Several interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships at once went into concealment and began sailing off in every direction,
to carry out the probing of this universe.
On the bridge of a T6-grade warship of this fleet
A commander sat in the captain's chair: a creature of a humanoid race, nearly two meters tall, dressed in light gauze.
Her skin was white as snow, and she had a pair of pointed ears.
There was an air of arrogance about her.
Had Zhao Chen seen her, he would likely have wondered whether this interstellar race had something to do with the Angel Race, for the air of the two was so alike.
"Atris, pass my order. The fleet is to go to battle stations at once, and the universe traverser is to stand ready to start at any moment. Since this universe can use an instrument that probes other universes, it can very likely detect spatial fluctuations in this universe. We can't rule out that they've already found our arrival. We must be ready for anything," this woman commander said coldly.
Secretary-Officer Atris nodded and said, "Yes."
The three hundred warships quickly formed battle formations, one after another.
Because these warships were so highly artistic in feel, in the shine of their star-shields the sight of these three hundred warships gathered together did not look like a battle formation at all,
but like a brilliant gem in the cosmos.
Very soon the interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships sent out to scout sent back news.
"This is Ship No. 3; we've reached the edge of an inhabited star system, and we're breaking into their communication network. Flagship, please receive the information."
"Good."
Very soon a whole string of information had been gathered and sent back to the bridge of this T6 flagship.
Then the T6 flagship's system sorted it and presented it before this woman commander.
Every kind of important intelligence appeared:
Owl Dragon Empire… Zhao Chen… Emperor… Pitch-Black Legion… universe war… Demon Race… Angel Race……
A whole string of information appeared one after another.
But the woman commander's face did not change in the least; she still swept her eyes over this information coolly.
To see it, one would truly wonder whether she had in fact taken all this information in.
"Report! We've been found by the enemy's interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships. Who knows when they came close to us; they've fired a gravity beam at us, and we can't get away at all. The other side has issued a statement too, telling us to shut down our starship engines at once and submit to their inspection."
At this point that interstellar stealth reconnaissance ship sent back bad news.
The information being sent broke off there too.
"You can't get away?" The woman commander was somewhat surprised; for mind, these interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships of theirs were all of T6 grade.
Not only found by the enemy, but unable even to get away.
"Yes; the enemy has T6-grade interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships too. And… their concealment performance is stronger than ours; we never found them at all before they'd caught us. Under their gravity beam we can't move at all. They've now given us a last warning: if we don't shut down our starship engines within five minutes and submit to a boarding inspection, they'll destroy us. Damn, the other side's warships have appeared on the outer edge. All T5-grade warships, and their guns are already aimed at us!"
In the voice one could hear that the captain on the other end was very tense.
At the same time a message was relayed to this woman commander's ear.
"This is the Owl Dragon Empire's Third Legion Fleet Group, Fifth Legion, Third Reconnaissance Fleet. You are unidentified starships; shut down your starship engines at once and submit to inspection. Five minutes, last warning. If you do not shut down your starship engines, we will treat you as a threat and use every means to clear you."
The other voice rang out forcefully, leaving no doubt at all about their last sentence.
And through the automatic translation of the translator, the other side's language posed them no barrier at all.
"My lady, it's bad; every interstellar stealth reconnaissance ship we sent out has been intercepted and caught by this universe's interstellar fleets," Secretary-Officer Atris reported tensely.
The woman commander's face was stern; she had not thought the other universe's power of interstellar counter-stealth reconnaissance would be so strong.
"Report: an interstellar legion fleet some 30,000 ships strong has been detected closing fast. The strength of this fleet's starships is extremely high! Once the enemy surrounds and entangles us, we'll certainly be wiped out," a staff officer reported urgently.
The woman commander frowned.
The other side's efficiency on every front far outstripped what she had imagined.
From her interstellar fleet's arrival in this universe till now, not even fifteen minutes had passed.
And the other side's interstellar fleets had reacted so quickly, and taken the matching measures.
"My lady, we must withdraw!" Secretary-Officer Atris said tensely. "The enemy's military grade seems to be about a match for ours. Staying here only adds to the risk. Better that we go back first, and learn about this universe through other channels."
The woman commander thought a moment, shook her head, and said in a deep voice, "We didn't come here only to learn intelligence about this universe. Still more, to see what kind of existence this universe's ruling power is, and whether it can help us. At least it's proved now that this universe's military strength is on an equal footing with ours at the least. Then to some degree it can be of help to us, in this dark cosmos. Since both sides have now found each other's existence, it's either friend or enemy. This is our first contact; it's vital. Pass my order: without my leave, no warship is to fire. And notify the interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships out there under the other side's control to tell the other side's starships: they may shut down their starship engines, but until we've talked this through to a result on our side, they will not submit to boarding inspection!"
The last sentence was what this woman commander counted her own dignity.
She would not allow her own starships, even if only an interstellar stealth reconnaissance ship, to be boarded and inspected at the other side's pleasure.
That would be trampling on their pride.
"Understood."
"And besides, try to contact the other fleet's commander. Express our goodwill, and our wish to talk and exchange views." When she had said this, the woman commander paused, and added, "Mark out a yellow alert zone. If the other side's warships enter this yellow alert zone, we leave this universe[1] at once. And send this demand of ours to the other side, together with the request to talk."
"Yes." The secretary-officer went at once to see to it!
