This sudden turn of events truly caught Osvaldo Schneider completely off guard. After all, he never expected that his proud armed fleet, previously invincible, and this remedial action meant to compensate for the earlier loss of a Cornerstone, would result in such a complete and utter failure.
It even made his already unfavorable situation even more precarious, to the point where he now faced collective questioning from the Board of Directors.
But!
The man named Osvaldo Schneider would never be defeated by mere small difficulties.
After all, what nameless Trailblazers excelled at most was finding opportunity amidst crisis. Although Osvaldo had already added the prefix 'former' to that identity through his actions, the change in status clearly didn't affect his way of thinking.
"Honorable Board Members, I need to clarify that this was not merely my personal strategic misjudgment, but even more so a provocation against the Interastral Peace Corporation by that unknown faction!"
His panic shifting to a smile, Osvaldo regained the outwardly impressive facade of the Corporation's rising star, even becoming somewhat impassioned. And this turnaround was clearly all thanks to that nonsensical Glamoth Empire.
Normally, according to the Corporation's style, they would never engage in losing ventures. As for this war, given the presence of an Emanator on the opposing side, the Corporation wouldn't typically dispute over a broken planet.
Only when facing absolute opposition that couldn't be resolved through negotiation—like the 'Antimatter Legion,' 'Emperor Rupert,' or 'uncooperative border planets'—would the Corporation consider using force. (If the opponent was exceptionally weak, the Corporation wouldn't mind dropping the mask of civilization, closing the door, and enacting some 'Open up, it's free trade!').
And the origin of this conflict, [Firefly] and that waste planet, clearly didn't fit any of those criteria. According to standard procedure, negotiation was the most appropriate course of action.
This held true even for the notoriously violent Market Development Department and the arrogant Osvaldo himself.
Unfortunately, the blunder of losing a Preservation Cornerstone forced the desperate Osvaldo to resort to extreme measures to try and resolve the issue. After all, if he couldn't handle this before the Board meeting, Osvaldo's contest with Diamond for the director's seat could basically be considered lost.
It could be said that Somado's arbitrary actions, stubbornness, and stupidity led to all of this. However, as the department head, Osvaldo couldn't possibly shift all the blame onto his subordinate.
Not out of any sense of responsibility, mind you—the Board directors were certainly not fools who would let him pin everything on a mere senior cadre, especially a dead one, letting him carry all the blame.
But...
Since Somado couldn't bear such a heavy burden, why not shift the blame to the enemy—to that Glamoth Republic?
With practiced eloquence, Osvaldo began by admitting his own errors but deftly pushed the greatest fault onto the Glamoth Republic for declaring war on the Corporation. Somado was a Corporation cadre, merely executing his duties.
Yet that unknown Emanator had brutally murdered him even after he identified himself, even intentionally destroying the Corporation's precious Cornerstone of Preservation, and issued such provocative statements against the Corporation.
Was this blame solely on Somado? Why didn't the other party respect the Corporation? Why didn't they cooperate with the Corporation's actions? Osvaldo spat saliva, defining the entire incident as a 'premeditated provocation against the Corporation.'
Diamond, also present, naturally objected, even speaking sarcastically, "Director Osvaldo, I must suspect that everything you've said is baseless fabrication, sophistry intended to deceive the honorable directors present."
However...
Osvaldo remained completely unfazed, even chuckling aloud.
The truth? Did it really matter anymore? Perhaps it did initially. But the moment that faction calling itself the Glamoth Empire declared war on the Corporation, the truth became irrelevant. Because both sides were now undeniably in a state of 'hostility.'
This was why he was confident of victory in facing this questioning.
If war hadn't broken out, if none of this had happened, the Board would only need to consider how to deal with him, as the loss stemmed from a department head's misjudgment. But once it escalated to a state of 'war'... the Corporation's stance changed entirely.
Accountability would surely come.
