The Purple Perilla Star Region.
The Su family's residence upon the summit of a range of mountains.
The old Governor Su, who had given it out to the world that he was in seclusion and taking his rest, was at this hour fishing in an artificial lake within that residence near 10,000 meters high.
"Father… the second civil war between Prince Yan's faction and the little Princess's has been under way near 40 hours now. And Prince Yan's side has sent us three edicts, requiring our Su family to put out forces and join the fighting." The Su family's eldest son looked at the old Governor Su, eyes shut and resting, with the rod in his hand, and said it in a low voice.
"How stands the fighting on either side?" the old Governor Su asked slowly.
The Su family's eldest son answered it point by point. "On the little Princess's field, the Princess Royal Fleet's hundred and fifty thousand warships stand against 30,000 imperial and 50,000 hive-race craft in a war of attrition. To this hour, every 10 hours the Princess Royal Fleet loses 5,000 warships. And Prince Yan's imperial forces lose 1,000 warships and 5,000 Hive Motherships every 10 hours; going by which… the Princess Royal Fleet should hold the advantage."
The old Governor Su refuted it. "No. Your view is too short. The Princess Royal Fleet uses the Owl Dragon Legion's tactics, and rests upon interstellar missile ships — that T2 Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship. That way of fighting is very fierce at the outset, but consumes interstellar missiles at a great rate. By my estimate, in the fighting to come the Princess Royal Fleet's losses will rise by degrees, while Qin Xiaotian's hive-race fleets grow bolder the longer they fight. With no hand from outside, it will likely become a bitter battle."
"My father is right." The Su family's eldest son lowered his head, and went on, "In the Chu Wen system the state of the fighting is that 50,000 hive-race craft are striking the Chu Wen system's industrial base; the Chu Wen garrison has the Chu family legion's 3,000 warships, along with relief arriving in succession from across the Chu River Star Region. And Chu Changhe leads five Chu family fleets himself, 15,000 warships, to their support. But the gap in strength between the two sides is too great; by the latest word, the Chu Wen system will likely fall within the next 10 hours!"
The old Governor Su said nothing, and only watched the still surface of the lake with his eyes half open.
"On the Northern Goose Group's field, for reasons unknown, comm transmission in that region is cut, and intelligence from within the field cannot be got out. So we can obtain no intelligence from that field," the Su family's eldest son said.
"And the Snow-Swallow Star Region? And how stands the investigation of that matter — is it established?" the old Governor Su asked.
Anger and dread flashed in the depths of his eldest son's eyes. "By our investigation, Qin Longcheng released some manner of hive-race virus in the Snow-Swallow Star Region, and has remade every living thing upon every habitable planet of 19 star systems into some manner of mutated hive-race! By the few who escaped… those 19 systems have become an existence like a hell upon earth. By estimate… above 1 trillion lives in those 19 systems… all of them… gone. The Owl Dragon lord's three legions have all gathered into one, and drive straight for the Snow-Swallow Star Region's second system — Qin Xiaotian's home base — with an exceedingly fierce assault, destroying outright the surface ecology of every planet polluted by the hive-race virus as they pass. By their present position, 30 hours at most should bring them to the Snow-Swallow Star Region's second system. The three Owl Dragon Legions' loss rate does not exceed 5%; but by our reckoning, their consumption of combat resources may be an astronomical figure. And I judge that this is exactly Qin Longcheng's purpose. To drag out the Owl Dragon Legion's rate of assault, and to consume the Owl Dragon Legion's combat resources."
And only now did the old Governor Su open his clouded eyes. "19 star systems. Above 1 trillion lives. Qin Longcheng truly did bring himself to it… Eldest — were it you, set in such a pass, would you dare do such a thing?"
The Su family's eldest son fell silent, and did not answer.
"Never mind, never mind. And that is why he, Qin Longcheng, is a Five-Star Marshal of our Starlight Empire, and you are merely the Su family's eldest son. And I have seen it too: you younger ones can hold what is built, but as for the rest… you fall a long way short. I hope only that once this undying old creature is gone, you people may keep the Su family standing a few hundred years more." The old Governor Su laughed.
His eldest son said at once, "Ancestor, what talk is that! You may live a thousand years! I have already learned that the Holy Radiance Empire's research into the extension of life has had a breakthrough — one phial of life-extension serum, and it wants only 10 million star coins, one phial injected a month. I have already arranged for people to procure it."
Upon this business of extending his span, the old Governor Su did not argue.
Because he feared death, and wished to go on living.
"Enough of that; back to the matter. And the Owl Dragon System? Is Qin Xiaotian's move there merely a feint?" the old Governor Su said.
His eldest son nodded. "What my father said before was right: the Owl Dragon System is merely a feint, and no fighting of any great fierceness has broken out."
"And Chu Changhe's Chu family fleets?" the old Governor Su asked.
His eldest son said, "Though Marshal Chu leads a force himself to support the Chu Wen system, the Chu family fleets on the frontal field are pressing their attack harder still, and have now driven from the Chu River Star Region into the Starlight Central Star Region. They have taken four systems and destroyed above 10,000 imperial warships. The Chu family fleets' assault drives straight in, and points at the Imperial Capital Star!"
The old Governor Su mused a while.
And just then the float bobbed a few times. A bite!
The old Governor Su drew in his line, and a fish of many colors, of no breed anyone could name, came up on it.
His eldest son stepped forward at once to help take the fish off.
"The situation is not yet clear; our Su family cannot declare a side at once. But there are some motions on the surface that may still be gone through. Pass my order: the Su family's fleets are to begin concentrating now, and the pre-battle concentration and preparation should want about a week to complete. Mind you — a week." There was a meaning beneath the old Governor Su's words.
His eldest son nodded, and repeated it. "Understood. Pre-battle preparation complete in a week!"
"And have the third boy keep up his contacts with several of the trusted men under Qin Xiaotian. And have the second boy spend more time with that girl Su Lan's parents these days; let Su Lan's parents keep in touch with Su Lan — send messages, report themselves well, talk of family matters, anything will do," so the old Governor Su said.
"Understood. I shall go and see to it," his eldest son said.
The old Governor Su looked at the many-colored fish his son held out to him, and having taken it, threw it straight back into the lake.
"It is not yet time for it to be caught. Ah — this old thing of me has never liked their brawling and squabbling so. What is all this warring for? Live well, have children — is that not better?"
The old Governor Su let out a long sigh, and turned and walked toward the house, grumbling now and then as he went, and complaining of the situation as it stood.
And the Su family's eldest son followed behind his father, deferential throughout.