Rising Rays of the New Century: Tale of the Japanese Empire

Occupation of Mars

- If they establish a settlement in the solar system, they must join the IF as a nation.

"Needless to say, this Earth is our planet, and joint administration is out of the question. We have asserted our rightful rights and made the greatest concession."

The IF and the Space Drifters Union had been engaged in confidential negotiations for four years. However, negotiating with the Union, who seemed to understand yet not understand the current situation on Earth, proved to be extremely challenging.

"Based on the information we have gathered about the Space Drifters Union over these four years, although it is an estimate... First, they are composed of more than ten different alien species, among which a species called 'Kyrie' appears to hold a dominant position. Furthermore..."

The moderator continued the explanation. The Space Drifters Union refers to an interstellar alliance centered around the ancient planet Kyrie that perished long ago, as well as their mother ship. It encompasses several species that have similarly lost their planets, with a population of 13 billion residing on a massive spaceship. They have installed a mysterious entity known as the 'Queen' as their monarch, and they act according to her will.

"...That concludes all the information we have about the Space Drifters Union."

The moderator shifted the agenda to the next topic, and accompanying his narration, a slide summarizing the current situation was displayed.

"At 03:00 Washington D.C. time on March 18th, multiple unidentified flying objects attacked the capital city of Mars, Suiryu. The International Federation Space Force stationed on Mars was instantly annihilated, and the 1,4 billion humans residing on that planet are already under their control."

Mars has been occupied by this mysterious entity. The urgent news has already spread throughout the solar system, causing fear and chaos not only within the IF but among all of humanity.

"Both the International Federation Space Force and the Imperial Japanese Space Force... their primary missions were to maintain security in space cities, ensure the safety of space navigation by removing asteroids and space debris, and rescue space accident victims. The space forces were not organized with the intention of conducting space warfare."

The military branch known as the "Space Force" emerged in the early 21st century as early warning systems for ballistic missiles and satellite control. However, in the mid-21st century, when Japan returned from another world with a space battleship and space fighters, the nature of the Space Force began to change. Particularly after Japan announced the independent development of the world's first atmospheric-space dual-use fighter, the United States, the EU, Russia, and India followed suit by announcing plans to establish 'space combat units' in response. Currently, only Japan, the United States, and the EU possess weapons such as 'space combat ships' and 'space fighters' with genuine combat capabilities in outer space. However, the reason these forces are organized is primarily due to inter-state conflicts within the Earth's sphere.

Therefore, the main forces of Japan, the United States, and the EU's space forces are concentrated within the Earth's sphere. The activities of the scattered IF Space Force throughout the solar system are aimed at "security" and "maintaining public order," not assuming the conduct of space warfare.

"It is no longer possible to conceal the truth. As the International Federation, we have no choice but to disclose the facts and send an IF delegation to Mars...!"

The enemy possesses overwhelming technology that enables interstellar travel. The only remaining path for the IF was further negotiation.

"We managed to keep it hidden for these past four years, but..."