Owl Dragon Supreme Headquarters
"The latest word. Above eighty percent of the armed forces within Angel Race territory have now been taken under the War Angel King's control. Even the Holy Dragon Angel Legion, the closest of all to us, has fallen into the enemy's hands. Not by betrayal, though. It was while the legion was in port to rest and refit that the War Angel King's people slipped aboard and seized the ships, and so the whole of the Holy Dragon Angel Legion passed into enemy hands. The Holy Dragon Angel Legion's commander, Tilia, is being held by the enemy under house arrest. In the course of it, the officers and men of the Holy Dragon Angel Legion's fleet fought the War Angel King's rebels as well. It is reported that close to thirty-seven interstellar warships fell in the struggle, and above a hundred thousand died. The Angel Race's War Angel King has declared publicly that he takes responsibility for this act of independence, and has issued…" The staff officer looked with some hesitation at the supreme secretary officer, Lilith.
"Said what?" Lilith said coldly.
"The War Angel King says that the Emperor of the Owl Dragon Empire is dead. That this empire no longer has any reason to exist. That the universe is to return to its former order of territories, and every race ought to stand independent and on its own. And that he, Wells the War Angel King, is willing to work with any interstellar race or power in the universe that wishes for independence, to overthrow the Owl Dragon Empire's rule together," the staff officer said in a low voice.
The corners of Lilith's mouth rose slightly in a smile, a very cold smile.
"And the Holy Angel Queen, Angelia?" Lilith asked another question.
"By what the Royal Embroidered-Uniform Guard has found, the Holy Angel Queen Angelia is being held under house arrest by the War Angel King Wells, in the palace on the Holy Temple Mount in the War Angel Star Region," said the staff officer.
Lilith said nothing more.
Instead she looked at the map before her, which took in the whole of the Owl Dragon Empire's borders.
On it, the red regions and the yellow regions could be seen to have grown to several times what they had been.
Just then a holographic projection appeared beside Lilith.
It was Grand Marshal Charlotte.
"Is it very bad?" Charlotte asked, coming straight to the point.
"Worse than we imagined. Or rather… the Emperor matters to the Owl Dragon Empire more than we ever imagined. Once word got out that the Emperor had vanished, every small ambition the naive had been nursing came bubbling up to the surface. As of now, the armed forces held by the regions already in revolt run to nearly a million interstellar warships. Most of them, true, are T3 or even T2 grade, far below our imperial armies, and as things stand we still hold the absolute advantage. But… if we wipe them all out by force of war, the harm it will do…" Lilith's face was somewhat clouded.
If slaughter could settle everything, Lilith would have given the order without a second thought.
But to kill one man and to kill a hundred bring wholly different consequences.
"Our empire was founded too recently; those fellows have not yet submitted to it from the heart. What they feel is mostly fear of our Emperor. Now the blade that hung over their heads is gone, which is as good as the collar coming off their necks. Killing will not necessarily settle everything. But for now it is the only means we have," Charlotte said coldly.
Lilith sighed and rubbed at her temples. "Then kill. If they are afraid, at least they won't make too much trouble for us. As for those regions, for some while to come we will govern them with a hard hand."
"Mm." Charlotte nodded.
"Ah, if only he were here. None of this would have happened." Lilith let out a long sigh.
Charlotte said nothing.
She looked now at Lilith's belly. "You were meant to be resting through this time. Can your body stand it?"
Lilith touched her belly and smiled. "It's nothing; there is still some time yet. And though my constitution can't compare with yours, you being one of the beast-folk, I am a succubus after all. Having a child is no great matter. It's you I worry about. Since you had your children, how much time have you spent at their side? And I hear you keep them aboard your starship. A starship can give them a decent place to live, true, but it is still a long way from a proper place to raise children. Think over what I suggested before." Lilith looked at Charlotte with concern.
Both women knew that in this half year the other had borne a great deal.
And each hoped the other might be a little better.
For each was now one of the few supports the other's spirit had left.
After that they talked a while longer, and then ended the conversation.
And the Owl Dragon Empire's campaign to clean house got under way on a grand scale.
It went most smoothly within the Starlight Kingdom.
This, after all, was where the Owl Dragon Empire had first risen.
So the unrest here was the slightest, and the quickest dealt with.
And the Starlight Kingdom's queen had taken the field in person besides.
"Is it all cleared away?" Qin Xiaolei sat in the captain's chair, gazing coldly at a planet before her that was all flame.
"Reporting: the rebels' bases on the planet have been hit by orbital bombardment. We kept clear of the civilian districts as far as we could," the subordinate answered, standing respectfully before Qin Xiaolei.
"And the rebels' leaders? Have they been caught?" Qin Xiaolei asked.
"We are still waiting on word from the Royal Embroidered-Uniform Guard," the subordinate answered.
"Pass on my order. Within the Starlight Kingdom, any person or family power that dares betray the Owl Dragon Empire is to be treated as a rebel, one and all. The Starlight Kingdom will clear them all away, whatever it costs!" Qin Xiaolei said icily.
"Yes!"
"And issue a public declaration to the powers elsewhere in the Empire where the rebels are. If they cannot handle the affairs of their own territory, the Starlight Kingdom will send legion fleets to clean house for them, no conditions asked," Qin Xiaolei said coldly.
"Yes!"
Qin Xiaolei was furious.
In truth, from the rumors that had been going about this while, those high in the kingdom like her had long since guessed at something.
But still she had said nothing, for she had gone privately to Charlotte and Lilith.
The answer she received was this.
The Emperor was only resting, and a day would come when he returned.
Until then, they must guard the empire he had built.
They need only wait for the Emperor to return.
Qin Xiaolei accepted it.
To wait.
That was the one thing they had to do.
But she had never thought that some clowns would try, at a time like this, to lay hands on this empire.
That was something Qin Xiaolei could not permit.
"Reporting: the Royal Embroidered-Uniform Guard has taken several of the leading figures of the rebel families."
Qin Xiaolei said at once: "Ask them to hand these people over to us!"