From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 788 Invitation

Franklin stood at the window, his hands behind his back, staring at the crowd gathered in the square outside the Provisional Government Building.

They held up placards, their voices roared, and their roars of protest even penetrated the special glass and faintly reached his ears.

"The truth about the Vlagan incident!"

“Where is the Renaissance Alliance headed?”

“We want freedom!”

Each slogan was like a sharp sword, pointing directly at the fragile ruling foundation of the Renaissance Alliance.

"There's a protest going on in the fourth system, Franklin."

Eleanor's voice came from behind, with a hint of fatigue: "The demonstrators in Monterey III even occupied the local radio station and forced the broadcast of the 'evidence' provided by the Atlas Group."

Franklin didn't turn around, but just nodded slightly, his Adam's apple rolling up and down.

He never expected that the situation would turn out like this, and he never expected that the public opinion control department under his command would be so powerless. During the federal period, these people could still cope with various extreme situations, but now they have been defeated by the Atlas Group.

"Bring the head of the public opinion department here. I want to talk to him in person."

"I'm afraid not," Eleanor handed over a data pad, "I just received news that he has submitted his resignation letter."

Franklin took the data tablet and his eyes stayed on the last sentence: "In the face of the current technological gap, any effort is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. I am unable to continue to perform my duties."

"Humph, you're quicker than anyone else to give up at this time."

Franklin snorted coldly, then made a decision: "Immediately clean up the public opinion control department, from the top to the middle management, all of them will be dismissed! Those who have collaborated with the Atlas Group in the public opinion war will all be re-employed! Especially those who have been to their media headquarters for training and then hidden away, find them immediately!"

Eleanor gasped, "All of it?"

"Yes, all of them."

Franklin turned around, his face livid.

"They can't even control public opinion in one galaxy, so how can they talk about controlling all the galaxies we control? Use those who have been trained by the Atlas Group. At least they know what methods the opponent will use."

"But most of those people have been hidden. If they are used, Hall's group will probably--"

"I don't care why they were hidden, and I don't care what Hall and the others think. Eleanor, tell me, am I still the one who has the final say in the Renaissance Alliance? If so, then do it right now!"

Franklin raised his voice sharply and slammed his clenched fist on the table.

Eleanor nodded silently, turned and left, leaving Franklin standing alone in the empty office, his own rapid breathing echoing in his ears.

Two hours later, Franklin stood in front of the podium in the temporary government building, facing a room full of media reporters and live cameras. He was wearing a dark blue uniform with a silver badge of the Restoration Alliance pinned on his collar, and his expression was serious and resolute.

"Dear compatriots," his voice was carried throughout the hall through the PA system, and also to the countless people who were watching the live broadcast, "I am standing here today to tell you a fact - the kidnapping incident that occurred on Vlagon IV was indeed carried out by a small group of radical elements within the Renaissance Alliance."

There was an uproar in the lecture hall, and flash cameras went off one after another.

“I am deeply shocked and saddened by this!”

Franklin continued, with a calculated sadness in his voice, and paused for a moment, looking around the room, his eyes firm and sincere:
"These people betrayed the core values ​​of the Renaissance Alliance and took extreme measures. I would like to express my sincerest apologies to the victim, Pru Wedder, and her family, as well as to all my compatriots who have worked hard for the Renaissance Alliance.

I assure you that the Renaissance Alliance will thoroughly investigate this matter and will never tolerate any behavior that undermines the friendly and cooperative relationship between the Alliance and the Atlas Group!
In the past year, both the Renaissance Alliance and I have experienced anxiety and confusion, because we have indeed felt that we have gone through many particularly difficult moments.

We have indeed heard a lot of voices, some of which were particularly sharp, belittling our entire alliance and ultimate goal. Many people also said that they felt that the top leaders of our Renaissance Alliance were very arrogant and would not listen to everyone's voices.

We feel what everyone feels, but we hear too many voices. We need to calm down and figure out which are the most authentic voices from citizens and which are just noises used to confuse people."

We have to admit that Franklin was quite good at public speaking, or we can say that public speaking was the most important skill for a federal official to reach a high position.

So after his public speech, public opinion did ease briefly and the situation seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

However, just when he thought he could breathe a sigh of relief, Amber's second punch was already ready to go.
-
"All cooperative projects are suspended?"

Franklin stared at the virtual screen in disbelief. It listed in detail all the projects that the Atlas Group had unilaterally terminated - the construction of an inter-galactic instant communication network, the testing of a naval fleet joint command platform, the reconstruction of infrastructure on 27 colonized planets, 32 ecosystem restoration projects, and more than 50 livelihood security projects.
“They have already paid the full amount of the penalty.”

The chief of internal affairs of the Renaissance Alliance, who was devoted to the internal construction of the alliance, had a rare tremor in his voice.

"According to the terms of the contract, they have the right to suspend cooperation due to 'force majeure'."

