After a high-level meeting of the Reef Star Region's Independent faction —
Two women standing at the very apex of the Reef Star Region's pyramid held a private talk.
"This time, you led the Snake-folk fleet to victory, and shored up the morale of us, the Independent faction!" Red Rose, the wielder of power in the Bramble Free Trade Group, blew a ring of smoke as she looked at Medusa opposite.
Medusa gave a self-mocking little laugh. "This has merely bought us one more breath, that's all. But the gap between us and the Warhammer faction and the Starlight faction is, still, very great. A single victory of this kind changes nothing."
"That figure from the Lion King System — he's unwilling to join us? Since he did sell you those excellent interstellar warships, then, surely, he won't just wash his hands of the Reef Star Region's situation." Red Rose surmised.
Bringing up this man couldn't help but call to Medusa's mind the conditions that man had put forth a few days ago. Rubbing at her own temples, she brought up, to this dear bosom-friend of hers, the conditions that man had laid out.
"He wants to make us his puppet-proxies in the Reef Star Region?" Red Rose was somewhat astonished; but, being a merchant, she quickly settled back into calm. Employing a merchant's head, she began to weigh out the pros and cons of this matter. She wasn't so "stubborn" as Medusa; she was more given to pondering the good and bad of a thing.
"Do you think he can really do what he's promised — grant us the highest degree of self-governance?" Red Rose inquired.
Medusa looked at her bosom-friend, somewhat astonished. "Don't tell me you're actually tempted."
Red Rose laughed lightly. "As a merchant, one must naturally take into account every situation one might choose from. I'm not like you; what I weigh, more than anything, is the profit. If that man really can bring to pass what he's said, then, in truth, agreeing to his conditions isn't out of the question. For, after all — just as he said — for us to try, now, to lean toward the Warhammer faction or the Starlight faction, the price we'd have to pay would be quite enormous."
Medusa knew the temperament of this bosom-friend of hers; since she spoke thus, she wasn't joking — she truly was considering this matter.
"The only two points I doubt now are whether the things he's promised can be realized, and, further, whether he truly has this strength. For, after all — never mind the two great empires behind them — the Warhammer faction and the Starlight faction alone have interstellar fleets of tens of thousands of warships apiece. Had it not been for the outstanding showing of those two classes of interstellar warship on the battlefield this time, I'd not believe, at all, that that man has this strength," Red Rose said.
Medusa said, "As for the words he speaks — my intuition tells me they can be trusted."
"To be able to earn the trust of our Queen — then, by the look of it, this man really is something quite special," Red Rose said teasingly. For she did know that this queen-bosom-friend of hers had a very accurate intuition; there was no knowing whether or not it was on account of her racial gift.
Medusa paid no mind to Red Rose's teasing, but rather sank into deep thought. The Reef Star Region's situation just now truly allowed her not the least error.
And it was just at this moment that Red Rose's handheld terminal flickered with a red light. Red Rose opened it, and, looking at the message she'd received, her face changed all at once. She looked toward Medusa. "Our situation has turned exceedingly grave."
"What is it?" Medusa was puzzled.
Red Rose played the message for Medusa to see, and explained, "My people have come by the latest intelligence. The Warhammer faction's Ogre-folk chieftain has met with the Starlight faction's people, and in the end they've decided to root out our Independent faction first. Within one week, they'll assemble a coalition of 60,000 interstellar warships, and launch an assault directly upon our Snake-folk system!"
At this news, Medusa's whole face filled with shock.
"They've actually cooperated? How is this possible!"
This turn in the situation far outstripped Medusa's expectations. She'd originally been thinking she could watch the two of them, snipe and clam, lock in struggle, and reap the fisherman's profit herself.[1] But who could ever have imagined that she herself would, of all things, become the common target of the two of them.
"It seems it's because of that military action your Snake-folk carried out earlier against a force under the Starlight faction's banner. The Warhammer faction's Ogre-folk chieftain took that as his breach-point, and persuaded the Starlight faction's leader to jointly send troops against us, the Independent faction. And he proposed that, in the future, the Reef Star Region could be split in two, each half submitting to its respective empire-power. And we, the Independent faction, have become the sacrificial offering of this 'cooperation.'" Red Rose said in a low, grave voice.
