"Warning! Warning! Your fleet has sailed into a control zone; please report the purpose of your fleet's passage. Before verification, hover in place!"
At this point, the Su family's patrol fleet moved to block the path before this interstellar fleet, and at the same time sent out a warning message on the public channel.
The T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship · the bridge.
"Captain…" the adjutant looked toward Charlotte, seated in the captain's chair.
Charlotte was the supreme commander in charge of this mission.
"Send out that video we recorded earlier, on the public channel," Charlotte said.
"Yes!"
Thereupon, a stretch of video was sent out onto the public channel.
This meant that every interstellar warship and comm device within this region could receive it.
Within the interstellar corridor, one of the Su family scions was the first to open the video feed on his handheld terminal; seeing this, the others crowded in to join the excitement as well, to see just what all this was about — just what the origins of this interstellar fleet might be.
There, within the video window, was a young man clad in a black military uniform.
"My name is Zhao Chen, lord of the Owl Dragon Star System. I've come this time to take away my woman, Su Lan. Whoever dares to bar my way will be regarded as declaring war upon my Owl Dragon Legion. Any who aren't convinced are welcome to give it a try." The young man sat in a captain's chair, disdain and provocation upon his face, his whole person giving off an air of arrogance and high-handed swagger.
And that one line — "take away my woman, Su Lan"—
could be said to have raised, with a single word, 1,000 waves.
No small number of people half-consciously looked toward Qin Hu.
The Su family folk, all the more, were thrown into an uproar.
"Su Qiang, what is the meaning of this!" The Su old governor's voice rose in demand.
Su Qiang's forehead was all beaded sweat; he knelt straight down upon the ground.
"I… I don't know what this is about either… You know it too — Su Lan spent these past years studying at the Northstar Academy, and only came back recently…"
"Hmph." The Su old governor gave a cold snort.
The Su old governor looked toward Qin Hu, whose expression had gone overcast.
"His Highness the Third Prince may set his heart at ease. This is our Su family's ground. It's not the North Wind Star Region, nor the Owl Dragon Star System. It will brook no wild carrying-on from this brat!"
Qin Hu nodded, and then passed a glance to the adjutant behind him.
The adjutant understood at once, and immediately relayed to the fleet the order to make ready for battle.
So fine a chance as this — how could Qin Hu let it slip?
The account for the snatching of the little Princess before was yet unsettled, and now here he dared come to snatch his own betrothed.
This Zhao Chen truly did not know how the word "death" was written!
The T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship · the bridge.
Charlotte gave a lazy stretch and a yawn, baring that pair of little tiger fangs, the tail behind her drawing taut and stretching out.
"Send the second video."
"Yes."
At this point, the crowd, still caught up in their astonishment at the first video, discovered, plain before them, that there was a second video besides.
The chief figure in the video was, naturally, still Zhao Chen.
"Oh, right — there's one thing I forgot to remind you all of. First let me introduce you to something: a T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship, the very newest thing I and the Chu family have developed. A single ship is fitted with 15,000 interstellar missiles. I happen to have five of them here; I wonder who'd care to give one a try?" Zhao Chen looked at the far side teasingly, for all the world as though he were looking at every last person on this end of the video.
Perhaps in answer to what Zhao Chen was saying at this moment, the five T3 Judicators within the Owl Dragon Legion began to strike a posture.
Launch-device after missile launch-device began to power up; some of the interstellar missiles were, even, brought out on display, awaiting only a single order to fire.
This scene, too, was filmed and broadcast before every last person's eyes.
Five T3 heavy interstellar missile ships?
15,000 interstellar missiles apiece!
No small number of people gulped and drew in a gasp of cold air.
At so close a range, were they truly to be locked on by these five T3 Judicators, with these interstellar missiles coming down upon them—
then even the firepower defenses of the Su family starport, and its few star-shield defense systems, could not guarantee that the Su family starport would come through unscathed.
For these were, after all, T3-grade interstellar missiles.
And in a number so terrifying besides!
"Gulp… this… has this brat lost his mind! Does he truly dare start a war!" A Su family scion gulped; and though so he said with his mouth, his trembling legs nonetheless laid bare the fear in his heart at this moment.
They were, at present, upon the interstellar corridor; and even were they to withdraw safely back into the starport, to be assaulted by so many interstellar missiles would still be nine parts death to one part life for them!
"A T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship? I've never so much as heard of it — is it real or a bluff!" there were, too, those who doubted.
"I heard some while ago that the Owl Dragon lord seemed to have a T2-grade interstellar missile ship in service; this T3-grade interstellar missile ship, then, is likely real. It was, after all, developed together with the Chu family." there were those who believed the thing.
"Come to think of it… isn't this Zhao Chen the grandson-in-law of the Chu family's Chu Changhe? How is it he's now come running to snatch the Third Prince's betrothed… this is far too tangled a mess!" there were those who grumbled over the relationships within it all.
Qin Hu's face, at this moment, was exceedingly grim; he had, in truth, crossed swords with the Owl Dragon Legion before.
Naturally, then, he knew this T3 Judicator was the genuine, true-worth article.
Were it a matter of ordinary battle in the usual way, there'd have been no possibility whatever of letting this interstellar missile ship draw so near a distance.
It was chiefly that no one had imagined this interstellar fleet would, of all things, come looking to pick a fight — and the Su family's patrol fleet had been comparatively late in moving to intercept.
And now the two were, all the more, about to collide, with the Owl Dragon Legion paying the Su family patrol fleet's warning no mind whatsoever, and sailing on.
"Order the Su family's legion fleet — for the moment, take no rash action!" The Su old governor relayed the command at this point.
To be robbed of the bride was, admittedly, something of a disgrace.
But were the Su family starport to be destroyed — were the harm to reach even the Su family's main star — and one must bear in mind that most of the Su family's principal direct-line kin were here at present — were the interstellar missile ships opposite truly to open fire, then for the Su family it would be, beyond all doubt, a catastrophe to drown them all.
"Patriarch… the patrol fleet is asking what's to be done… the other party's interstellar warships are still sailing on… they're about to collide!" a Su family man inquired.
The Su old governor was silent a short moment, then said, "The patrol fleet is not to fall back. I would rather like to see whether this Zhao brat truly has the ability to dare provoke our Su family!"
The interstellar fleet's taking no rash action was out of dread for the interstellar missile ships opposite.
And the patrol fleet's not withdrawing was to preserve the Su family's face.
Those 30-odd Su family patrol ships now barred the path of the Owl Dragon Legion's advance.
But one must bear in mind that these Su family patrol ships were, uniformly, T2 interstellar warships!
And what they'd be facing were T3 interstellar frigates!
Everyone, at this moment, held their breath; the interstellar media present, too, broadcast this scene with rapt concentration.
"Report — the Su family's patrol fleet won't give way; they're blocking our route." the adjutant reported.
Charlotte said, mild and unruffled, "Blocking the road? Then roll right over it."