Surrender?
The deputy captain was dumbfounded.
And those soldiers, who had every one been ready to fire, were checked where they stood.
For they had not heard their own officer's voice give the order to open fire.
"I surrender." Song Chen held both hands high.
"Throw down your weapons!" The deputy captain hesitated a moment, but cried it out all the same.
For he knew this man might be very dangerous.
But to take alive the highest Leader of an enemy universe was a merit enough to win him a terrifying reward in his own kingdom.
Song Chen very obediently threw down the weapons in his hands.
"And your companion?" The deputy captain looked at the door behind Song Chen, and did not see the other intruder the intelligence had spoken of.
Song Chen let out a sigh and pointed back at the compartment. "That subordinate of mine was killed in the fighting in the compartment behind me just now. Which is why I gave over resisting and chose to surrender. And if you do not believe me, you may send men in to look."
The deputy captain looked at Song Chen doubtfully, plainly not much believing what he said.
But thinking it over, there seemed reason in it too.
These two might be very strong, but they could hardly have killed a hundred of their fighting men and come this far without a scratch upon them.
And that this enemy leader, knowing resistance would come to nothing, should choose to surrender and seek a thread of life, was reasonable enough besides.
And then, to think of that merit beyond the age lying there before him!
The deputy captain swallowed.
And after hesitating a while, he cried aloud: "Throw down every weapon and every piece of gear upon you, and your clothes besides. And then kneel upon the ground."
Song Chen knit his brows slightly.
But he lowered his hands slowly all the same, and first unfastened his combat coat and threw it upon the ground.
And several grenades rolled out of that combat coat.
But did not go off.
And there was left upon Song Chen only a black close-fitting combat suit.
And thereupon he slowly took off his combat trousers as well, and there was left a pair of close-fitting black shorts.
And though these were simple movements merely.
The hundred and more men opposite dared take nothing lightly.
"The thing on your wrist, throw that down first!" the deputy captain cried out with some urgency.
Song Chen looked at the bracelet upon his wrist, and seemed to hesitate a moment; then slowly undid the bracelet too and threw it upon the ground.
And thereupon Song Chen set his hand at the collar of that black close-fitting combat suit, where a fastening lay hidden.
And drew it slowly open a little way, laying bare the skin of the neck within.
But the next instant, he stopped.
And having stopped some seconds.
The deputy captain's forehead was covered in sweat again, and he shouted: "What are you doing! Take every thing off you, and quickly!"
Song Chen's face went cold, and he let both hands fall.
"I am the Star Alliance's Leader, and I require the treatment that is my due. And not humiliation of this kind! Let your captain come and see me!"
It may be that this answer was so entirely natural that the deputy captain rather breathed easier for it; and then he barked: "You have no right of choosing. Now, at once, this instant! Do as I have told you!"
"And if I say no!" Song Chen looked at the deputy captain in challenge.
And the next instant the deputy captain, past all bearing it, leveled his laser pistol at Song Chen outright and fired.
Crack.
A mark of the round appeared upon the ground before Song Chen.
"Now do as I have said, and at once! Or the next shot will not be so simple a matter!" A trace of mockery showed in the deputy captain's eyes.
That was more like it.
That was how matters ought to stand.
"Be a little more respectful to that Leader of mine."
All of a sudden, a cold voice sounded at the deputy captain's ear.
A chill went up the deputy captain's back, and he turned his head slowly, and saw only a face past all measure ugly, watching him with a devil's smile.
And in that one's hand was a close-quarters weapon of the other universe's.
A light-blade hilt.
And before he could get a word out, the light-blade's white light broke forth, and the edge of it pierced this deputy captain's neck clean through.
Drip.
Drip.
The soldiers in the last rank heard the sound behind them, and one turned his head in puzzlement.
And saw only their deputy captain with no head upon him.
And a man with a light-blade in each hand, one white and one red.
And a savage smile upon his face.
For all the world like a devil crawled up out of hell.
"Babies, the game begins."
And the next instant this devil charged straight in upon them.
And the two light-blades, the one red and the one white, danced out a dance alone upon that gallery.
And at the other end, Song Chen had with a speed past covering the ear caught up his own two laser pistols, and laid them on that quarter and fired.
And the overture of slaughter was struck up again.
One minute later.
The gallery was spread over with a hundred corpses and more, and with dark red blood.
And the smell of blood filled that space.
"Three minutes. I did not go over it, did I?" Zhao Chen put up his two light-blades and looked calmly at Song Chen.
And Zhao Chen at this moment, from the close butchery just now, was long since smeared with blood from head to foot.
"Then you have missed out on wealth and honor. There is no knowing how many men within the Alliance would like to own me as a godfather," Song Chen said with a light laugh.
"If you were a girl, I should be willing enough to own you as a goddaughter." Zhao Chen stretched himself, and looked toward the bridge end of the gallery.
The two of them walked the gallery at their leisure, as through a garden, and made for the bridge's great door.
"I ask you, how many star-shield devices do you carry upon you?"
"Besides that bracelet whose energy is spent, I have at least three more of the same upon me."
"…Are you so afraid of dying as that?"
"Don't you know that to be alive is the only thing that matters?"
And just as Zhao Chen and Song Chen had near enough walked the gallery out.
The pursuers behind them had come as far as the compartment in the rear.
But very soon, with one great roar,
that compartment was blown up, and there was left only a vast light of fire, and screams faintly heard.
Zhao Chen and Song Chen came before the bridge's great door.
Song Chen looked at the door of light before him and knit his brows slightly. "This has a defensive field in it. It will be hard to break through."
Boom.
Suddenly a great roar came at his side.
And in the wall beside the bridge's great door, a vast hole had appeared outright.
Zhao Chen clapped the dust from his hands.
And pointed at the road he had opened before them.
Song Chen smiled slightly.
Just so.
This fellow could tear even a starship's armor open; a wall within the ship was likely nothing he could not break.
Zhao Chen and Song Chen walked into the bridge.
Under the terrified eyes of the crowd there, who looked at them as men look at devils.
"Hello. We have come to pay a call. We have brought no gift with us. How would a sword dance do for you?" Zhao Chen let a smile show on his face that he took to be harmless enough to man and beast.
But in the eyes of those bridge crew opposite.
It was a devil covered head to foot in the blood of their own people, smiling at them.
A monster!
This fellow was simply a monster.
A few minutes later.
Zhao Chen sat in the captain's chair with his foot upon the captain's head.
"I declare that this starship. Is taken over by me."
Song Chen, at one side, rolled his eyes.
This boy was truly growing less and less clear on which of them was the senior.