Sabre has just warped in."

Admiral Gustav: "The Sabre? That's… Not a battleship if I remember correctly."

Radaraman: "No sir, it's a battlecruiser."

Admiral Gustav: "Rats… What is that Boisson doing! The Lafayette is a mighty battleship, something that is of a great asset to our fleet. All his ships have already returned except he himself!"

First Officer: "Please calm down captain. I'm sure it'll return soon."

Admiral Gustav: "They better, leaving us with nothing but transmission logs… Only to see his ships return safe and sound!"

First Officer: "To be fair sir, the first one arrived but half an hour ago. They stated there was some gravitational turbulence and the others arrival would be delayed."

Admiral Gustav: "I know! I know… Hail the Sabre, and send a shuttle to bring them in for questioning. I want to know exactly what happened at Planet Willis!"

Radarman: "Sir, picking up a new warp signature."

Admiral Gustav: "Good, it's probably the Lafayette."

Radarman: "No sir, it's a lot bigger than that!"

Something warped in a couple dozen kilometers. Something big bristling with guns all over. It was a little bit over half of the Legion's size and with a completely different design, but that Red and Black motif and paint was more than enough to convince the Admiral who the real culprit was.

Admiral Gustav: "PACT! You have some nerve showing your face around here, message the fleet. You will pay for all you've done! All ships move to engage!"

First Officer: "What about the retu-"

Admiral Gustav: "I said ALL ships engage!"

First Officer: "… Yes sir."

It was quite an impressive sight for anyone on the side of the Alliance, and quite a fearful one for any enemies of the Alliance. In a well-coordinated maneuver, the entire fleet stationed at Sevastopol station moved out. From the strange enemy ship came hurling towards them 12 projectiles.

First Officer: "Enemy fire!"

Admiral Gustav: "From way out there? What are they expecting to hit?"

Hongxi: "First gouge out their eyes so they can't see."

The projectiles overshot the lead ship by dozens of meters harmlessly, until it exploded in the middle of the fleet. Suddenly, the Petropavlovsk's radar map became very distorted where keeping track of just allied ships became increasingly difficult. For radar to work, radio waves would be broadcasted from a ship. These radio waves would bounce off nearby objects and reflect back towards the sender where it would be picked up with delicate instruments and used to calculate distance and positioning. However these tiny strips of fiber reflect radar signals and when used defensively, forms a blob of intelligible signals from where the ship used to be. However in this case, they were fired at the source and used to stop the radio waves before they can even get out.

Hongxi: "Next stab their ears so they cannot hear."

And as if that wasn't enough, all Alliance communication channels were also flooded with noise from barrage jamming, making electromagnetic communication between any ships, friend or foe, virtually impossible. Every Alliance military and civilian frequencies were being jammed, as well as the emergency channels. Usually only large stations could generate this much power to jam channels on this many frequencies, however the enemy was no small ship either.

Admiral Gustav: "What?! What's going on?!"

First Officer: "Sir I… I can't raise any of the fleet. That enemy ship is projecting powerful random noise that's jamming all of our operational frequencies! The substance they fired at us earlier is indiscriminately disrupting all of our radar waves, we can't make sense what is what!"

Admiral Gustav: "Switch to visuals! Impossible! How would they know our operational wavelengths? Could it be, spies..?"

First Officer: "Sir, they're firing again!"

Hongxi: "Deprive them of their senses, and even when they are in a group they are alone."

Gustav could almost hear the roar of the twelve turrets on this ship fire. He could almost feel it in his bones as he watched the projectiles drew near. This time instead of releasing more chaff and corner reflectors, the projectiles released a massive white cloud that blocked all vision. This continuous barrage did not stop until the entire fleet and then some were engulfed.

Admiral Gustav: "Slow ahead! What sort of trickery are they resorting to…? If they think one ship can hide from MY armada in this pathetic cloud they put up."

A kinetic shell abruptly slammed into the rear of the Petropavlovsk, causing the bridge to shake. The admiral stumbled and almost tripped, only to be caught and held up in time by his first officer.
Admiral Gustav: "Damage report! Where did that shell come from?!"

First Officer: "One of the engines have been destroyed. The projectile… Came from one of our own!"

Hongxi: "Let fear brew among them, and the enemy will destroy themselves."

It was at that moment when Gustav realized what the enemy was planning. His hunch was correct, there were enemy elements within his own fleet. They must have snuck in from the reinforcements they received the other day or from Boisson's returning fleet. By now, the other captains must be realizing there are traitors in their own ranks but without any means to communicate… He had to act fast or all hell would break loose.

Admiral Gustav: "Quick, assemble as many men as you can and get them to the shuttles! They are to travel to the other ships and give them a new rendezvous point! We are retreating, we are retreating now!"
But Gustav's fears were already coming true. Through the dense white cloud, he could see the density of streams of lasers slowly increasing. Protocol called for them to remain calm and to rendezvous somewhere else, to regroup and reorganize. However in this thick white cloud where one could not tell friend from foe, friends quickly became enemies and a fight to satiate the Admiral's lust for blood quickly turned to a battle for survival. Nobody knew how many hostiles there were, but they knew one thing. Someone had fired the first shot, and no one was going to idle around with a supposedly friendly shooting at them.

Far away from the chaos, onboard the bridge of the Yamato… Hongxi and the bridge crew stared at the bloodbath unfolding before him.

Sun-Sin: "So this is what it means…"

Sun-Sin mumbled while staring at the destruction below.

Yayoi: "What do you mean?"

Sun-Sin: "For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."

Hongxi: "When the enemy is at ease, be able to weary him; when well fed, to starve him; when at rest, to make him move. Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you."

News of the Norn Disaster would spread like wildfire. Over 70 battlecruisers and 28 battleships destroyed with the rest sustaining heavy damage. Admiral Gustav was immediately suspended and an investigation started. People were beginning to worry and doubt, that this was something else besides pirates or PACT. Missing convoys are to be expected from time to time, but vanishing convoys and patrols were a whole new story. Pirates plundered and left behind empty hulls. This new enemy stole the entire ship, with all hands either assumed captured or lost. This was something else entirely, something much bigger than pirates. When Norn had hit the news, an emergency committee was held. The logistical chains between the core worlds and the front was considered too fragile, and the occupied planets for some reason could never come up with enough food. At this point, just feeding the front was getting difficult enough much less any major incursions into PACT territory. All reserves were fully mobilized and formed into special hunter killer teams. A special investigative squad was formed to look into the cause behind these disruptions and put an end to it once and for all.

Hongxi: "Sow the seeds of fear, water it with isolation, nurture it with desperation, and watch panic blossom. Come, our time here is done. They will empty their coffers looking for what is not there, now we go to PACT."