With three planets under his heel, the harvest was greater. No longer scraping by, he had the funds to fuel something more significant. He allocated 2000 points without hesitation, pushing them into research, design, and industrial acceleration of a single named Unit.
[Shock Trooper Mk. I]
By April, the assembly lines began churning.
By mid-April, the first prototype was complete.
It wasn't just armor. It was a statement. And it was ready.
But before he could celebrate, a report arrived.
William sat in the court chamber, skimming the sealed document handed to him by Reild Wennk, the Head of Diplomacy. His eyes hardened as he read.
Reild stood nearby, his collar damp with sweat. The royal guards around the room hadn't moved, but the weight of their presence made every breath heavy. The King said nothing for a long moment, eyes fixed on the paper.
Then he looked up.
"So... they want war?"
The silence that followed made Reild's throat tighten.
"Not directly, your Majesty," he finally said, voice wavering. "It's not as if they declared it outright... but they're waiting. Maneuvering."
William's eyes didn't blink. "Who?"
Reild hesitated, then replied, "The Lurean Elves. The Beast Factions. And the Bright Kingdom."
William exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples.
"Let's start with the Elves," he muttered. "What did they do?"
Reild adjusted his stance, speaking more quickly now. "The Lurean tribe has begun fortifying their borders. Their forest is sealed to outsiders. Their leyline sentries have doubled. Our merchants were turned away last week."
"Signs of neutrality," William said coldly, "but not peace."
"Yes, Sire. They claim it's to preserve their lands from 'external taint.' But their Archdruids have been seen circling the leyline at Elwind Pass. If they claim it, they'll choke our arcane relay from the eastern quadrant."
William glanced toward the tacticians standing behind the court dais. "Begin contingency mapping. If we lose the Elwind leyline, I want teleportation paths routed through the southern peaks. And send word to the Lurean Elders. Offer them exclusive Ironwood rights for access."
"And if they refuse?" Reild asked.
"Then we tunnel under the forest," William said. "We build war-routes they won't see coming."
A beat passed.
"And the Beast Factions?" William asked next, voice hardening.
Reild hesitated. "Warbands have gathered in the Fenwaste. Ten thousand strong. Two chieftains already declared blood-oath to the Chaos Faction. They're howling for conquest."
"No surprise there," William muttered. "They want the planets I took. Let them try."
Reild turned the last page.
"And finally... the Bright Kingdom."
That name stilled the room.
William had offered the Bright Kingdom more than most thought wise, grain shipments, trade routes, even limited access to the Dawn Relays. All of it, a calculated attempt to buy time.
Time to add one more unit.
One decisive stroke.
A sword sharpened in the dark, meant to fall before the Bright Kingdom could ever lift its own.
But the Queen did not budge.
No response. No negotiation. Not even an envoy to stall. It was as if the offers were never sent, as if diplomacy itself was beneath her. The Queen of the Bright Kingdom moved with the arrogance of someone who had already seen the outcome of the war.
William frowned, fingers tightening on the armrest of his throne.
Did they not know?
He had Tier 1 Units deployed. Shock Troopers already on the ground. Infantry regiments lined with Steelbone Frames, Arc Lances, and Neural Helmets. Even now, his factories had queued a second wave. Where in the Light did their confidence come from?
He didn't know.
And the fact that he didn't know, it rattled him.
Even if only for a moment.
He didn't show it. His face remained impassive, but in his mind, shadows shifted.
What do they know that I don't?
He waved off the scrolls before him and summoned Vemil Ra, the Head of Covert Intelligence.
"Activate all listening webs," William said quietly. "Send our deepest threads into the Bright Kingdom. I want a report on the Queen herself. Her court. Her generals. Her dreams, if possible. I don't care how far we have to go. I want to know where their confidence comes from."
Vemil Ra bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"And keep speaking to them," William added, voice clipped. "Even if they don't answer. Keep sending the offers. Let them think we still want peace. Let them think we're afraid. I want them blind when my hammer falls."
"As you command."