With Stellar City drawing nearer and nearer—
a warning came in of a sudden on Family Head Qian Feng's side.
"Report — the rear of our fleet is under pursuit by enemy interstellar cruisers and interstellar battlecruisers, and ships are under attack!"
Family Head Qian Feng called up the radar chart at once.
Upon it were above 100 blue ship-markers — the warships their Qian family had fled out with.
And behind them, several dozen red markers were following hard.
Those being the interstellar cruisers and battlecruisers come in pursuit.
Running them down on the strength of high speed!
"Pass my order — the 30 warships at the rear are to cover our main fleet's withdrawal!" Family Head Qian Feng ordered without hesitation.
Which order was beyond doubt the sending of those 30 warships to their deaths.
But Family Head Qian Feng had no fear whatever that they would fail to obey; for the kin of every officer in the command of those 30 ships had all been placed aboard certain interstellar transports, and every one of those transports lay under Family Head Qian Feng's control.
Should these officers and men not obey the order, then the lives of their families rested upon one word of the Qian family's.
Sure enough, those 30 warships, having their order — and whatever those 30 captains may have thought of it — slowed meekly all the same, and turned to meet the enemy ships and cover the Qian main fleet's withdrawal.
But these 30 warships could not stop those powerful cruisers and battlecruisers at all.
A bare few passes of the exchange.
And those 30 Qian warships were so many heaps of hull-wreck, with firelight breaking out among them now and again.
And at the same time, those cruisers and battlecruisers crossed over the wreckage of these Qian ships and pressed on with the pursuit!
Family Head Qian Feng felt it in the flesh — but looking at Stellar City drawing closer and closer, he ordered 30 more warships to turn and cover them.
Only so could the safety of himself and his own be secured.
Only reach Stellar City! Only reach Stellar City, and we are safe!
That was the straw at which Family Head Qian Feng and the Qian family's upper ranks clutched.
And at last!
Having given up near 100 warships, the Qian fleet steered into what Stellar City called its no-combat zone.
This was a no-combat zone Stellar City had marked out. Among the Stellar Alliance's powers there would now and then be fighting and exchanges of fire.
But no one whatever might give battle within Stellar City's no-combat zone, and warships entering that region were required to shut down their own weapon modules.
So the Qian family's people supposed, without thinking, that they were safe now.
But suddenly Family Head Qian Feng saw, beyond the viewport off the starboard side, a Qian warship taking a hit; and the fireworks that bloomed from it brought dread into the face of every one of the Qian family.
Death… stood as near to them as that.
"What is this! Have we not entered the range of Stellar City's no-combat zone?" Qian Dafu shouted there, something broken in him.
"That isn't right — we're inside the range of Stellar City's no-combat zone already!" The adjutant, his head running with sweat, pointed at the red region marked out upon the star chart with Stellar City at its center.
At this hour every one of their Qian warships had entered that region.
Which dropped the Qian clansmen all at once as into a pit of ice.
"Ha ha ha! That fellow has gone mad — daring to open fire within Stellar City's no-combat zone! He is declaring war upon the Stellar Alliance!" Family Head Qian Feng laughed wildly, and there was something unhinged in it.
"Pay them no mind; we go on forward. This Owl Dragon Legion has made a grievous mistake. And we need only enter Stellar City, and we are safe. Would they dare shell Stellar City itself!"
Hearing this, the Qian family's people let out a breath as well.
There were still a great many Qian warships covering them round about, so they were safe enough; entering Stellar City would be no great problem.
"We are Qian family ships. We request entry to port at once! Request entry to port! Open the Qian family's exclusive channel immediately!"
The staff managing entries and departures at Stellar City received an application to enter port.
Seeing that these were Qian family ships, the port staff at once opened a channel exclusive to the Qian family, and allowed them entry with priority.
Word of the blood-washing of the Qian family's holdings had not yet reached Stellar City — the less so among these middle and lower ranks, who knew nothing whatever of what had happened.
To their eyes the Qian family was still that existence of decisive weight within the Stellar Alliance.
And a great Stellar Alliance power like the Qian family had even its own exclusive channel within Stellar City, with pilots the Qian family arranged specially to see to it, and priority of service.
At Stellar City's port management office, points of light appeared thick across one region of the radar chart, and the alarm sounded on the instant.
"Report — unidentified interstellar warships have appeared in the direction of region Y11, and are steering toward Stellar City! And at the same time… they appear to be pursuing the Qian family's warships. Several Qian warships have been destroyed inside the no-combat zone, and they are still firing!" the duty officer reported to his superior nervously.
A man in uniform came over and looked at those points of light on the chart.
"Daring to open fire inside the no-combat zone? Who is so bold and lawless as that?" This head of section knit his brows and snapped it out.
"Unclear. The other side's warships have established no identifiable beacon with our Stellar City," the staff member reported.
"Send a message to these warships at once, telling them this is Stellar City's no-combat zone, and no one whatever may give battle in this region!" the head of section said in anger.
"Yes!"
And soon they had their answer.
"Er… my lord… the other side replies… that the Owl Dragon Legion is carrying out a combat mission, pursuing an enemy, and that we are to stop the Qian family's warships from entering port immediately, or bear the consequences ourselves!" The staff member said it with something blank about him.
He hardly wished to believe his own eyes — that anyone should dare say such a thing here, in Stellar City!
Did they truly not know what Stellar City could bring to bear!
"Insolence!" The head of section was furious. And at this hour the leading Qian warships had already entered port, and by the Qian family's exclusive channel at that; he had neither the power to stop it nor the time.
And above all, there was that notion rooted deep in them: Stellar City was no place of war, and whatever the depth of the hatred, no one might open battle here.
What did this Owl Dragon Legion mean to do!
"Pass word down. Stellar City's patrol fleet is to stand ready for battle, and every defensive weapon of Stellar City to first-grade combat readiness. And at the same time notify Stellar City's management! Inform them of this. And send the other side another warning message!" Furious as the head of section was, he went by procedure all the same.
He was only the head of port entry and of Stellar City's security; Stellar City's true governors were a body of people above, in the Stellar Alliance — something after the manner of a council.
And soon the whole of Stellar City's upper ranks had word of the matter.
"This fellow truly can stir up trouble." Guiji of the Star-Shark Guild had the word as well, and there was astonishment all over her face.
And very soon she received notice of an emergency session of Stellar City.
She tapped to accept, and several video windows appeared before her.
10 in all.
Comprising the 10 families, powers and trade organizations with the greatest authority in the Stellar Alliance.
And Family Head Qian Feng of the Qian family among them!
"Gentlefolk, the Owl Dragon Legion is too insolent by far. Not only has it attacked our Qian family's holdings; it is now firing within Stellar City's no-combat zone. This is a provocation of the Stellar Alliance! I require that the gentlefolk stand as one against the outsider, and open trade sanctions upon the Owl Dragon's holdings!" Family Head Qian Feng cried it out wildly, his eyes bloodshot, his fury a thing one could feel through the data screen.