"Force majeure?" Hall, who always showed a strong attitude towards Atlas Group, sneered, "The kidnapping of a little girl constitutes force majeure?"

"According to them, it is the 'instability of the Renaissance Alliance's internal policies' that constitutes force majeure," the interior chief added cautiously.

Hall was silent, and Franklin's eyes fell on the last line of the data board - after all projects were suspended, the Renaissance Alliance was expected to lose an astronomical number of credit points every month, and more importantly, the construction of a large number of colonized planets would be stagnant, which would be absolutely fatal during the stage of rebuilding order.

"Have they had any impact on the public?" Franklin asked suddenly.

The head of the interior affairs department shook his head regretfully. "No, Atlas Group has made full preparations for those projects that affect people's livelihood. They have invested extra funds to ensure a smooth transition. They have even issued subsidies to residents in the affected areas. It's like... it's like they planned it all in advance."

Franklin covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath.

The Atlas Group's counterattack was precise and fierce, putting all its strength on the main body of the Renaissance Alliance, while cleverly avoiding harm to ordinary people. This was not just revenge, but also a carefully designed strategic strike.

At this moment, he finally understood another cruel fact - that is, their estimation that the Atlas Group would strangle them in the future was a little too optimistic.

In fact, the Atlas Group has already firmly grasped the throat of the Renaissance Alliance, and this time, just a slight squeeze was enough to make them unable to breathe.

"I will contact Mr. Amber and try to stabilize the situation." Franklin finally spoke, his voice dry.

"But haven't they repeatedly rejected our official communications?" Hall asked, frowning.

"Use my private channel. This is the contact information he personally gave me at the beginning of our cooperation."
-
Half an hour later, Franklin stood alone in his office, facing Amber's figure in the holographic projection.

This young man in a simple black suit, with a smile on his face and gentle eyes - or rather a bit of a playful smile - made Franklin feel an inexplicable sense of oppression.

"Ah, it's Mr. Franklin~" Amber spoke first, "It's been a long time. I didn't expect that a big shot like you would have the time to contact a small boss like me."

Franklin seemed to be choking, and it took him a long time to force himself to smile: "Mr. Amber, I think we need to talk."

"Of course, I'm all ears."

"Regarding the incident in the Vlagon Galaxy," Franklin said, choosing his words carefully, "On behalf of the Renaissance Alliance, I would like to express my sincere apologies to the Atlas Group. That was the unauthorized action of a small group of people within our organization, and it is definitely not the official position of the Renaissance Alliance."

Amber nodded slightly but said nothing.

"I hope this accident will not affect the long-standing friendly cooperation between us."

Franklin continued, trying to keep his tone steady while constantly monitoring Amber's expression.

"The Renaissance Alliance highly values ​​its strategic partnership with the Atlas Group. We are willing to provide more cooperation opportunities and preferential conditions. We only hope that you can be so kind as to restart those suspended projects."

Amber smiled slightly: "Mr. Franklin, you said it very well, but I'm afraid I'm a little confused."

"Confused?" "Yes."

Amber's eyes suddenly became sharp and her tone became colder and colder.

"Excuse me, what does 'I hope you will show some mercy' mean?"

"what?"

"Mr. Franklin, I don't know who put a gun to whose head first. Isn't the Renaissance Alliance's kidnapping of our employees' families an obvious hostile act? The Atlas Group is just conducting a self-defense counterattack within a reasonable range. I can't just stand there with a gun to my head and not react, right?"

Franklin was speechless for a moment. He felt a surge of anger rising in his chest, but he had to suppress it.

It is clear that the Renaissance Alliance is being suppressed in all aspects, but in Amber's narration, the Atlas Group has become the weakling huddled in the corner.

But it was this kind of rhetoric that made Franklin both annoyed and unable to refute.

Franklin took a deep breath, suppressed his dissatisfaction, and continued, "No matter what, I assure you that the Renaissance Alliance will thoroughly handle its internal problems! Our cooperation is of vital importance. It concerns the revival of hundreds of millions of citizens, and this point must not be shaken."

Amber was silent for a moment, then responded calmly, "Okay, I get it."

The communication was suddenly interrupted, leaving Franklin standing there alone, staring at the empty projection area in disbelief.

He was hung up!
Just like that, I was hung up!
No promise, no response, not even a basic polite goodbye!
An unprecedented anger erupted in Franklin's chest, like boiling magma hitting the defense line of reason.

He, the supreme leader of the Renaissance Alliance and the founder of the Federal Resistance Army, did not ask Mr. Amber to lower his attitude towards him, but he should still have the most basic courtesy. He was treated with such contempt!
At that moment, something broke in his heart, the voice of reason was drowned out by anger, and a dangerous idea took root in his mind.

"Emergency plenary meeting!"

He got through to Eleanor's communication and snapped, "All senior officials, one hour, top secret conference room."

