Family Head Qian Feng's words did indeed rouse the feelings of no few of the representatives at the session.
For all along the Stellar Alliance had held itself out to the world as a single body, and there was no possibility of their turning a blind eye to the Qian family's being attacked.
"On this matter we had still better take counsel at length. I propose we first establish contact with that lord of the Owl Dragon Legion, and have it made clear what all this is actually about," President Guiji said.
Because over this stretch of time the Star-Shark Guild had, by means nobody knew, come to hold the channels of those several newly arrived interstellar traders — which had likewise set President Guiji's standing rising with the tide.
"I agree."
"Let us get clear what this is about first."
"And if that Owl Dragon lord can be made to know his difficulty and withdraw, so much the better. For peace breeds profit, after all."
So several of the representatives said in agreement.
"Gentlefolk, the Owl Dragon Legion's warships have already come up outside Stellar City, and have opened battle within Stellar City's no-combat zone. This is a provocation of the Stellar Alliance. I know that every one of the gentlefolk stands in some private competition with my Qian family. But our standing is the same at the least; and if my Qian family suffers this persecution and the Stellar Alliance makes no answer — then what of the next time, when it is one of your families! That the Stellar Alliance has come this far rests upon our being of one heart and one strength! Standing as one against the outsider!" Family Head Qian Feng was still trying to turn the Stellar Alliance's attitude against the Owl Dragon Legion outright.
And now a window appeared requesting to join the session.
It was the head of Stellar City's security, whom this whole body of them had propped up in his post.
They looked at one another, and consented to his joining.
"I report, my lords. Those warships outside that were attacking the Qian fleet are still closing upon Stellar City, and have now entered the range of our Stellar City's point-defense guns. At the same time our Stellar City security fleet's 900 warships have gone to combat status, and stand facing this fleet! The other side has sent word that we are to expel every Qian clansman within 10 minutes, or they will act themselves. And that any who dare to hinder their action bear the consequences themselves. Beyond that… by our identification, though those warships are of unknown model, several of them are T4-grade warships, and all the rest T3! Near 100 in number. How, if I may ask, are we to answer this?" Stellar City's security head asked it.
Which question left the whole company at a stand.
"Attack! Open fire! Destroy every one of those warships!" Family Head Qian Feng cried out wildly.
Family Head Qian Feng's words were, of course, now disregarded by everyone.
But neither had they thought the other side's attitude would be quite so plain.
Simply demanding they hand the Qian family's people over.
That went rather far.
"Get in contact with the other side. Now, at once!" one representative said in a low voice. "And inform them that this is Stellar City, and whatever the other side's origins may be— in Stellar City one keeps Stellar City's rules. Warn them not to go too far."
The security head went off to see to it.
"Family Head Qian Feng, what size of hornets' nest have you poked, that people should come chasing you to the very door? And with T4 and T3-grade warships, no less." President Guiji mocked him coldly.
At President Guiji's pressing manner toward Family Head Qian Feng—
the others found nothing strange in it; for all of them knew that President Guiji's daughter had been carried off at the Qian family's own wedding feast.
Put anyone in her place and their attitude toward the Qian family would be no better.
"Hmph… merely some matters of business. Doing interstellar trade out in the world, the gentlefolk can hardly avoid a few enemies either, can they?" Family Head Qian Feng gave a cold snort, and did not render any honest account of it.
And soon word came back from that body of Owl Dragon Legion warships.
"My lords, the other side states that their Commander-in-Chief is not present, that they will accept no negotiation of any kind, and will carry out only the military mission their Commander-in-Chief has laid down. Their Commander-in-Chief has said that today the Qian clansmen must pay the price for what they have done, and that any who dare shelter them or hinder him is declaring war upon the Owl Dragon Legion. And at the same time they warn us to expel the Qian family's fleet within 10 minutes, or they… will shell Stellar City. This is the second warning, and also the last." The security head's forehead was beaded over with sweat.
The other side's attitude was too settled by far.
"Villains! Do they suppose this is the Starlight Empire, the Owl Dragon System! Do they suppose that having a few T4 warships here lets them make a parade of their power? What do they take our Stellar Alliance for!" Family Head Qian Feng cried on and on, with the air of a man rousing a crowd.
President Guiji called it ill inwardly; the Owl Dragon fleet's attitude was sharpening the quarrel.
She looked round at the faces of the representatives, and the great bulk of them wore no good color at this hour.
"Hmph. Shell Stellar City? The troops this Owl Dragon lord has brought out have some nerve indeed."
"Our Stellar Alliance's military strength is not great, but our trade network and our connections reach into every empire, kingdom and neutral region of the Galactic Alliance. Let us only be willing to do it, and the price of some commodity in some star system can be tripled outright! And in one month, not one grain can be got into that region! Not one article of goods sold out of it!"
"I should rather like to see whether these Owl Dragon Legion warships dare fire upon Stellar City!"
So said several of the more hot-tempered representatives.
Seeing this, Family Head Qian Feng cried it good within: just so! This was the very result he wanted.
Let the Stellar Alliance and the Owl Dragon Legion once stand opposed, and the Owl Dragon Legion would meet with an enormous blow!
"Let us see what attitude the Owl Dragon Legion's warships take next," one elderly representative said in a low voice.
He was the eldest here, and the others gave him some measure of respect.
After that the company began, by way of their own webs of connection, to try to reach the Starlight Empire's side — to bring pressure upon this Owl Dragon lord through their partners over there.
Such were their means.
On the other side, outside Stellar City, the standoff with those under-100 Owl Dragon warships went on as before.
And that Owl Dragon fleet came no further forward; only every gun-muzzle of theirs was sighted upon the channel the Qian family had entered a short while ago.
Time went by, little by little.
And the 10 minutes the other side had named soon came to its end.
Within the Owl Dragon fleet, one Owl Dragon woman captain glanced at the time.
And gave the order to open fire, coldly.
Had any outsider been there, they would surely have been astonished — did this woman commander not know what Stellar City was?
That she should dare take it upon herself to open an attack, and with a bare hundred warships shell Stellar City!
To this Owl Dragon captain's eyes, Stellar City and everything about it weighed nothing beside her own Commander-in-Chief.
The more so as the Commander-in-Chief had conveyed his intent to her beforehand.
One: should Stellar City wish to speak with him, refuse on his behalf, and hold a hard line.
Two: threaten Stellar City to hand the Qian family over, or Stellar City will be shelled.
Three: any combat unit that dares attack an Owl Dragon warship may be destroyed outright, with no need to ask.
Zhao Chen meant to give this Stellar City a proper hammering.