But before that, the Corporation absolutely had to deal with the Glamoth Empire—the entity that dared leak corporate secrets, cause significant losses, destroy a precious Cornerstone, and openly challenge the authority of the Interastral Peace Corporation—before considering anything else.
After all, if the Interastral Peace Corporation said nothing in response to an enemy's declaration of war and instead fired one of its own department heads, it would basically be admitting fault to all galactic factions. If they actually did that, the Corporation's plans for the universe, its reputation, and its authority would all be shot.
If some random small faction declared war on you and you immediately admitted fault, wouldn't that just show you were a spineless pushover? For a top-tier galactic power like the Corporation, admitting fault was impossible. If they were willing to admit mistakes, why would they need to commit so many unscrupulous acts in the first place?
"..." Diamond fell silent, looking annoyed at the smiling Osvaldo. He instantly understood now: he definitely couldn't take this guy down in this round.
They'd have to deal with the Glamoth Empire first before settling scores with Osvaldo.
After all, if the Corporation actually backed down, not only would their reputation suffer due to the scandals, leading to a massive stock price drop, but their authority across the galaxy would also explode. By then, with a terrible reputation and appearing cowardly externally, wouldn't the Corporation's stock price plummet instantly?
The Corporation's plan to control the universe with 'Credits' could be declared bankrupt right then and there.
He had originally intended to use this opportunity to kick this annoying guy out.
Amidst Diamond's unpleasant expression and Osvaldo's smile, the Board quickly reached its decision for the meeting. Osvaldo would be kept under observation, with his final disposition to be discussed after the war ended.
The Corporation's immediate priority was to kick the insolent upstarts—who dared provoke the Corporation's authority and cause its stock price to plummet—into the gutter!
Following the meeting's conclusion, the Corporation's public relations department instantly scrubbed all related information from the net. Simultaneously, they issued a series of denunciations against the 'Glamoth Empire,' claiming everything presented was baseless fabrication intended to maliciously slander the Corporation's reputation.
At the same time, the Corporation turned the tables, using fabricated evidence to pin labels like 'brutal murder of a senior Corporation employee' and 'destruction and desecration of the Amber Lord's sacred remnants' onto the Glamoth Empire. When it came to extracting value from the dead, the Corporation certainly demonstrated its practiced techniques.
Furthermore, the Corporation demanded a series of partners retract negative news unfavorable to the company, threatening to cancel cooperation and employing other coercive tactics. They thoroughly purged all factors detrimental to the Corporation's stock price and successfully turned the Glamoth Republic into the target of condemnation.
This tactic was certainly effective; after all, the Corporation had no shortage of lackeys. Their skill in cultivating obedient partners was truly unparalleled in the universe, making even seasoned Denizens of Abundance feel inadequate.
In no time, across the universe, the reputation of the Glamoth Empire, this suddenly emerged rising star faction, became utterly notorious, branded by the Corporation as a public enemy akin to the 'Cosmic Swarm,' 'Denizens of Abundance,' and the 'Antimatter Legion.'
(Of course, the Corporation really wanted to add Emperor Rupert to the list—several Emperor Wars had filled them with prejudice and fear towards androids and Machines—but unfortunately, with Screwllum, the android&Machines big boss, around, the Corporation could only omit this major enemy from the examples.)
However, although the Corporation gave Screwllum face, the latter's attitude towards the former wasn't exactly friendly. Screwllum flatly refused the Corporation's demand to 'retract condemnation and regret' but did comply with the request to clear negative information about the Corporation's scandals from the machine network.
This unique android network was off-limits to the Corporation, but Screwllum's intervention could cover the entire universe.
The Xianzhou Alliance, known for despising evil, also reluctantly complied with the Corporation's demands after negotiations during this cleanup campaign. They couldn't afford not to; having just experienced the Third Abundance War, the Xianzhou's Fanghu needed cooperation with the Corporation to recuperate. Circumstances forced them to cooperate slightly.
However...
Just as the galactic tide turned against the 'Glamoth Empire,' with almost the entire universe seemingly hostile towards this newborn faction, a force long considered vanished by most suddenly reappeared.
