The North Wind Star Region · a star gate of some system.
And this system, too, was one of the systems that had suffered the hive-race invasion. Near the star gate there was a starport, and just now, inside and outside the starport, a great many interstellar transports were waiting here. Because the gate's route bookings were already packed full, the transports whose turn hadn't come could only wait here.
Within a luxurious restaurant on the starport, a few nobles and rich magnates of the local system had gathered together. Though the atmosphere outside was exceedingly tense, here they were still in luxury and dissolute abandon — fine wine in hand, a beauty in the arms.
"I never thought our system would come under interstellar-hive-race attack; what wretched luck!" a rich merchant griped. "On account of this affair, basically 80% of my business over here has run into trouble — a loss of hundreds of thousands of star coins!"
"Never mind all that; we have interstellar transports and can still flee, while those lowborn wretches without transports can only huddle on the planet and wait to die. We're the lucky ones, all things considered," another noble said blandly.
"Speaking of which, one can't help but envy Brother Gao — Brother Gao's family is in the interstellar-trade business, and has an interstellar-transport fleet of its own, dozens of transports, the great majority of them T2 transports besides. Leaning on this disaster, I hear Brother Gao's earned himself a full pot and brimming bowl. A single ship-ticket has been speculated up to a few hundred, even 1,000 star coins. And so a single interstellar transport, over one trip, can pocket a sure profit of several million!" Someone looked at the Gao-surnamed merchant beside them, wearing a face full of self-satisfaction.
The others all around fell to flattering him one after another; though inwardly they held such behavior in contempt, put in his place they'd surely have done the very same.
"You flatter me, you flatter me — it was only a chance turn of luck." the Gao-surnamed merchant said with a light laugh.
"Though… Brother Gao, you possess so very many interstellar transports, and yet each one loads only 30% of its personnel… isn't this a bit of a waste of carrying capacity?" A young noble scion, in whom conscience was not yet wholly dead, said, "Brother Gao could lower the ticket price appropriately; then you could carry away more common folk. Not only saving people, but earning money besides — would that not be the best of both worlds?"
"And how much is saving people worth?" the Gao-surnamed merchant said with disdain. "There's an old saying that puts it well: a thing is precious for being scarce. If I take on a great mass of passengers, then wouldn't the price of my tickets devalue?"
Hearing this, everyone understood well that this fellow was making a national-disaster fortune. Contemptuous within their hearts, but on the surface no one cared to tear the face open.
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
And it was just then that a comm reminder flashed across the Gao-surnamed merchant's handheld terminal; once he tapped it open, a video window appeared. On the other end was the captain of one of the interstellar transports under his command.
"Boss! This is bad — something big's happened! We've been waylaid and plundered by three interstellar warships; they demand we hand over our interstellar ships and cooperate with their operation, or they'll destroy our interstellar transports!"
The Gao-surnamed merchant knit his brows. "Just who is so lawless, daring to rob ships in front of everyone? What's the other side's background?"
"It's three T3 interstellar battlecruisers… calling themselves some Owl Dragon Fleet," the captain answered.
"The Owl Dragon Fleet? A name I've never so much as heard of. Tell them — I've connections with an Empire one-star Brigadier General! Don't imagine that, just because it's a time like this, you can ignore Starlight Empire law and do as you please!" the Gao-surnamed merchant threatened without the least ceremony.
And it was just then that, beyond the starport, the figures of three T3 interstellar warships appeared, which nearly everyone noticed at the first moment. For among a heap of interstellar transports, they were simply far too conspicuous. All the more so since these three warships were themselves exceedingly eye-catching, gold-attracting things.
Thereupon, all the interstellar transports, and the people within the starport, received a notice.
"We are the Owl Dragon Fleet, come by order to forcibly requisition interstellar transports. Now, the interstellar transports to whom we've sent the message, please arrive at our designated position and obey our orders of dispatch. Any who violate this — bear the consequences yourselves."
Thereupon, one interstellar transport after another, inside and outside the starport, received a designated pop-up command, requiring them to voyage within 10 minutes to a designated area and obey the coming orders of dispatch.
At the first moment, the captains of these interstellar transports all wore faces full of astonishment, not yet come to grips with just what in the world this was about.
And over on the Gao-surnamed merchant's side, he received, one after another, the comm requests of some dozens of captains. Because, of these interstellar transports outside, close to half were transports under his command!
"Boss, this Owl Dragon Fleet demands to forcibly requisition our interstellar transports." What each captain said was nearly identical; they didn't dare to act on their own initiative, and could only ask their boss's intent.
"Requisition my arse! What sort of thing is this Owl Dragon Fleet — on what grounds do they requisition our interstellar transports? Tell them to clear off, for this old man!" the Gao-surnamed merchant said without the least ceremony.
"The Owl Dragon Fleet? Could it be that Owl Dragon Fleet of the just-promoted Viscount, the Owl Dragon System's Zhao family!" someone cried out.
"That man is the Governor of Chu River's grandson-in-law! The North Wind Governor's grandson-in-law! His standing is no small thing!" someone, too, recalled this layer of identity.
At this, no small number of people began to sit back and wait to watch this Gao-surnamed merchant's show. For this national-disaster fortune of the Gao-surnamed merchant's had, after all, made their eyes red with envy.
The Gao-surnamed merchant, hearing all this, began to turn things over and over in his mind. The North Wind Governor's grandson-in-law? The Governor of Chu River's grandson-in-law? These two layers of identity were indeed no ordinary thing. But there was a limit to a fox borrowing the tiger's might; to forcibly requisition all of his interstellar transports like this was, surely, going too far. And, mind you, it bore on that windfall of his, worth close to 10 million star coins! If he now let this Owl Dragon Fleet's few battlecruisers requisition them away, would that not be the cooked duck flying off the plate?
The Gao-surnamed merchant's face shifted, clouded and clear by turns, for a good long while; and in the end he took it upon himself to get in touch with that warship which had sent the notice a moment ago. Upon learning of his identity, the other party accepted the comm as well. On the other end appeared a female captain dressed in women's military uniform.
"Hello — I'm the boss of the Gao interstellar-trade fleet. Of the Owl Dragon Fleet's Viscount's heroic feats before, I'd long heard tell. This time the Owl Dragon Fleet has come to lend support, and we ought, by rights, to render aid. But alas, these interstellar transports of mine are all fully loaded with cargo and with evacuees… still… I'll find a way to squeeze out three T2 interstellar transports to support the Viscount."
Three?
Here, the Gao-surnamed merchant's interstellar transports numbered a full 70 or 80, and he was, of all things, only willing to offer three.
The female captain cast a glance at him, and said blandly, "The load on these interstellar transports of yours is all under 40%, and 30% of that is, moreover, various noble goods — collectibles and the like. I'll permit you, within 10 minutes, to have the personnel aboard these interstellar transports take shuttles to withdraw to the starport."
Hearing this, the Gao-surnamed merchant's face changed slightly; he'd already given the other side face, and they were, of all things, so utterly blind to what was good for them!
"Your Excellency the captain — though I'm but a merchant, if your side plunders and seizes so forcibly, then I'll go and report you to the Starlight Empire above, and you needn't think you'll come off well out of it. For, after all, I, this Gao, haven't been knocking about out here all these years for nothing."
These words of the Gao-surnamed merchant's were plainly a threat: I have people above me too.
The female captain said blandly, "Our Commander's exact words: those who won't obey the requisition order may be destroyed by direct fire! If you don't believe it, you're welcome to try."
An uproar broke out!