Very soon, on the star chart, the 30,000 warships opposite did indeed stop before the yellow line put forward earlier,
but in a half-moon formation, in a posture of being ready to attack at any moment.
"My lady, the other side has agreed to talks," the secretary-officer reported.
"Mm." The woman commander nodded.
Very soon, after half a minute's wait,
a video window appeared before her eyes.
The woman commander looked over the person opposite: a humanoid creature; in the records of the world in her universe, a race of this kind seemed to have appeared once, but had vanished long since.
"Outsiders: who are you, where do you come from, and what have you come to our universe for?" the woman officer opposite said.
"My name is Gladys, of the Sacred Elf Empire. I am a high elf, the commander of this fleet." In saying that she was a high elf, this woman commander plainly spoke with a note of pride.
"We have come here with no ill intent. Only, your universe used some kind of scanning device, and scanned the coordinates of our universe; we caught the signal, and by working back from it we also got the coordinates of your universe. I am carrying out my mission in coming to your universe: to look into how things stand in your universe, and learn whether your universe poses a threat to ours," Gladys, the elf woman commander, said frankly.
She knew very well how important a first meeting was, so some intelligence was to be said straight out.
The woman officer opposite, hearing this information, did not answer at once.
Gladys, the elf woman commander, asked directly, "In our universe, both sides are to state who they are to each other. Otherwise it is extremely discourteous."
The meaning of the words was plain enough already.
The woman officer opposite had no scruple about it either, and said straight out, "I am Charlotte, supreme commander of the Owl Dragon Empire's Reverse Scale ace fleet group."
Charlotte… ace fleet group…
The Emperor's wife.
Gladys, the elf woman commander, ran these pieces of intelligence, learned just now, through her mind.
"I request to see your Emperor," Gladys, the elf woman commander, said directly.
Charlotte frowned slightly. "You know of our Emperor?"
"Just now, after we came to this universe, we sent out some interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships, meaning first to search out some intelligence on your universe. We slipped into your universe's network and searched out some intelligence." Gladys, the elf woman commander, stated outright the things she had arranged.
Charlotte, for her part, did not call the other side to account over this.
"Our Majesty the Emperor is not someone you can see just because you want to. For your standing, in your universe, can't be counted very high, I should think. My appearing here to see you is already giving you a great deal of face. In your words just now, it's treating you with very great courtesy," Charlotte said without ceremony.
Gladys, the elf woman commander, frowned slightly; in their universe, a non-elf race that dared speak to a high elf like that would be exiled.
But this was someone else's universe, after all, and the other side was an interstellar civilization in no way inferior to theirs.
"I know that in standing this isn't equal. But our side can't send anyone of equal rank to talk with your Emperor in a short time," Gladys, the elf woman commander, finished.
She paused, and looked straight at Charlotte opposite. "And what I have to say is very important to your Owl Dragon Empire, and to this universe. You may pass my words on to your Emperor now. …… Do you know that the device you've been using, the one that can probe other universes, has already brought disaster on you? Very soon an interstellar civilization will launch an invasion against you. Your universe, your homes, will all be plunged into the fires of war!"
Hearing the other's last words, Charlotte frowned slightly.
Then Charlotte asked in a deep voice, "What interstellar civilization? And how do you know?"
Gladys, the elf woman commander, laughed lightly and said, "Surely you don't think you're the only ones with this kind of technological device? T6-grade interstellar civilizations in general have technological ability of this kind. But it's a double-edged sword. Used wrongly, it can hurt its user. And since you've been able to scan our universe, you must surely have scanned that universe too. That pack of fellows will never let go of a toy they've found with so much trouble. As for what kind of existence the interstellar civilization threatening your universe really is, if you want to know: have your Emperor come and see me!"
With that, Gladys, the elf woman commander, cut the communication outright.
She sat in the captain's chair, and the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
This was the first contact with the other interstellar civilization, so she must seize the initiative.
And this show of strength from the very start was to let her grasp that initiative.
About an unknown threat that would menace one's own interstellar civilization, the great majority would surely be very curious.
How could they not ask about it to the bottom?
Then she would be able to meet the other side's Emperor, and learn more,
and might even hope to accomplish the other purpose of her journey.
But she never expected
that the other side would very soon send back an answer.
'Since your fleet bears no ill intent, then please leave our universe within twenty minutes. If you wish to stay, then please shut down your starship engines and submit to our inspection. Otherwise, if within ten minutes[2] you have neither left nor shut down your starship engines, we will regard you as an armed force threatening us, and use every means to clear you. Your detained interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships have now been released as well. Please leave our universe within twenty minutes. —————— Charlotte, Marshal of the Owl Dragon Empire'
On reading this, Gladys, the elf woman commander, sat blank-faced; she had never thought the other side would refuse to play by the usual rules.
Were they not in the least worried about this latent threat?
How could that be!
……
On the other side,
Charlotte was looking at Zhao Chen on the other side of the video window.
"Are we just going to let them go like this?" Charlotte asked, puzzled, above all having learned there was a latent threat.
"Rest easy; they won't go," Zhao Chen said with a smile.
Lilith, beside Zhao Chen, said as well, "In this first contact the other side only wants to seize the initiative in talking with us. Since they've come from afar, and didn't leave at once after finding us, it means they have some other purpose besides learning how things stand in our universe. Coming to someone else's home as a guest and putting on airs: doesn't she have to be shown a thing or two?"
The corner of Lilith's mouth lifted in spite of herself.