"But… would the Mahasi Interstellar Empire really be so bold? And what would their motive be, and what could they gain by it? It doesn't make sense at all." The aide frowned; he really could not see what on earth the Mahasi Interstellar Empire would do so thankless a thing for.
Marietis, the Bluewater Elf Queen, shook her head and said, "That's the only part I can't work out either. We'll just have to see how things develop to answer that puzzle."
Next, the powers and organizations that had attended the conference and joined the universe trade alliance were in no hurry to leave Bailan City.
Perhaps waiting for what followed the attack in the Mahasi Interstellar Empire, they all chose to stay on here a few more days.
Meanwhile,
the Mahasi Interstellar Empire affair, whether or not someone was pushing it behind the scenes, kept growing, until it could be seen even on some popular universe news.
Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship · Bridge
Zhao Chen sat in the captain's chair.
An hour had passed since he learned of this.
"This is the intelligence our people have gathered so far." Guard Panther-Girl stood beside Zhao Chen, reporting the latest intelligence.
Most of it was what Huaya Nini had told Zhao Chen before.
But among it there was also some new intelligence,
such as who this band of interstellar pirates was.
"The Three-Headed Flood-Dragon Pirate Band. They're interstellar pirates operating on the edges of the Mahasi Interstellar Empire; not very active, but every job they do is a rather big one. Their last recorded operation was eighteen months ago. They attacked a fleet of interstellar transport ships carrying raw materials; all thirty interstellar transport ships in the fleet were robbed, and the three T3 interstellar escort ships guarding it were all destroyed. No one survived that attack. But nothing like this time… nothing laid out on purpose like that." When Panther-Girl thought of what was in that photograph, there was anger even in her pupils.
"This Three-Headed Flood-Dragon Pirate Band is said to be not large, with fewer than fifty interstellar warships. But the interstellar warships are uniformly T3-grade or above, with a few T4-grade interstellar warships, and their leader's flagship is said to be a T5-grade interstellar warship. And most of these interstellar warships are interstellar cruisers and interstellar battlecruisers, some of them modified besides, with some stealth functions added. So after each attack, it's very hard for the Mahasi Interstellar Empire to find them again. To this day no one knows where their lair is. They're in the top five of the Mahasi Interstellar Empire's highest bounty list."
When Guard Panther-Girl had finished,
Zhao Chen asked flatly, "Besides this, is there any other intelligence?"
"Because the Mahasi Interstellar Empire took control of the area around the incident after it happened, we've got very little useful intelligence. So… that's all," Guard Panther-Girl said.
Zhao Chen said in a deep voice, "Make arrangements: return to the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's Owl Dragon star system at once, right now. The moment we're back in the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire, I want to summon Secretary Lilith, Marshal Charlotte and Marshal Zhong Xiaoxia."
"Yes." The subordinate at once went to see to it.
Because of how important this was, the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship returned very fast; it did not even use the star gate, but used its cross-universe jump device,
returning straight to the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire.
The moment the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship was back in the Owl Dragon star system, Zhao Chen received a meeting invitation from Secretary Lilith and Marshal Charlotte.
Zhao Chen went into it.
He saw three people already waiting there:
Grand Marshal Charlotte, Secretary Lilith, and Marshal Zhong Xiaoxia, specially invited.
"Everyone's here, so I'll come straight to it. You should all know about the Mahasi Interstellar Empire affair. It happened just as we're setting up the universe trade alliance, and the ones attacked were none other than our Empire's Ministry of Commerce and members of the Bailan Interstellar Trade Group, our agent. And by such means, too. This is plainly aimed at us. So we must deal with this in the shortest time, and deal with it perfectly besides. It will bear directly on our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's prestige in the universe trade alliance."
Secretary Lilith nodded; as the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's "housekeeper," she knew this very well, naturally.
"Do we need to send legion fleets straight over to cut our way in, as before?" Grand Marshal Charlotte said bluntly.
Secretary Lilith shook her head outright: "No. I have some suspicion the Mahasi Interstellar Empire may be behind this, but we have no proof. We're not as we were before, when we could do as we pleased. Now we stand for the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's prestige, and just when we've set up the universe trade alliance, at that. If we used force on an interstellar civilization's universe for no reason, wouldn't the interstellar civilizations' powers watching us think we're unreasonable, that we settle things by force the moment anything at all happens? If they came to have such worries, it might make them timid in their cooperation with us in future, and even affect our cooperation. After all, who'd be willing to work with someone who uses force at the drop of a hat?"
Grand Marshal Charlotte said nothing; though this state of things annoyed her greatly, she knew what Lilith said was indeed the fact.
"Then what do we do now?" Charlotte asked.
Zhao Chen looked at Marshal Zhong Xiaoxia beside them, who had not said anything all along.
Zhong Xiaoxia was a marshal too, but her standing here was plainly not on the same level.
So she had not said a word all along.
"First we need evidence. And we need effective evidence in a short time, and without anyone else finding out. Zhong Xiaoxia, your Phantom Scouts ace legion fleet group can be used for just this. I need you to give me useful intelligence within three days, seventy-two hours, without stirring up any needless trouble. Can you do it?"
Zhong Xiaoxia at once stood up and promised solemnly, "Rest assured, Your Majesty; gathering intelligence is our job to begin with. I promise I'll get to the bottom of this for you within seventy-two hours!"
