"How dare they!" Song Qingshan could not believe it.
To his mind the Alliance stood wholly under Song Chen's control.
Song Chen held, directly or by another hand, at least two-thirds of the military fleets within the Alliance; and of interstellar warships at T5 grade, near eight parts in ten were in Song Chen's hand besides.
While of the output of interstellar warships within the Alliance's borders, a full half was under Song Chen's control.
And in such a case, there were men within the Alliance who would be rid of Song Chen.
"Their thinking is the same as my own. If they come out and fight me openly, they can take no advantage whatever. But if I can be quickly done away with. And the Alliance taken in hand within a very short time, and those families that lean upon me with it. Then at the smallest cost they become the Alliance's next master!" Song Chen said, narrowing his eyes.
Song Qingshan shook his head and said heavily: "Impossible! Even had they the thought, they would never in the world dare do such a thing. By the forces in their own hands alone…"
And there Song Qingshan stopped.
He looked at Song Chen with some hesitation.
"The answer, you have guessed already."
Song Chen shrugged, then said, "Just so. They have found themselves a partner. Namely the interstellar power of the other side's universe."
Dealing with the enemy without?
Zhao Chen was somewhat startled; he had never supposed the melon he was eating would prove so large.
"How dare they!" Song Qingshan burst out in fury.
It could be seen that he was very angry just then.
Angrier than at hearing they meant to murder Song Chen.
To his mind, no doubt, those families plotting against Song Chen counted for no more than trouble within the house.
But to deal with the enemy without is another matter altogether.
There is no man living who likes a traitor.
At this the beautiful woman beside them spoke. "Our Shadow-Guard intelligence organization. Has had its eye on those families throughout. From the finding of the small world, and our Alliance's massing of troops upon the frontier. The powers of the other side's universe began to work their way into ours. They must have seen the Alliance's present state, and found the point to press upon. Namely the powers of the conservative faction. They quietly established a connection, and began to negotiate the terms of a partnership. At the outset the other side declared that they had no designs whatever upon the Alliance's universe; only that, the present Star Alliance Leader being a warlike element. They wished therefore to raise the conservatives up to be Leader, and as for the small universe's resources, they would divide it half and half. Only that at the outset, the terms of division the conservatives proposed the other side did not agree to."
As she spoke, the woman brought out a detailed file.
All of it matter upon those families' dealings with the enemy without,
including the number of their negotiations, the times of them, and so forth.
They had even recorded the terms the conservatives had proposed.
Zhao Chen glanced over those terms.
And saw at once why no partnership had been struck at the first.
The conservatives had truly opened a lion's mouth.
For besides asking a share of the small world's interests, they demanded the whole technology of that quasi-T6 interstellar warship of the other side's universe.
And demanded at the same time that the other side find means to send three thousand of their finest interstellar warships across, to take upon themselves the plan for striking off Song Chen's head.
Which is to say: let the other side go at the head of the charge.
And further, to make sure that the other universe truly bore no ill will toward the Alliance's universe.
The other universe was to send representatives of its upper powers into the Alliance's universe as hostages.
And at the junction of the two universes, the other universe was to build no military works whatever.
The few star gates there are must likewise be under the control of the Alliance's side, though the other side might use them.
……
Terms of this kind ran on too long.
In the ordinary way, it is likely no one would ever have agreed to them.
And Zhao Chen glanced at the point in time at which the other side agreed.
It fell exactly upon the day after they had carried out that secret operation.
Whereupon the other universe's representative agreed outright to every one of the conservatives' terms.
"In some sort, it was we ourselves who pushed this plan of the conservatives forward," Zhao Chen thought privately.
For the winning of the secret operation had given the Alliance's fleets the advantage upon the battlefield, and brought the other universe's fleets under very great pressure.
And next, as the Alliance's fleets pressed their great attack, the other universe's front-line fleets would find their fighting strength falling away hereafter, by reason of the destruction that operation had done.
A thing the other universe's high men would naturally not sit and watch happen with open eyes.
At which point, set against that, the conservatives' terms were no longer so excessive.
"In the end the two sides completed their secret discussion. And settled the final plan of their partnership. By what we know, an ace fleet of the other side, three thousand T5 interstellar warships, has already worked its way into our universe. But we are sorry to say, our people did not keep their eyes upon it. Those three thousand of the other side's ace fleet are of unknown whereabouts." As she came to this the beautiful woman looked at Song Chen in shame.
"All that has happened already. What we must do now is to settle how this business is to be dealt with." Song Chen did not reproach her, but turned his eyes upon Song Qingshan.
"What are you all looking at me for? Since you know their plan. Then go and stop it." Song Qingshan spread his hands and looked at Song Chen in surprise.
For to this moment he still did not understand why he should be here at all, nor why he should be hearing matters so secret.
"Because my plan has need of your help," said Song Chen.
Song Qingshan was puzzled.
Song Chen raised a hand and opened out a star chart.
And at the middle of that chart was the very interstellar city they stood in.
"By the intelligence our Shadow-Guard has come at. This conference has the look of the conservatives fearing that we hold the resources and shall deal with them hereafter, and wishing therefore to divide the small world's resources beforehand. But in fact they wish simply to gather the whole of our Alliance's high men together in this place. Myself among them!" Song Chen said, pointing at the interstellar city.
Song Qingshan frowned and looked at the city. "Attack this place? Though this is no interstellar fortress, this city has a garrison fleet, and defense guns and the like besides. Even had the other side three thousand interstellar warships of T5 grade to a ship, they could never take this place in any very short time. Not though the conservatives made trouble and worked from within to match them from without. And then you might perfectly well bring fleets up and destroy the enemy's infiltrated ace fleet here, to the last hull!"
Song Chen shook his head. "The enemy is very cautious. Which may be seen from the very fact that the enemy's ace fleet has never been found. And in the dealings and messages between the conservatives and the other side, all is most cautious throughout. To put it in their own words. If a plan have not nine parts in ten of success, they will not carry it out at all!"
Song Qingshan looked at him in surprise.
Song Chen said coldly: "Since it is so, then we shall act them a play, and let them think they have nine parts in ten of the victory! Lure the snake from its hole!"