An hour later, the core decision-makers of the Renaissance Alliance gathered in a conference room deep underground.

This room has no windows and its walls are made of special materials that can shield all electromagnetic signals and completely isolate it from the outside world, ensuring that no internal discussions here will be leaked.

"We must re-evaluate our relationship with the Atlas Group!"

Franklin spoke directly, his voice extremely cold and hard: "The current situation has exceeded our expectations."

Eleanor, who was standing by, had already guessed what he wanted to say from his tone. As a dove within the alliance, she immediately expressed her opinion: "Franklin, we must not act impulsively at this moment! The Atlas Group's counterattack has proven their strength and determination. We should continue to communicate and repair the relationship instead of further intensifying the conflict."

Hall sneered after hearing this: "Repair the relationship? Ms. Eleanor, don't you see clearly? The noose is already around our necks! Amber doesn't take us seriously at all. He doesn't even want to give us basic respect!"

He stood up excitedly and looked around: "Everyone, are we willing to be controlled by the Atlas Group forever?! Are we overthrowing the federal tyranny just to become a vassal of another empire?"

Hall's words triggered a murmur of discussion, with many people nodding in agreement.

"There is only one way ahead of us!"

Hall continued, his voice strong and powerful.

"That is to break with the Atlas Group and completely get rid of Amber's control! Otherwise, the Renaissance Alliance will never see the day of true revival!"

"Ridiculous!" Eleanor retorted harshly, "Do you want us to repeat the mistakes of the Federation? The Atlas Group possesses technology and military power that we cannot match. A head-on confrontation will only lead to our own destruction! We should seek other solutions!"

The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became tense, with the 'doves' who supported Eleanor and the 'hawks' who supported Hall confronting each other, and the debate became more and more intense.

Franklin sat in the chief seat, listening quietly to the argument between the two factions with a deep look in his eyes.

When the argument reached a fever pitch, he finally raised his hand for silence.

“I agree with Hall.”

He opened his mouth slowly, and at this moment, every word he said carried a thousand pounds of weight.

"The Atlas Group's control has become suffocating. We must break free from this control."

The faces of the doves turned pale in an instant, while the hawks smiled victoriously.

"But," Franklin changed the subject, "I also agree with Eleanor's concerns - we don't have the strength to confront the Atlas Group head-on."

He stood up and walked to the holographic projection table in the center of the conference room: "Just like when we dealt with the Federation, we need to take a more subtle approach."

Franklin turned on the holographic projection, and a complex battle plan that he had prepared long ago but had always kept in the bottom of the box and had not yet activated was presented to everyone.

As he explained in detail, the expressions of everyone present gradually became solemn and shocked.

"This is too risky." Someone whispered.

“But if it succeeds,” Hall said, with a fanatical gleam in his eyes, “the Renaissance Alliance will truly rise!”

Franklin looked around at everyone. "From now on, the existence of this plan is limited to those in this room! Any disclosure will be considered treason."

After the meeting, all those who knew about the situation were gathered in an area isolated from the outside world.

A series of seemingly contradictory actions quickly unfolded:

Externally, the Renaissance Alliance began to express its deepest apologies to the Atlas Group, admitted its mistakes in a very humble manner, and publicly expressed its hope to continue cooperation.

This attitude immediately caused an uproar. The people did not expect the Renaissance Alliance to lower its stance. They praised this move as "the prodigal son bowing his head" and began to look forward to a better life after the two sides continued to cooperate.

Many radical elements in the Renaissance Alliance were furious. They had never expected things to turn out like this. Why did Your Majesty surrender when we were about to fight to the death?

But these radical opponents were quickly and silently eliminated, and the entire Renaissance Alliance showed unprecedented unity.

A week later, when the situation seemed to be calming down, Franklin contacted Amber again through a private channel.

This time, his attitude was more humble, almost respectful.

"Mr. Amber, I'm very glad that you are willing to accept my communication again." Franklin bowed slightly with a sincere expression.

Amber nodded. "I heard that the Renaissance Alliance has made some positive changes recently."

"Yes, we have seriously reflected on our mistakes and arrogance."

Franklin spoke sincerely, and his expression was genuine: "We have taken concrete actions to prove our determination to change. Now, I would like to formally invite you and the top executives of the Atlas Group to go to the capital to attend the founding ceremony of the 'New Federation'. This will be a historic moment, marking the beginning of a new era, but without the participation of the Atlas Group, all this will not be complete."

Amber pondered for a moment, her eyes lingering on Franklin's face for a few seconds, as if looking for something.

Finally, he smiled and said, "This is a sincere invitation, Mr. Franklin, I will seriously consider it."

After the communication ended, Franklin's smile disappeared instantly, replaced by a cold determination.

He walked to the window, stared at the starry sky in the distance, and whispered to himself:

"Mr. Amber, you will soon find out that the Renaissance Alliance is no one's puppet."

(End of this chapter)