"How many interstellar warships do you need to move? Because this work is a secret investigation, the scale shouldn't be too large," Secretary Lilith asked beside them.
Marshal Zhong Xiaoxia thought for a moment and said, "Three thousand interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships will be enough."
"Very well; I'll provide the resources you need. You can get ready to set out now. Remember, the main lines of your investigation are where this Three-Headed Snake[1] Pirate Band has its base; the Mahasi Interstellar Empire leadership's attitude to this matter, and how things stand there; and whether the Mahasi Interstellar Empire has made any strange moves lately, or had any contact with the Three-Headed Snake Pirate Band." Secretary Lilith gave her suggestions just then.
Marshal Zhong Xiaoxia noted these down: "Understood; I'll focus my investigation on these lines."
"Then go and see to it."
"Yes."
Marshal Zhong Xiaoxia was the first to leave the meeting.
Now only Zhao Chen and the other two were left in the meeting.
Secretary Lilith went on, "As things look now, the result can only be one of two. One is that some other interstellar civilization's power wants to use this chance to make the Mahasi Interstellar Empire a target, to draw us into using force, damage our image, and so keep us from setting up the universe trade alliance system in a short time. The second is that the Mahasi Interstellar Empire did it itself; for some reason they don't want to join us, and naturally don't want to see us do well. So they used this means to make us lose face before all the interstellar civilizations' powers. But to tell the truth, my instinct tells me this certainly isn't so simple. If it weren't for the pledge of that oath-duel, I'd even suspect the Devourer Civilization of making mischief behind it."
Zhao Chen said in a deep voice, "Whatever the case, whoever did this must pay the price."
"This may be ill-timed to say. But even if there's to be military action, it shouldn't make too big a stir. After all, we have to prepare for the oath-duel to come. If large-scale fighting broke out in between, it would surely affect our development and our prewar preparations," Secretary Lilith reminded him gravely.
Charlotte said nothing beside them; she had always been warlike, inclined to settle everything by force.
But this matter now, and the oath-duel to come, were things they had to weigh.
Zhao Chen thought for a moment and said, "I've thought of that. So this matter mustn't drag on too long; it must be settled fast. Once the Phantom Scouts find the right leads, we move. In the course of it we'll certainly need to use legion fleets. But to limit the reach of it, while still having enough deterrent force, we'll need a legion fleet that isn't large, but has enough fighting power to cow people. Pass on my order. The Reverse Scale ace fleet group and the Blizzard ace fleet group are to make ready for battle. All present leave is canceled; everyone is on standby. The moment further orders come, they're to obey them at once."
"Yes," Charlotte answered.
"Then next, what we have to do is wait." Secretary Lilith sighed.
"Waiting with folded hands won't do. Don't forget there's a piece of evidence in plain sight before us to look into," Zhao Chen said.
Lilith caught on just then: "You mean the interstellar cruise liner that was attacked?"
"By the latest word, that interstellar cruise liner is now under the Mahasi Interstellar Empire's control, and no outsider is allowed near it. Even our people's request was refused," Lilith added.
"They won't let us look, so we just don't look?" Zhao Chen said coldly.
"Then what do you intend?" Lilith looked at Zhao Chen, asking his view and his thinking.
Zhao Chen said, "First: we should have people of ours in the Mahasi Interstellar Empire, shouldn't we?"
Secretary Lilith nodded and said, "Once we learned before of the existence of the various interstellar civilizations' universes, we placed people of ours in all these interstellar civilizations' universes, openly or in secret. With some that had dealings with us, we set up diplomatic missions outright. But as it happens, this Mahasi Interstellar Empire has never set up open diplomatic relations with us. But we do have commercial cooperation with the Mahasi Interstellar Empire: some interstellar traders with our capital behind them. Some of these interstellar traders, of course, are people who, after retiring from our Owl Dragon legion fleets, chose to join the Ministry of Commerce and were set up as interstellar trading teams, or founded interstellar enterprises of their own, which we fund. They've all signed the relevant compacts with us. When necessary, they can represent our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire. In a sense, they're Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire diplomatic staff with a double identity."
Zhao Chen had heard of these little plans, only they were each the responsibility of the various imperial departments, so he had never asked about them closely before.
"Good; have them step in. Whatever losses it causes them, our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire will pay. Until our own people really get there, they'll deal with the Mahasi Interstellar Empire. Chiefly in one matter: demanding that the interstellar cruise liner that was attacked be handed over to us. And at the same time every body aboard it must be returned to us. And the team we send after that will bring an interstellar transport ship especially to carry the victims' bodies. Whatever their standing, they were all working for our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire. In death, at least let them go back to their homeland."
"Yes." Lilith nodded and noted these things down.
"Next comes the part where we truly have to wait," Zhao Chen said, his gaze grave.
……
Mahasi Interstellar Empire · Third Star Region Starport
"How many times have we told you? This matter isn't ours to handle anymore. This case is the Imperial law-enforcement department's to investigate; we have no authority to hand this interstellar cruise liner and everything on it over to you." A Mahasi shrugged, with a look that said he really could do nothing.
And standing before the Mahasi was a middle-aged woman who looked near forty, on whose face a scar could be seen.
In this age and world, such a scar could have been healed.
But for some reason she had not had it treated, and seemed even to take pride in the scar.
If anyone asked, she would tell them it stood for her glorious past.