The Little Skeleton came to berth within one of the docks.
And for the sake of it, the several T3-grade interstellar warships already assigned to that dock had to clear out on purpose and shift elsewhere.
For a warship of the Little Skeleton's bulk had never once appeared in the Star-Shark Guild before.
Uncle Dog looked out through the shuttle's viewport at that berthed Little Skeleton, and suspected strongly that she was a T4-grade interstellar warship.
But she was another man's ship, after all, and it would not do for him to ask too much.
"Young lady, coming back so suddenly — how is it you didn't send some word ahead?" Uncle Dog looked at Xue Xiaoxiao inside the shuttle, and let his eyes slide over the man and the woman standing behind her.
Of whom the man was the so-called employer the young lady spoke of.
"And this business of Sister Xiaoxiao's marrying — I didn't see any of you sending word ahead to me about that. Marrying that dead pervert of the Qian family, no less. That fellow of the Qian family, and the character he has — is it that none of you knows it? And still you'd push Sister Xiaoxiao into a pit of fire!" By Xue Xiaoxiao's expression, she was very angry indeed over the business.
"This… this… we have troubles of our own that are hard to speak of," Uncle Dog said, hard pressed.
"Hmph. If my mother doesn't give me an explanation, I'll not have done with her!" Xue Xiaoxiao said with her arms folded.
Uncle Dog let out a helpless sigh.
He had no wish to talk further on this subject, and could only turn the talk toward that man instead.
"Our young lady will have received no little care at your lordship's hands, and for that I offer thanks on Star-Shark's behalf. Might I ask which power your lordship comes from?" Uncle Dog made Zhao Chen the traditional courtesy of the interstellar adventurers.
To which Zhao Chen returned a military salute.
"The Starlight Empire — the lord of a small holding, no more; hardly worth the mention," Zhao Chen said.
The corner of Xue Xiaoxiao's mouth twitched, but she did not give Zhao Chen's real standing away.
This employer of hers was playing the pig again.
"The Starlight Empire…" Uncle Dog nodded. He had heard before that the young lady had gone off to the Starlight Empire's side, but where she had got to had been kept secret all these years.
Only the president knew, by his guess.
Krrk.
The shuttle came to a halt.
The hatch opened.
"We're here. If you please." Uncle Dog invited Zhao Chen and the rest to step down.
Zhao Chen and the others came down from the shuttle into what was the setting of a hangar, though simple and rather old in its build.
And a party of people stood halted not far off, seemingly waiting for Zhao Chen's party on purpose.
At the front of them stood a beautiful woman.
Zhao Chen noticed that Xue Xiaoxiao's body plainly checked itself, and that not a trace remained of the posture in which she had come to lay charges aboard the shuttle.
The beautiful woman came walking toward Zhao Chen on long fair legs.
She stood around one meter 80; and were it not that Zhao Chen's height had increased along with the remaking of his constitution, he would likely have come up short beside this woman.
The dress she wore was somewhat after the manner of the cheongsam of Zhao Chen's former life.
Black and red for its ground, with threads of gold worked through it in patterns, and slit high to the top of the thigh, so that the black stockings and their suspenders showed.
In every gesture and movement, this woman gave off flavors of several kinds at once.
Now alluring as a rare and lovely thing; now bashful as a young girl.
Brows faint as clear water; jade skin walking with a cool wind.
Here was a woman with a history behind her.
This woman paid no attention at all to the stiffened Xue Xiaoxiao, but walked straight up in front of Zhao Chen, wearing a faint smile, and put out a jade hand gloved in black lace. "For the Owl Dragon lord to visit in person, and I to fail in coming out to meet him — forgive it, forgive it. Let me first make myself known. President of the Stellar Alliance's Star-Shark Interstellar Adventurers' Guild: Guiji."
This woman knew his real standing.
Zhao Chen's face gave nothing away; he put out his own hand and clasped hers.
