The Chu family.
"Miss, at present the whole Starlight Empire has been set in an uproar over this matter; the front-page headlines of the interstellar-entertainment sections are, one and all, this very thing!" A female adjutant stood at Chu Xuan's side.
Before Chu Xuan was an enormous projection screen, upon which was every manner of content concerning "the Owl Dragon lord snatching the Su family's betrothed before the Third Prince's very face." There were, even, videos and photographs.
And of the various front-page headline stories, all had used that one image: within the transparent corridor, Zhao Chen carrying Su Lan seated upon his shoulder, wearing an "evil" smile toward the distant T4 Starlight Emperor-class Medium Carrier Starship.
"Quite photogenic, isn't he." The corner of Chu Xuan's mouth twitched faintly.
"Miss… are you… angry?" The female adjutant, taking notice that Chu Xuan's mood was somewhat amiss, inquired, careful and cautious.
"Me, angry? How am I angry? How would I go getting angry over so trifling a thing! I'm merely on a break between my work, having a look, in passing, at the current-events news of the Starlight Empire." As Chu Xuan said this, she turned her head to deal with the file-information on another screen.
"Um… Miss, that file — you dealt with it already just now." the female adjutant reminded her.
Chu Xuan's expression froze; feigning composure, she gave a cough.
"I know. I'm only checking it over once more."
"You've been looking at this file for half an hour now." the female adjutant reminded her again.
Chu Xuan clenched her fist, and shot the female adjutant a glare.
"And can't I look at it another half hour! Would it kill you to hold your tongue!"
The female adjutant lowered her head, and dared say no more.
Chu Xuan rubbed at her own temples.
For some reason she couldn't name — though she'd known early on of this thing Zhao Chen meant to do — still, when she saw the reports on the matter, there was something in her heart that felt out of sorts.
Above all when she saw those entertainment-news pieces, and those images.
Chu Xuan felt, without knowing why, in a very poor mood — she rather wanted to blast a few warships and let off steam.
The female adjutant, off to the side, seeing her Miss Chu Xuan in such a state, had long since understood it in her heart.
She'd grown up following Miss Chu Xuan, and the two were on intimate terms.
It was only for that reason that she dared banter so at Miss Chu Xuan's side.
As for those matters between Miss Chu Xuan and Lord Zhao Chen, she knew a little of them too.
At the outset, the two's arrangement had been only to seek a bit of convenience for each.
But now one could see plainly — Miss Chu Xuan truly had taken a fancy to that Lord Zhao Chen.
It was only that she herself was not yet clear on it.
Their own young miss, who'd known nothing but interstellar warships, had at last had her heart open to love.
The female adjutant had a feeling for all the world like that of watching a daughter grow up.
…
Galactic Star Calendar, year 3033, the end of May.
Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon fleet returned to the Owl Dragon Star System, bearing its "spoils of war"; and the outside world was still trembling over this matter of Zhao Chen's bride-snatching.
However, the marriage-alliance between the Su family and the Prince Faction was not, on this account, delayed.
The Su family arranged for another Su family woman to return with the Third Prince Qin Hu, and the wedding was to be held in June.
At the least on the surface, the Su family and the Prince Faction could be counted to have made their marriage-alliance successfully.
"Video comm connection complete!"
Along with a prompt-tone, the image of the North Wind Governor surfaced before Zhao Chen.
"I never imagined you'd kick up so great a commotion this time, you brat." The North Wind Governor looked at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen gave a shrug.
"If I don't kick the commotion up a bit larger, how am I to draw all those people's attention onto myself?"
"The latest word I've gotten: the Third Prince Qin Hu will lead an interstellar fleet, charged with investigating your suspected involvement with the Princess fleet; and should you fail to cooperate, the Third Prince Qin Hu will be free to suppress the Owl Dragon Star System by force outright. In any case, I estimate that when the time comes, Qin Hu will assuredly resort to force against you — you'd best make ready." the North Wind Governor cautioned.
"This much I can foresee. But for a war to break out within the Empire — won't the Empire intervene?" Zhao Chen inquired.
The North Wind Governor explained, "Were it as things were before — in truth, there'd be small frictions among the various lords within the Empire too, and generally the two sides' fleets would fight a battle out in the star-edge space. So long as the commotion wasn't too great, the Empire's upper echelons would treat it as unseen. But should it involve too much, the Empire would step forth to mediate. This time, the Third Prince Qin Hu's conduct can, in the truest sense, only be counted his personal conduct, since the Empire has issued no clear edict. But everyone knows full well that the Third Prince's doing this is, wholly, the Prince Faction's will. They're pressing you — and, at the same time, pressing me and the Chu family. In their view, this bride-snatching act of yours has, beyond doubt, handed the Prince Faction a chance to make its move. And so, when the time comes, any conduct of the Third Prince's will be tacitly allowed by the Prince Faction. For, after all, the Starlight Empire is now in a period of a special sort."
"This chance was mine to give them in the first place," Zhao Chen said with a light laugh.
"Then what do you mean to do? By the word I've learned, the Third Prince Qin Hu will this time lead five legion fleets in person — without regular establishment, true, but their combat power all belongs to the second-line imperial army. And, besides, some lords will dispatch fleets to lend support. I hear that within the bounds of the North Wind Star Region, too, there'll be some Prince-Faction-supporting lords cropping up." The North Wind Governor looked at Zhao Chen.
"What is it you need us to do?"
"Next, what I need is for you, Governor, to act as though nothing whatever has happened. Put on a posture of timidity, of not daring to stand against the Prince Faction — and, in secret, let word out that you mean to abandon me. With you showing weakness, that pack of trim-their-sails-to-the-wind sorts within the North Wind Star Region will surely believe you've already bowed your head to the Prince Faction. And at that point, they will, without fail, offer the Third Prince their own token of allegiance.[1] And at that time, my existence is, beyond doubt, the most fitting token of allegiance they could offer," Zhao Chen said with narrowed eyes.
"But… this way, I estimate you'll be facing at least 20,000 interstellar warships! It's far too dangerous!" the North Wind Governor said with worry.
20,000?
Within, Zhao Chen was scornful.
All along, the judgment held within the Starlight Empire of the Owl Dragon Legion's strength remained back at the time of the last North Wind Star Region hive-race disaster.
They had no notion whatever of just what a degree the Owl Dragon Legion of now had grown to.
"When the time comes, should there truly be any sudden turn, I'll contact you," Zhao Chen said with a smile.
"Good. Bear this in mind, whatever you do — never take reckless risks! We can't have everything shouldered by you, you brat; then what would we two old men, old Chu and I, amount to?" the North Wind Governor said.
"I know."
The comm ended.
Zhao Chen sat within his own office, looking at the star-map of the whole Starlight Empire that had appeared before him after the video window vanished.
Zhao Chen rose to his feet and walked several circuits around this Starlight Empire star-map.
And at the last, he fixed his eyes on the position of the Imperial Capital Star.
"Since there's to be chaos, then this fire — let me be the one to light it."
Zhao Chen raised a hand once more, and the count of the Owl Dragon Legion's active-service interstellar warships, along with their various data, appeared before his eyes.
And, besides, the count of interstellar warships that would be put into service each month in the times to come.
This was, precisely, the backbone that gave him the nerve to match himself against the Prince Faction.
Of the records concerning this campaign in the days to come, the one passage most often cited would be this:
"In the middle of Galactic Star Calendar 3033, the campaign of the Owl Dragon Star System made of the Owl Dragon Legion a god in a single battle! From then it stepped formally into the public eye, and was thenceforth without peer across the whole of the star-river. — The Chronicles of the Star Alliance"