Mid-July. Fire Salamander Clan Headquarters.
By now close to 3,000 warships had gathered here in a mighty host — and most conspicuous of all were five T3 warships.
Within the Fire Salamander starport, the chieftain looked through a transparent window at the vast spread of warships docked outside; glad as he was, his heart bled at the same time. For this operation, by the earlier agreement, all the strategic supplies had to be provided by the Fire Salamander clan. Consider the daily consumption of 3,000 warships — the figure was no small thing; even the Fire Salamander clan itself found it something of a strain. The five T3 warships above all.
"I'll make that accursed fellow pay the price!" Recalling that masked man, the chieftain ground his teeth in hatred. Were it not for that fellow, he might by now be mining the resources of the dwarf planet — why should he be here, bleeding money like this?
"Report — the two lords have returned, and ask that you convene a brief meeting." The Fire Salamander adjutant knocked cautiously at the door. These past weeks their chieftain's temper had been foul; already several unlucky clan members had been tortured to death to vent his spleen.
"Understood." The chieftain calmed himself, left his room, and headed for the conference room. At its doorway, one could see several squads of soldiers who were not Fire Salamanders — some human, some beast-folk, and some humanoid interstellar races.
The chieftain pushed open the door, a professional smile on his face. "Forgive me, gentlemen — I'm late." The chieftain greeted them warmly, but the people in the room merely glanced at him and said little. Somewhat embarrassed, the chieftain could only find himself a seat.
He looked once round the round table. In the head seat, of course, were Han Tianwang, only just hurried back after his absence, and his lackey Zhang Haoran. Besides these, three others were present.
One was a human wearing an eyepatch, a look of ferocity about him — the leader of a band of interstellar pirates infamous in the Reef Star Region, the Cerberus Interstellar Pirate Company. They specialized in preying on other crooks, kept no fixed base, and so a great many interstellar powers could do nothing about them. Rumor had it this band of pirates had a wealthy patron behind them, and no few of the great powers of the Reef Star Region had to show that patron some face. Doubtless it was that Young Master Sun's power propping them up. This pirate boss sat at Han Tianwang's right hand — proof enough of his standing here.
On the other side, at Zhang Haoran's left, was a member of a humanoid interstellar race called the Gebo clan. Their adult form stood around two meters, very long and gaunt, and they had a biological exoskeleton — the skin's surface covered in bone plates. The whole of them was pitch-black, without a strand of hair. Like the Fire Salamander clan, they held several systems in the Reef Star Region — a second-rate power, with some 2,000 warships under them.
Then he looked at the fellow seated beside him — and the stench off him nearly turned his own stomach. This was one of the boar-folk among the beast-folk. The boar-folk were a fairly numerous race among the beast races, with many branch tribes besides, the great majority within the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth. But a small portion, for various reasons, were scattered across the cosmos. Like the Fire Salamander clan and the Gebo clan, this boar-folk was likewise a second-rate power of the Reef Star Region.
And of the 3,000 warships gathered here now, the one contributing the most was, of course, their own Fire Salamander clan — one might describe it, quite literally, as turning out the whole nest. Apart from a very few T1 and T2 warships kept back to mind the home front, the chieftain, over these near two months of preparation, had recalled every one of the Fire Salamander clan's warships. Counting those that had fled back from the earlier defeat, the Fire Salamander clan would once more field 1,500 warships in this operation! The other three powers had 500 warships each. The organizer of this military operation, that Han Tianwang, by contrast, directly commanded only 30 warships. But no one minded — what everyone prized was the power behind Han Tianwang. And besides, the Cerberus Interstellar Pirate Company counted as fangs and claws under Han Tianwang's command too.
"This military operation — I imagine you gentlemen have all looked into it. What we're to attack is an interstellar fleet entrenched in the Lion King System — formerly the FY System. The ships aren't many, under 20 in all, but every one is T2-grade or above, and there's a T3 warship and a T2 missile ship among them besides. This fleet's commander stands in enmity with the power behind us; he's very likely to affect our Young Master Sun's future designs, so we must seize this chance and wipe this fellow and his fleet out utterly in the Lion King System!" Han Tianwang said viciously.
In truth this was entirely Han Tianwang's and Zhang Haoran's own notion. Han Tianwang had, these weeks, still been rather hesitant, but unable to reach Young Master Sun, he'd found it hard to decide. Yet after what had happened at the academy's graduation — faced with a Su Lan cold as an iceberg toward himself, and warm as a spring breeze toward Zhao Chen! — the thought of it filled him with fury. In his enraged eyes he seemed to see scenes of Zhao Chen and his goddess Su Lan in intimacy; he even wondered whether the two had already come to some intimate relation. The thought left Han Tianwang feeling the very top of his head turn a lush cuckold's green.[1] By now, his wish to be rid of Zhao Chen fell not a hair short of Zhang Haoran's! So he'd resolved to carry out this battle plan — for once Zhao Chen was dealt with, Young Master Sun would surely not reproach him.
"That's right! We must be rid of this man!" Zhang Haoran put up an image — the person in it none other than Zhao Chen! The fellow who'd brought him such shame and fury!
"Fine ships or no — a mere fewer-than-20 warships. Only a fool could lose a battle like this!" the boar-folk chief said with a scornful laugh. The meaning in his words was, without doubt, a jab at the Fire Salamander chieftain beside him.
The chieftain shot the boar-folk a glare; the two races were in fact on poor terms, having clashed before over the interests of certain territory. Were it not for the Young Master Sun behind Han Tianwang, the two of them might never have sat together at all.
"Now's not the time for idle words. Everyone here is here for Young Master Sun's sake. Young Master Sun isn't present, so Young Master Han is Young Master Sun's spokesman. So long as you all do Young Master Han's bidding, then when Young Master Sun comes to reckon merits and hand out rewards down the line, there'll be no lack of good things for you all." The Cerberus pirate boss swept his one eye over those present — plainly meaning to overawe the room.
Hmph — nothing but a dog Young Master Han keeps. Without Young Master Han's backing, how could that interstellar pirate company of yours ever have thrived in the Reef Star Region! the Fire Salamander chieftain sneered inwardly — but these thoughts stayed only in his head.
"Half a day ago I received word: this man's command ship has already returned to the Lion King System." Young Master Han put up an image — that gray T3 warship. Following it were several more gray warships, likewise unidentifiable by ship data; only three of them.
"Young Master Han, give the order!" The Cerberus pirate boss clenched his fist, the very picture of a man hungry and unable to wait.
Young Master Han stood, striking a pose of matchless valor. "The fleet sets out today, for the Lion King System! Sweep away the enemy ships!"