FY System, First Planet
This was the hottest planet in the FY System; being nearer its star, it still had ample sunlight to this day, and was, comparatively, the "richest" world in the FY System. Interstellar races of every kind lived here — up to 100 and more of them. And on the planet, two kingdom powers held chief sway. In times past these two kingdoms had been mutual enemies, each wishing to destroy the other and become the sole master of this first planet.
But today, both kingdoms' kings had fallen into a kind of terror. For the artificial satellites in their respective low orbits had both observed a starship battle far off in the region of the third planet. Though they couldn't know just what had happened there, they could tell from the energy signatures they detected: it was a fleet of a full 1,500 warships, in battle against another fleet of a mere dozen-odd warships. That 1,500-ship fleet, they knew well. It was the Fire Salamander clan — their own higher "controllers," to whom both kingdoms paid a protection fee every year in exchange for the Fire Salamander clan's patronage.
And in that battle, the Fire Salamander fleet had, in the space of a single hour, seen close to half its ships' energy signatures wink out! What that meant, they understood all too well. And afterward, those dozen-odd warships of unknown origin had actually chased the Fire Salamander fleet, driving them at last all the way to the FY System's star gate and hounding the whole Fire Salamander fleet out of the system.
After that, before they'd even finished digesting the matter, that mysterious and powerful fleet had turned and come sailing toward their planet.
In every quarter of the planet, a T2 warship hung above the major cities; the local inhabitants had only to lift their heads to see it — a T2 frigate, its hull marked, more or less, with the scars of recent battle. Those in power saw these battle-scars and had not the least thought of making light of these warships. For they understood well enough what such scars meant!
"Any warship on this planet — do not leave your current position, or it will be taken as a declaration of war, and you will bear the consequences." A cold woman's voice sounded again and again on the open channel.
The instant that voice sounded, the leaders of the two planetary kingdoms at once ordered that not one of their warships was to make any dangerous move. In truth there weren't many warships on this planet — just a few T2 ships and 60-odd T1s. And though the T2 ships weren't very large, the T1s, before them, were like children.
Most important of all, at this moment, above the largest trade city at the boundary of the two kingdoms, a T3 warship was slowly entering the atmosphere. To this planet's powers, T2 warships were already the peak of fighting strength; a T3 warship was, quite simply, a thing like a god. And more chilling still, this T3 warship had every one of its main and secondary guns trained on the city below, and had deployed drones to seize air superiority over the whole area. At the same time, beyond the atmosphere, a T2 carrier stood ready in full battle order; hundreds of drones had entered the planet, sternly forbidding any aircraft to take off just now, and ordering any already aloft to land within 10 minutes.
T3 Blizzard — Bridge
Zhao Chen sat in the captain's chair, looking down at the city below; in the display, he watched the city's inhabitants lift their heads one by one, gazing up at him with eyes full of fear and dread.
"The leaders of both kingdom powers on the planet have sent us comm requests," Aili said beside him.
"Don't take them yet. Have them come at once to the city below. They may travel by shuttle," Zhao Chen said unhurriedly.
"Yes," Aili replied by message.
Soon, in each of the two kingdoms' capital cities, a shuttle appeared, racing at top speed toward that border trade city. In the end, a dozen-odd minutes later, they set down in one of the largest squares of the trade city. The local inhabitants stared in astonishment at the two kings, appearing together, of all things.
The fat king, wiping the sweat from his brow, looked at the thin king, who'd come down from his shuttle almost the same moment he had; the other's appearance he didn't much mind. The thin king looked at the fat king, and by an unspoken understanding the two walked over together.
"Fatty, what do you know about this power?"
"No idea. Seems to have appeared out of nowhere. But one thing's certain — it's strong! My military satellite detected, on that battlefield near the third planet, the energy signal of one of the Fire Salamander clan's T3 warships winking out."
"Not just this time — a dozen-odd days ago, I detected the energy fluctuation of a Fire Salamander T3 warship being destroyed too!"
"……"
The two kings looked up at that T3 warship overhead, anxious beyond words. They had no idea just what notions the other party harbored. Should there be any thought unfavorable to them, they wouldn't have so much as a chance to resist.
A figure of light was projected down from the belly of that T3 warship. It was a man seated in a captain's chair, wearing a black mask.
"Gentlemen — Kings both — greetings. Allow me to introduce myself: I am the commander of the Lion King Fleet. You may call me… the King." Zhao Chen's eyes swept over the two before him. Back at the Arctic Fox starport he'd used the false name "Black Dragon Fleet." Here, too, it was inconvenient to use the name of the Owl Dragon Fleet, so he'd used another alias — the name of the T2 Lion King, which had performed so brilliantly in this battle.
"Great King, might we know what you command of us on this visit to our planet?" The thin king dropped to both knees with astonishing speed, caring not a bit that the city's inhabitants were still watching all around.
Holy crap, this fellow's fast.
The fat king at once knelt too, and said fawningly, "Great King, that you would visit our planet is our honor. You've come from afar and must be weary; I can lay on a feast in my royal capital to entertain the great King — and the King's Lion King Fleet!"
Zhao Chen was well pleased with the two men's attitude. Some might call it hypocrisy. Hypocritical or not was of no importance; what he wanted was for the two of them to know their place.
"I've merely come to inform you: from this day forward, in the FY System, my word rules. That name, 'FY System,' is too much of a mouthful — I don't like it. I don't care what those outside call it; from today, this is my Lion King System! Is that clear and understood?" Zhao Chen's eyes swept across the faces of the fat king and the thin king.