Medusa's brow was, at this moment, knotted tight; those serpent-tresses upon her head were, one and all, giving off a hissing, sibilant sound. Red Rose knew this was the time when her bosom-friend's inner emotions ran to their most turbulent.
Originally, on the Independent faction's side, there had still been the strength for a fight. But now, with the two factions closing the ring on her, then even had she a heaven-vast talent for command, there'd be no reversing this situation.
A few seconds later, Medusa's face went dead and grim; in her mind flashed plan after plan, but not one of them could break the deadlock before her.
"Rose, perhaps this time we truly have no way out. You have wide connections, and a nimble mind; even were you to leave the Reef Star Region, you'd have the means to rise again from the eastern hills. There's no need for you to keep me company here, waiting for death."
Red Rose looked at this dear bosom-friend of hers, and said, "So — you've given up?"
Medusa was silent, saying nothing; but her two hands had already clenched tight. She didn't want to give up. But there truly was no choice.
"Since that's how it is, then we might as well have a gamble of it. Set against everything else, becoming that man's puppet is, after all, not a bad choice," Red Rose said in earnest.
Medusa fell silent for a moment.
……
Galactic Star Calendar year 3032 · late July.
It had been the better part of half a month since the Warhammer faction and the Snake-folk's battle at the Kemi System. The turn of the Reef Star Region's situation was one no one had foreseen. It had been thought there'd be a fierce contest between the two great factions. Who could ever have imagined that the one to come to grief, in the end, would be the Independent faction's Snake-folk.
The two great factions jointly dispatched fleets on a distant campaign against the Snake-folk system, each sending 30,000 interstellar warships, assembling a joint fleet totaling 60,000 interstellar warships. Looked at thus, the Snake-folk had already become the fish and meat upon the chopping block of the two factions.
All the Snake-folk's interstellar warships were, at this moment, gathered together at the Snake-Sovereign Fortress of the Snake-folk system, with very much the posture of meaning to fight a battle to the death here.
The Snake-folk home base · the Snake-Sovereign Fortress.
A T3 Blizzard No. 1 ship was docked within the docking zone on the fortress's outer perimeter. In the bridge, Medusa was, at this moment, sitting in the captain's chair. Because of the Second Fleet's outstanding earlier showing, and, on top of that, the Second Fleet's losses at the time being no small thing, Medusa had simply gone ahead and patched the First Legion's First Fleet and Second Fleet together, temporarily dissolving the Second Fleet's establishment. Captain Qingman, too, had been transferred to the post of deputy fleet commander of this First Fleet.
At this moment, Medusa was, ever and again, casting her gaze toward that star gate not far off from the Snake-Sovereign Fortress.
"Your Majesty the Queen, what are you looking at?" Qingman asked, standing at her side.
"It's nothing." Medusa gave no explanation, only withdrawing her gaze — but not a few minutes on, she shot another glance over. This was all because, earlier, under Red Rose's proposal, she — driven to the end of her road — had, in the end, expressed to that man an attitude of willingness to cooperate. And that man's answer had been very simple.
He knew.
Apart from that, that man had merely had her carry out the normal arrangements of war-preparation, and no more. This left Medusa somewhat puzzled; now that the coalition of the two great factions was on the very verge of bearing down upon her, that man's interstellar fleet was, all the same, slow to appear. This left her heart on tenterhooks, uneasy — and she could only, again and again, cast her gaze toward that star gate. She'd already handed down instructions to the star gate's administrator: should there be any transit application from the Lion King System's gate, give it priority to allow it through!
"Reporting — the latest word from our interstellar reconnaissance ships! The two factions' coalition, 30,000 interstellar warships apiece, has already entered our Snake-folk system's border, and is heading toward our Snake-Sovereign Fortress! It's estimated that in three hours, they'll close upon our Snake-Sovereign Fortress!" a subordinate reported a piece of important news.
This made Medusa look toward the star gate once more — but there, already, there was not the slightest stir of movement.
For the first time, she, this queen of the Snake-folk, so "fretted her heart" over a man.