"That is indeed the case," the Red Empress agreed solemnly, acknowledging the grim reality before continuing. "The seven super-states have begun mobilizing around the Sol Region as well. Their presence has already been detected—and during the conquest of the Bright Moon Republic, our scouts confirmed they were lurking there too."
"Not only that," she added, "their pawns—those chambers of commerce and industrial titans—are making aggressive moves of their own. Somehow, word of our intent to establish a federation leaked out. Now, those factions are doing everything in their power to pitch deals at heavy discounts, trying desperately to lure the Tier 2 and roughly dozen Tier 3 states away from our orbit and into theirs."
