President Guiji saw the 10 video windows before her all flicker, as though the signal had suffered interference, and at the same time there was a slight shaking underfoot.
"What is this?"
"Why does it feel as though there'd been an earthquake?"
"We are in Stellar City — how should there be an earthquake?"
The other representatives seemed to have felt it too, and looked about them in bewilderment, one and all.
"This is bad, my lords. Only a moment ago, the other side's fleet shelled the Qian family's channel outright! There are no casualties among the personnel, but the Qian channel and a dozen-odd point-defense guns about it have been destroyed." The security head reported it in alarm.
And at the same time sent the imagery through to the lords.
In the picture one could see that in one district of Stellar City a section had caved inward, and the part left exposed was scorched black and broken, with black smoke still rising from it.
At this hour every one of those at the session grew tense.
Never in the world had they thought the Owl Dragon Legion's warships would truly dare shell Stellar City.
"Strike back! Attack! The Owl Dragon Legion has fired upon our Stellar City — are the gentlefolk of our Stellar City, of the Stellar Alliance, still to swallow the insult! For if so, then the gentlefolk of our Stellar Alliance will surely be laughed at hereafter wherever we go to do business!" Family Head Qian Feng roared it out in agitation.
"It is true that we cannot carry on as though nothing had happened."
"The shelling of Stellar City — this is the first time such a thing has occurred, and we must make some answer to it!"
"This is no longer the Qian family's business alone; it touches the face of our Stellar Alliance."
Above half the representatives gave their views, which came to no more than mounting a reprisal upon the attacker!
President Guiji knit her brows. How had the thing taken such a turn as this?
And that lord too — going into action without so much as notifying her beforehand; she had no idea now how she was to work in concert with him.
And just as Family Head Qian Feng was watching the company come round to a decision for armed reprisal—
the security head cried out suddenly in terror. "This is bad! In the outer radar region, a great number of interstellar warships detected — the number… the number is at the least above 1,000. And every one of them a T3-grade warship!"
At this word every representative present was struck with alarm.
"All of them Owl Dragon Legion warships?" the elderly representative asked.
"By the fleet blazons we have imaged, they are all Owl Dragon Legion warships."
"Is the number established?"
"Not yet established, but the rough estimate should be around 3,000."
"All of them T3 warships?"
"There are a small number of T4 warships as well."
"……"
The representatives were, at this hour, all of them silent.
Several among them went so far as to turn furious eyes on Family Head Qian Feng — as though blaming him for provoking so hard a nut as this, and then, of all things, running to Stellar City to play the turtle with his head drawn in.
"I propose we order every Stellar City warship to mount no attack without our command. And withdraw every fighting hand from about the Qian family's channel. Until this business is understood clearly, we cannot act rashly." The elderly representative spoke up now.
Which proposal soon had the agreement of the great bulk of those present.
Including, indeed, those several who had been crying for reprisal against the Owl Dragon warships a moment before.
Under 100 warships, and they had confidence enough to make a reprisal.
But now there were near 3,000, and all of them T3-grade to a hull.
How was one to make reprisal on that?
A moment's carelessness and their whole Stellar City might well go into the bargain.
"How have your dealings with the Starlight Empire's connections gone? Can pressure be brought upon this Owl Dragon lord?" the elderly representative asked.
Several representatives who had their answers wore an odd look.
And said it slowly.
"A partner of mine in the Starlight Empire, on hearing it was the Owl Dragon Legion, said straight out that he could give no help whatever."
"I do have a partner in the North Wind Star Region where this Owl Dragon System lies — a marquis, no less! But on hearing it was the Owl Dragon lord, he stated at the first instant that if we truly made an enemy of the Owl Dragon lord, they would break off cooperation with us outright."
"I had heard this Owl Dragon lord has some connection with the Chu family of the Chu River Star Region; I have some cooperation with the Chu family, so I made an inquiry. The other side stated that to be the Owl Dragon lord's enemy is to be the Chu family's enemy. And that we might weigh it for ourselves."
Hearing all this, the whole company was astounded.
They were not in the Starlight Empire, and naturally did not know Zhao Chen's influence over the whole of it — and above all over the Chu River Star Region and the North Wind Star Region.
And just then, those 3,000 warships had come within Stellar City's range of fire.
3,000 warships, hanging there in full array, like a black cloud pressing down upon Stellar City.
Which left every soul within Stellar City who had word of it in fear for themselves.
There were even cases of people fleeing out the far side of Stellar City.
"Then what are we to do now?" one rather nervous representative asked.
The company looked at one another.
They had not thought it would come to this pass.
"Report! The Owl Dragon Legion's Commander-in-Chief has sent a video message." The security head reported it urgently now.
"Play it for us at once. And get in contact with this Owl Dragon lord! Whatever the matter is, we can sit down and talk of it!" the elderly representative said on the instant.
The security head said with a bitter smile, "I did reply as well; but the other side says… whether we can sit down and talk depends upon our good faith. My lords… you had better look at this video message first."
And so saying, that message began to play.
Its subject was a young man seated in a captain's chair.
"Gentlefolk of the Stellar Alliance, I am Zhao Chen, lord of the Owl Dragon System. My coming to Stellar City this time is not to make an enemy of the gentlefolk, but to settle accounts with a certain person." There was no feeling whatever in Zhao Chen's voice.
Settle accounts?
Hearing the words, the company looked at Family Head Qian Feng.
What size of calamity had this fellow provoked?
"Gentlefolk, our Stellar Alliance is a single body, and cannot—" Family Head Qian Feng was still trying to make his case, and was warned off outright by the elderly representative.
"Be silent."
The company went on listening to that Owl Dragon lord.
"I visited Stellar City before this, and met with an attack from an unknown quarter; and by our investigation, behind those attackers stood the Qian family. Beyond that, the Qian family sent fleets to the Chu River Star Region to hunt our people, and sold them as slaves, and tormented them. And further, while we were carrying out our rescue operation, the Qian family, in league with the Sacred Lancer Legion, laid an ambush for my Owl Dragon Legion. Having no other course, we could only annihilate them entire. Between the Qian family and myself there is a hatred that ends only in death. So I hope the gentlefolk within Stellar City will think three times before they act." Zhao Chen said this much, and said no more.
And after the video message came several files.
And those files were, plainly, the proofs of what Zhao Chen had just said!
The proofs were the lesser matter; the company were more taken up with digesting what the lord Zhao Chen had said a moment ago.
He said… he had annihilated the Sacred Lancer Legion entire?
That was one of the Holy Radiance Empire's Ten Great Sacred-Light Legions.
Could this possibly be true?
"At once — put every channel to use, and get to the bottom of what has passed between the Qian family and the Owl Dragon Legion over this period!" the elderly representative said in a tone very near to a command.