Feeling that small hand, soft as worked jade, Zhao Chen could scarcely credit that a woman so delicate to look at—
should of all things be president of the largest interstellar adventurers' guild in the Stellar Alliance.
And Xue Xiaoxiao's mother besides…
Call her Xue Xiaoxiao's elder sister and Zhao Chen would not have doubted it for an instant.
"I've long heard of Elder Sister Guiji's name," Zhao Chen said, by way of courtesy.
Elder sister?
Xue Xiaoxiao's expression froze.
What are you playing at?
You call my mother elder sister — then what am I to call you!
You're getting the better of me here!
"Xiaoxiao has been in the lord's care this while, and Guiji is deeply grateful for it," President Guiji said again.
By the look of it, Xue Xiaoxiao had in fact been under this mother of hers watchful eye the whole time.
From graduating the Northstar Starship Military Academy to joining the Owl Dragon System — far apart though they were, President Guiji had kept her hold on where this daughter of hers had got to.
"We were classmates. That she could come to me and give me her help is a thing I ought to be thanking her for. We came to the Stellar Alliance on business this time, and it happened we could come by and pay a call. As for me… you needn't mind me too much, in truth. You mother and daughter haven't seen each other in a long while; talk your own business over first." Zhao Chen pointed at the Xue Xiaoxiao beside him, who would have given anything to turn invisible.
Xue Xiaoxiao's face was a picture of death. This Commander-in-Chief of theirs truly did have a gift for lifting the one lid that shouldn't be lifted.
President Guiji looked too at this daughter of hers who had been away so many years, and her gaze was cold — though deep beneath the cold there were a good many other feelings stowed away.
"So you still know how to come home?" The tone in which President Guiji spoke to Xue Xiaoxiao and the one in which she had just been speaking to Zhao Chen might have belonged to two different people altogether.
"Mo… Mother…" Xue Xiaoxiao's fingers took hold of the hem of her own coat, and her expression turned as timid as a kitten caught out in some wrong.
Where now was anything of the captain who had once commanded a T4 interstellar battleship through a Sacred-War Duel!
"Had this been before, I would have shut you in the little dark room for a year outright. But this time, for the sake of the Owl Dragon lord's presence, I'll let the punishment go. Since you're so fond of staying out in the world, then I'll grant you that as well. From this day forward there is no Xue Xiaoxiao in the Star-Shark Interstellar Adventurers' Guild. You may go back to the Owl Dragon Legion and be a captain there to your heart's content. A-Gou, see the guests out."
With that, President Guiji turned and made straight to leave.
Xue Xiaoxiao had plainly not thought her mother would produce a turn like this.
She had imagined their meeting: her mother might strike her, might fly into a rage, might scold her, punish her heavily, might shut her up under guard.
But never in the world had she thought her mother would cut the tie between her and the Star-Shark Guild.
In that moment, something in Xue Xiaoxiao gave way. She asked herself whether going away alone, back then, had truly been so wrong as this.
Her body swayed, as though she might fall where she stood.
And just then, a large hand pressed against her back.
"What you don't understand, go and understand for yourself. Even if you were truly in the wrong, you mustn't be in the wrong in a muddle. All you need remember is this: you are a captain of the Owl Dragon Legion now, and whatever you may have done wrong, the Owl Dragon Legion stands behind you to bear it. And if punishment is to be had, only the Owl Dragon Legion has the right to deal with you! So now — show me the bearing of the Owl Dragon Legion."
The Commander-in-Chief's words came like clear broth poured over her head.
Xue Xiaoxiao rushed forward of a sudden, ran straight up to President Guiji, threw her arms wide, and said, righteous and unwavering, "Mother, I know something must have happened to our Star-Shark Guild. Or you would absolutely never have let Sister Xiaoxiao marry that bastard of the Qian family. You may keep it from me now. You may drive me away. But you know my temper. I will go and find the answer myself, and nobody stopping me will do the least good!"