The Outer, Middle, and Inner Rings of the Akrina Galaxy. Some preferred calling them gates but in reality, they were rings due to the distinct shapes of the stars aligned perfectly to give it a ring-like shape. As stated earlier, the Inner Ring had the best planets for civilizations to thrive and prosper, making it the busiest of the three Rings. The Middle Ring had the better colonial planets best suited for mining and other activities. The Outer Ring had the best planets suited for defense and other miscellaneous activities. For the Granians and Ethisians, their home planets were in the Middle Ring, protecting them on both sides. This way, they would be alerted of any enemy forces coming in from their front or back which would later on allow them to prepare accordingly. With that structure in mind, this was the Granian’s strategy. Their large fleet, at first, was intended to quickly advance into the Ethisian Inner Ring planets of influence. Once inside, they were not only going to overthrow those planets but also attack the Ethisian allies. Once that was complete, those planets in the Inner Ring would turn into Granian stronghold planets as the rest of the Granian forces would advance throughout the Inner Ring in search of potential allies and enemies that would need to be eliminated immediately. As that would take place, another large fleet, hopefully consisting of Granian allies, would take a much longer route and sneak in from the back where they’d initiate attacks in the Outer Ring. The Granian forces would move in a straight line and slowly arch into a semi-circle that, if executed well, would completely surround the Ethisian home planet from the front, back, left, and right. Once that formation was set up, all that would be left would be the final battle between the Granians and Ethisians and the Granian Blood Mutants with the Ethisian Blood Mutants. The Granians didn’t know it yet but the Ethisians had already lost control of their Mutants. Still, they planned to add them to their elimination equation. Now that their battle tactic was shared only with the higher-ups, it was time to put it into action. The advancement of the Granian ships from the Planet Grania located in the Middle Ring to the Colonies in the Inner Ring began. About two million colonial ships, ships designed to carry large numbers of forces, supplies, weaponry, and equipment, were deployed to follow the squad ships to the Inner Ring. The cluster of ships was so great, causing many to spread the word. In a matter of days, word had gotten to almost every species in the galaxy, and with that came mixed feelings of fear, admiration, disgust, and terror. After the ships gathered some distance between them and the home Granian planet, their numbers were halved to one million ships, which were halved again and commanded to disperse into the Eastern and Western sectors of the Inner Ring. These ships, five hundred thousand each, carried units that were ordered to fortify said colonies while also putting the already conquered inhabitants to work to keep their already stocked supplies level. In such a crucial period , one could never underestimate the importance of having a great stockpile of weapons, minerals, resources, and soldiers. The equivalent to a week on Earth had passed and so had the other one million ships. Within arm’s reach of the Inner Ring’s outskirts, the Granians began separating again into fleets consisting of two hundred thousand, separating themselves into a total of five. Again, those two hundred thousand fleets separated into one hundred thousand fleets, making the numbers double from five to ten. As the ten fleets approached the Inner Ring, already colonized planets, the leading attack ships pushed their way into the middle section of the Inner Ring which had planets belonging to other species. "So many trading ships. Is this the Inner Ring you once told us about?" the four Humans, none wearing the armor that was made for them, observed the beautiful views of millions of smaller ships traveling in and out of other planets in a neat and organized manner, almost resembling a sort-of smooth flow of traffic. All around them were nothing but gigantic planets so grand that it would take Humans hundreds of years just for them to explore the top layers, let alone the seas and oceans. These planets were decorated with different types of gases which accented the planets beautifully. Outside, the Humans and Granians noticed an abundance of clusters of tiny lights spread across each planet, signaling the cities and kingdoms spread all over and it was those clusters from which the other trading ships came. "We are in the trading sector which is located in the middle section of the Inner Ring," Chris and Lily, the Granians tasked with watching over the Humans, tending to their needs, and educating them on whatever subjects they needed, stood next to the Humans. Only this time, neither were as afraid of them as they once were. "Most species travel all across from the Galaxy for a chance to trade goods, services..." "...AND other things that they want or need. Some of these planets are also excellent tourist sites with views far greater than what we have on our Planet. Some planets look and feel like Earth. Perhaps one day, we could take you there and..." "How long until we land?" Jim and Ace asked, both men bored beyond their minds. Spending so much time in the ship with nothing much to do felt like imprisonment and yet they had put so much effort into honing their skills. "We won’t land until another two weeks, according to the Human calendar," Lily answered while she sat opposite them. Jim noticed the Granian fumbling with its claws and tail, an act that signaled anxiety within a person. Thıs content belongs to 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱 "You’re fidgeting," he muttered and then questioned, "Is this your first War? A real War and not some simple Planetary Raid?" Chris faced Jim and replied with a gasp saying, "Most of the Granians onboard this ship have never engaged in serious combat with the Ethisians. The last real war against them was fought when most of them were children." "Most don’t even know how big, strong, and fast a real Ethisian is," Lily sighed with her head tucked in her arms. "But we have been taught through the simple ’Planetary Raids’ what to and what not to expect." ’Last fought when they were kids?’ the Humans all wondered, the concept of a generational war baffling to them. ’When exactly did this War start?’