"Galaxy Ranger?"
In the Nottung system, [Firefly] looked with surprise at the man standing before her—wearing a cowboy hat, possessing a mechanical body, and flashing shark-like teeth.
This was certainly not an unfamiliar face to Jiang Qiao: the incredibly precious Crunchy Sha—Galaxy Ranger Boothill.
"I recall you all were supposed to be recuperating."
"Yeehaw, ya know quite a bit, huh~" Boothill sounded surprised, clicking his tongue. "So you're the damned Empress of this here Glamoth Empire?"
"Insolence! How dare you disrespect Her Majesty!" Pheebe snapped.
"Whoa there, folks like us are used ta bein' unrestrained. If yer people got a problem with it... well, ya just gotta bear with it."
"It matters not," the silver-haired girl waved dismissively, signaling the displeased Pheebe to stand down. Her calm, blue-violet eyes studied the rugged, untamed man before her. "Galaxy Ranger, do you intend to join this war?"
"Well, I'll be damned! How'd ya guess before I even said it... Ah, whatever, ain't somethin' ta hide anyway. Let's just lay it all out."
"Yer Majesty here seems like a straight shooter. Hearin' what ya said earlier, I reckon ya know us pretty well..."
"Yep! Where there's oppression, there's Galaxy Rangers. Where there's injustice, there we are," Boothill mumbled, then added with annoyance, "Those damn Corporation dogs pullin' this kinda crap, tryin' ta twist right 'n wrong, we sure as hell ain't just gonna stand by 'n watch!"
"That... uh, Empress of the Glamoth Empire... Ah, whatever, means yer the boss here, right? Came ta pass on a message: the Galaxy Rangers are joinin' this fight against the Corporation. That's it! Message delivered!"
After a moment, Boothill scratched his head, unable to resist adding, "Hey... ya gonna give some kinda reaction? This is damn awkward, makes me feel like a fool."
"Haven't you already delivered the message?" the girl asked back simply.
"Eh... Guess I did... Well damn... Ain't ya gonna give some kinda response?"
"It is not needed."
"Oh... Huh? What?"
"I said, it is not needed."
"This battle between Glamoth and the Corporation requires no outside interference."
"However, if the Galaxy Rangers wish to intervene, that is your choice." Turning slowly, [Firefly] glanced back lightly, speaking softly, "Besides, even if I forbade it, you wouldn't listen, would you?"
"Eh, well ain't that the... damn truth... Wait... Son of a gun, ya understand us that well? Kinda makes me wanna fall head over heels for ya!" Boothill scratched his head again, utterly amazed. Just as he'd implied, the Galaxy Rangers were always free-spirited, unbound by rules.
They were joining this fight simply because they couldn't stand seeing the Corporation bully others and felt compelled to deliver some righteous justice.
Coming here was just to check things out, since fighting the same corporate dogs might lead to interaction. They wanted to avoid friendly fire and also get a look at this Glamoth Empire.
If it turned out to be as bad as the Corporation claimed, the Rangers probably would have given them a beating too.
"I understand the Galaxy Rangers' creed."
"Therefore, follow your hearts. Do what you feel you must."
"Glamoth will support your efforts."
After Boothill left.
Silver Wolf, perched on the armrest of a chair, leaning against the wall with her fair legs visible beneath her hot pants, watched him go and clicked her tongue. "I thought they were all extinct."
"As long as people holding that conviction remain, the Galaxy Rangers will never disappear," [Firefly] shook her head.
"Hmm, so now we have teammates?" Silver Wolf chewed her lollipop, unable to resist complaining, "Those Corporation guys are really ruthless, making us enemies with the whole world... Ouch, I almost thought we were playing an ironman start."
"Whether we have them or not, what difference does it make?"
The silver-haired girl walked leisurely towards the bow of the ship, her gaze seemingly piercing countless light-years, witnessing the vast approaching fleet, and whispered softly:
"It's all the same."