Galactic Star Calendar year 3032 · mid-May.
The incident of the Northern Goose Group's starship-manufacturing industrial park being destroyed — along with the related likelihood that the arms-purchase order would be breached and go undelivered, and so forth — was spread abroad, growing more feverish by the telling. Indeed, even the parent company, the Northern Goose Interstellar Trade Group, had had it come out that the Li family had split, its clansfolk taking wing each their own way at the onset of great calamity. This led the various interstellar powers who'd originally placed orders with the Northern Goose Group to begin a great welling-up of order-cancellations.
In mid-April, Li Yaqi of the Northern Goose Group held a public press conference. She proclaimed to the outside world that the Northern Goose Group's production lines had, indeed, sustained some impact — but that on the military's arms-purchase order there would be no breach nor delay, and that, at the same time, it would not affect the delivery of the other orders either. Should any apply, within this stretch of time, to cancel their order, then the Northern Goose Group would — while retaining one-third of the deposit as a penalty — refund the remaining portion at the first moment. At the same time, the Northern Goose Group would open no cooperation whatsoever with such parties for a period of 20 years.
This stretch of remarks by Li Yaqi left no small number of people baffled and unable to make sense of it.
The hardline attitude was very plain. If you cancel your cooperation with me now — fine! Good! I'll refund you your money; but for 20 years, don't so much as dream of cooperating with us Northern Goose again!
If the Northern Goose Group truly were as the outside world rumored, how could it possibly hold so hardline an attitude? Could it be that they truly did have a way to deliver the arms-purchase order on schedule?
Some of the cooperating parties began to waver and vacillate; if, when the time came, Northern Goose really did deliver the interstellar warships, and they themselves had cancelled their orders — then 20 years of no cooperation. That would be a colossal loss, beyond doubt. For, after all, that extremely cost-effective interstellar warship, the T2 Tibetan Mastiff-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer, was sold by Northern Goose and Northern Goose alone. This led a portion of those who'd originally wanted to cancel their orders to shelve the notion for the time being. Of course, there was also a portion who cancelled all the same; and the Northern Goose side, likewise, refunded at the first moment the deposit that was due to be refunded — while, at the same time, proclaiming to the outside world that for the coming 20 years it would open no cooperation of any kind with the other party.
The Owl Dragon base.
Zhao Chen was, at this moment, admiring the two newest interstellar warships to have rolled off the line and entered service before his eyes. The T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship, and the T3 Silver-Rat-class Light Interstellar Stealth Reconnaissance Ship.
"This Judicator's outward look is truly beautiful — for all the world like a judicator standing towering in battle, sword and shield in hand," Zhao Chen said, gazing at that T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship. Unlike ordinary interstellar warships, this T3 Judicator's height far outstripped its length: its ship-length was only around 1,000 meters, but its ship-height came to a full 3,000 meters.
"Spend the money, and of course it's beautiful," the secretary Lilith said from the side. Looking at this T3 Judicator, she said with a bitter smile, "The interstellar missiles a single ship is equipped with are worth 250 million star coins. In the future, with five of them fully equipped, on the battlefield a single round of salvo alone is more than 1 billion star coins fired off into the void!" The mere thought of these made the secretary Lilith feel a spasm of that money-flesh ache.
How was this any waging of war — this was plainly and simply the burning of money!
Zhao Chen looked again toward the comparatively "petite and adorable" T3 Silver-Rat-class Light Interstellar Stealth Reconnaissance Ship beside it. The T3 Silver-Rat's hull length was under 300 meters — much the same as an ordinary T2-grade interstellar warship. Nor was its hull equipped with much by way of weapon modules; but its speed was quite astonishing — among the T3 interstellar warships in active service, its cruising speed surpassed the T3 Blizzard, coming in second only to the T3 Blizzard's Extreme-Cruise Mode. Most important of all was that its maneuverability far outstripped the T3 Blizzard's; the extreme speed and the extremely small hull let it, when carrying out reconnaissance missions, move nimble and swift. And, at the same time, its hull could go fully into stealth. It was equipped, besides, with a whole series of reconnaissance and monitoring apparatus, able to intercept the comm networks between one starship and another and spy out intelligence. It could, further, serve as a comm relay station, able to encrypt one's own fleet's communications, and to greatly increase comm speed, and so forth. In sum — an exceedingly excellent battlefield-scout auxiliary!
"Have the captains for these two new ships been arranged? Being new ships, after all, they have no combat records to share; everything needs to be felt out for oneself. The demands upon a first captain are no small thing," Zhao Chen said.
Lilith, standing at his side, said, "The T3 Judicator's captain candidate you spoke of before — that's the Third Fleet commander, the wolf-girl Baixue; she's had her eye fixed on this missile ship all along. When the trial-voyage mission came round, she went straight up aboard it, and to this moment still hasn't come back down. As for the captain of the T3 Silver-Rat No. 1 ship, an outstanding newcomer of ours takes the post — one from the Northstar Starship Military Academy, where you studied before; during her time at the academy she had most superior marks. You've mentioned her before, too; this time, so as to put her ability to the test, we've let her captain this new ship."
Zhao Chen nodded with satisfaction.
The secretary Lilith's handheld terminal sounded; she gave the message a look, then turned toward Commander Zhao Chen. "My lord, there's word come in from the Lion King System's side."
"The Lion King System?" Zhao Chen was taken aback; it had already been a good long while since he'd last gone to the Lion King System. For, of late, he'd been placing the center of his focus over here on the Owl Dragon System's side.
"It's to do with the Snake-folk. The Snake-folk's Medusa Queen has contacted us, hoping to have a talk with you about the matter of ordering interstellar warships," the secretary Lilith said.
Zhao Chen's two eyes at once shone with a golden light; he'd caught the scent of money. And, at the same time, the quarterly mission seemed to be beckoning to him. Over this stretch of time, he'd been considering, all along, just whom he ought to sell interstellar warships to. First and foremost, this party must not expose the secret of his Owl Dragon fief; were the people of the Starlight Empire to learn that he, this lord, could moreover manufacture and sell multiple classes of interstellar warship, that would be somewhat too ostentatious. But if the Lion King System's Medusa Queen wished to purchase his interstellar warships — then there'd be no worry of that sort whatsoever, for, after all, over in the Reef Star Region there was but a single "little bandit" hogging the Lion King System; who out there knew of any Owl Dragon lord?
"Make ready — I'll take a trip to the Lion King System right now," Zhao Chen said, his interest thoroughly whetted. He was preparing to set forth in person for the Lion King System. For Zhao Chen, to head to the Lion King System now was a far lighter undertaking. No longer did he need, as in times past, to make his way back and forth over the better part of half a month.
A few minutes later.
The Lion King System · Radiant Moon-class Star Gate, No. 2 Gate.
The T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship came sailing out.
Zhao Chen, without a second word, got in contact with the Medusa Queen's side, and settled on a time for a virtual-image conference. The Medusa Queen's side replied all but the very second he reached out — and, what's more, left the timing for Zhao Chen to decide.
"By the look of it, this Medusa Queen is quite anxious, is she?" Zhao Chen rubbed at his chin; for a hegemon of the Reef Star Region to be this eager and pressed to procure interstellar warships, there was, surely, a reason for it. Could it be that some upheaval had befallen the Reef Star Region?