"Haaaa"
When they first received messages from space a few weeks ago, they thought it was some human force with a death wish.
The federation had already given a worldwide evacuation order.
Every major hub had received it. Every governing body had acknowledged it. The message was clear — Varo King World was being abandoned to its fate, and anyone still breathing on the surface needed to leave while they still could.
So when the comms lit up with an inbound signal, nobody in the dark castle had assumed anything good.
Cassius had listened to the initial reports with the expression of a man who had long since stopped being surprised by how little others valued their own lives. Human forces. Probably scattered remnants of some unit that missed the evac window. Probably coming to beg for shelter or resources that the castle couldn't spare.
That assumption lasted right up until they actually spoke with them.
