The Machine Race's royal court
"What is it?" The mechanical beauty Ah-Jin looked at Ah-Yin as she came back.
"The Owl Dragon's lord reached me, saying the Demon Race would attack us.
"I guess he would take that for a ground to draw us into their war with the Demon Race — killing with a borrowed blade." Ah-Yin said it with a cold snort.
The mechanical beauty Ah-Jin turned her head and looked at a vast spherical mist before her, within which something seemed to flicker.
"What matters most at present is here.
"For the business outside, let them stir it up themselves.
"These carbon-based lives have a warlike nature graved into their very genes.
"To speak truth, were it not for the mistress's principle, I should rather agree with the Mechanical Divine Church's notion of destroying and rooting out those carbon-based lives outright," Ah-Jin said levelly.
Ah-Yin shrugged and said, "But the existence of carbon-based life is a thing that must be; and you have seen it yourself.
"Our Machine Race has all these years been carrying on research in technology besides, and yet, saving the bringing of some existing technology to its highest within its own grade, we have no research that leaps across at all.
"Perhaps… it is as the mistress said, that we mechanical lives have no creativity."
Upon this subject Ah-Jin did not press further.
Ah-Yin looked at this black spherical mist before her. "Has the mistress not come back yet?"
"Not yet. The mistress said before.
"That the case over there is lately rather grave, and that going this time may want three to five months at the least," Ah-Jin said, her voice low.
"That crew are ghosts that will not be laid; so many years, and they hanker after this universe of ours still.
"I would I could destroy them root and branch!" Ah-Yin said savagely.
Ah-Jin let out a long sigh. "Were they but destroyable, it would be well; nor would it have gone on so many years… and still be thus."
Thereafter the two of them stood there without moving.
Time works no effect upon them, and so they mind time not at all.
And little knowing that within the dark a pair of demon's talons they had never thought upon had already fixed upon them.
In a Beta star system neighboring the Machine Race's royal court, there stands a great star gate.
The interstellar warships coming and going through the Beta star gate are without number, and most of them transports.
And though there be starships coming and going, the feeling this place gives one is another thing altogether from the star gates of the Angel Race or the Owl Dragon.
As though… these were but puppets moved by another hand, without any life in them.
And outside the Beta star gate there are Machine Race fleets patrolling by their set order, a task that these tens of years and hundreds of years has been the very same and never altered.
But today a stone was thrown into this dead water.
A Machine Race warship was of a sudden struck by ship-fire from none knew where, and the light of flame broke out upon her hull.
The other Machine Race warships came to themselves besides; but before ever they could seek out the enemy, more attacks fell upon their hulls.
This patrol fleet of three hundred warships lost its capacity to fight utterly in the turn of an instant.
And at the same time such a scene fell out upon several Machine Race patrol fleets about the Beta star gate.
The war alarm was raised within the compass of the Beta star gate.
And at this time the true face of the assailants appeared at last within the sight of the Machine Race garrison fleets at the Beta star gate.
Demon Race warship after warship appeared as out of the empty air, in sheet upon sheet about the Beta star gate; and at the first moment of appearing they opened the fiercest of assaults upon the Beta star gate.
And upon the hulls of these Demon Race warships there was a blazon.
The Black Angel Legion, one of the Demon Race's three original picked legion fleets!
Before the Beta star gate, several T5 Imperial-Steel-Fist-class Heavy Interstellar Battleships spread out a formation of battle; and though they had taken a sudden assault, yet for the cool bearing of mechanical life they could restore the order of the field within the shortest time.
But the next second a terrible beam came striking from far off, and struck first upon the star-shield of a T5 Imperial Steel Fist, and the star-shield broke in the turn of an eye.
And this T5 Imperial Steel Fist was blasted apart from the middle of her hull.
One shot only!
And it had killed outright a Machine Race T5 Imperial-Steel-Fist-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship, and that with her star-shield at full energy.
Very nearly every Machine Race fleet commander and ship captain searched out this assailant.
It was, within the Black Angel Legion, a black interstellar warship of strange fashion, and at the place of her bow cannon there were points of glowing particles not yet dispersed.
That attack just now was her fine work.
A class of Demon Race warship never seen before.
And judging by the data, this is a warship that appears to be of quasi-T6 grade.
The highest officer of the Beta star gate, a mechanical life, stood within his own command room and watched the fighting outside.
He said, "Get word to the royal court; tell them what has happened here, and of the existence of this Demon Race quasi-T6 warship.
"And then… make ready to destroy the Beta star gate."
Seeing this assault of the Demon Race's, he knew there was no hope of holding the Beta star gate; and that it might not fall into the enemy's hands, he ordered its self-destruction without hesitating.
But the next second.
There came of a sudden the sound of an explosion from the wall of the command room, and thereafter a vast hole was blown in it.
And before ever the smoke and dust dispersed came a burst of gunfire and explosions.
Some minutes later the smoke and dust dispersed slowly.
A file of soldiers came in, and one of them squatted down and looked at the star gate's highest officer upon the floor, of whom but half a body was left, and the circuits laid bare in him still giving off the light of fire.
"It is you… you are… the traitor." The star gate's highest officer looked at this mechanical sergeant who had held an important post at the Beta star gate.
"I have been loyal to the Mechanical Divine Church from the first." The man took out a device and drove it straight into this highest officer's head.
At the same time he raised a hand and opened the Beta star gate's operating system once more; and having joined that device to it.
"Star gate privileges have been altered." The system's prompt-voice came.
The man spread both arms with a smile. "Tell our great Prophet that we have succeeded!"
That the Beta star gate must fall was now a matter of time only.
Happily, that message had already been sent out.
The Machine Race's royal court
The two mechanical beauties, who had stood unmoving, gave a start, and looked at each other.
They had but now received an urgent communication.
The two of them turned at once and walked toward the door.
Outside the door was another great hall, and here were many mechanical-life sergeants, who seemed at present very busy.
"My two ladies, the latest word.
"The Beta star gate has fallen; a high sergeant of the Beta star gate was a man of the Mechanical Divine Church, who assaulted the star gate's command room, broke the star gate's secret key, and has taken governance of the Beta star gate.
"The assailants' identity: the Demon Race's Black Angel Legion!" their subordinate reported.
The Demon Race… the Black Angel Legion?
Ah-Yin's heart gave a shock; she thought upon the Owl Dragon's lord's warning to her before.
"Reporting — another piece of the latest word.
"A great star gate upon our border with Demon Race territory was of a sudden assaulted by Demon Race fleets, and has fallen!
"And great quantities of Demon Race fleets are pouring toward that star gate." This new word their subordinate reported.
Was like five thunderbolts upon the crown of the head.
And only at this moment did these two mechanical beauties come to themselves.
The two of them looked at the star chart.
"Their object is… the royal court!"