The Black Tiger tribe's home star
"Young Lord Black Tiger, toward the Owl Dragon Legion we can by no means afford to be careless. The rebel army have now joined with the Owl Dragon Legion, and will certainly launch an offensive against us next. We ought to gather the whole strength of the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth and destroy the Owl Dragon Legion and the Revolutionary Army utterly!" The Black Wolf Princess looked at the Young Lord Black Tiger opposite her, serene as a light cloud in a calm wind, gnawing at the meat upon his plate.
After the grievous blow the Black Wolf tribe had suffered earlier, to hope to defeat the rebel army and take revenge upon her own strength alone—
the Black Wolf Princess knew clearly could not be done.
The only hope, then, could be vested in the Four Giants' powers; and of the Four Giants' powers, the one most closely bound to the Black Wolf tribe was of course the Black Tiger tribe.
But over this stretch the Black Tiger tribe's attitude had been most ambiguous; they had agreed by word of mouth to destroy the rebel army for the Black Wolf tribe—
yet all this while there had been no substantive action.
While on the contrary, in every quarter, they had been quietly eating away at the Black Wolf tribe's interests.
Formerly the Black Wolf tribe could still have offered some resistance.
But now the Black Wolf Princess could only preserve, so far as she might, what little of the family estate remained.
"Cynthia, I know your hatred. But your standing and mine are unalike. Your father, on account of what happened earlier, has taken to his bed and not risen; you are already the Black Wolf tribe's supreme leader. And I? Within the Black Tiger tribe I hold only the standing of a young lord. It looks fine enough, but a great many matters are handled by my father, and it is not for me to be pointing this way and that."
The next second, the Young Lord Black Tiger swept a greedy gaze over the Black Wolf Princess. "But… if you were willing to agree to our proposal of a marriage alliance, and the two of us were joined— then your Black Wolf tribe's business would be my Black Tiger tribe's business. And my father would without question be willing, for your sake, to destroy the Revolutionary Army!"
The Black Wolf Princess's hands beneath the table clenched into fists.
The other's design could not be plainer.
If she truly agreed to the Young Lord Black Tiger's demand, her own sacrifice would be the smaller matter.
But by then the Black Wolf tribe would exist in name only, and would be eaten up by the Black Tiger tribe utterly and to the last morsel.
"I… I shall… consider it further." The Black Wolf Princess Cynthia lowered her head and murmured it.
The Young Lord Black Tiger smiled coldly and took up a napkin to wipe his mouth, looking at the Black Wolf Princess Cynthia opposite for all the world as at a piece of prey.
And just as he was about to press his attack further upon her psychological defenses—
a video window popped open.
"Where are you now? Do you know the Black Tiger King Naval Port has been attacked!" A roaring voice came through.
Video communication that could be opened without applying for it — that could only be the Young Lord Black Tiger's father.
The Young Lord Black Tiger looked at his father across the video window in astonishment. "What? The Black Tiger King Naval Port has been attacked? This… how can this be! Who is so bold as to dare attack our Black Tiger King Naval Port!"
"Who else — the Owl Dragon Legion that supports the rebel army, of course! And this is news we received half an hour ago; 10 minutes ago we lost contact with the Black Tiger King Naval Port. Besides that, four further strategic points in our Black Tiger Star Region have come under Owl Dragon Legion attack. At present… the situation is exceedingly bad." The Black Tiger chieftain covered his face; one could see the situation was exceedingly bad.
"This… how can this be… how should the Owl Dragon Legion come killing into our Black Tiger Star Region all at once? Have they gone mad! What is it they mean to do!" the Young Lord Black Tiger said in astonishment.
The Black Tiger chieftain said gravely, "I care nothing now for what they mean to do; what I want is to reduce our present losses. As of now, the Black Tiger legion interstellar warships of ours drawn into this on account of the Owl Dragon Legion's invasion already exceed 60,000. I have begun mobilizing some of the lords' fleets below us, but their fighting power gives no cause for optimism. I have requested support from the Giant Lion tribe, the Minotaur tribe and the Fox-folk tribe. I have even… been in contact with the Dragon-folk tribe…"
At the mention of the Dragon-folk tribe, one could see the Black Tiger chieftain was extremely displeased.
"What? The Dragon-folk tribe? How can you request support from the Dragon-folk tribe?" the Young Lord Black Tiger questioned without thinking.
Their Four Giants faction and the Dragon-folk faction had all along maintained a state of scorching tension.
For the Black Tiger tribe to request the Dragon-folk tribe's support at this juncture was beyond doubt to bow the head.
"This is no time to consider questions of face. The most important thing now is to reduce our losses. Do you know what places that damned Owl Dragon Legion has attacked? The Black Tiger King Naval Port in the First Star System, the Black Tiger Interstellar Military Works in the Second Star System, the Black Tiger Third Star Gate in the Third Star System, the Black Tiger Trade Port in the Fourth Star System, the Black Tiger Resource Mining District in the Fifth Star System! How important these are to our Black Tiger tribe I need hardly stress to you. If our Black Tiger tribe loses them, then our Black Tiger tribe will forfeit the standing we now hold. So by whatever means, this portion of the losses must be reduced as fast as may be. I have now assembled three Black Tiger legion fleets, among them my own elite, the Black Tiger Legion First Fleet — the 'Black Tiger King Legion.' I cannot leave here for the present; I must have charge of the other reinforcements coming in support. So you are to take charge of these three Black Tiger legion fleets at once, this instant, and hasten to the Black Tiger King Naval Port. If… if there is yet a chance, the Black Tiger King Naval Port must be held!" the Black Tiger chieftain ordered.
"Yes!" The Young Lord Black Tiger straightened up and accepted the order.
Thereafter the communication ended.
Without another word the Young Lord Black Tiger boarded his own shuttle and made for his flagship, to hasten to the field.
And in all that time the Young Lord Black Tiger did not speak so much as a sentence to the Black Wolf Princess Cynthia opposite him, for all the world as though he regarded her as empty air.
The Black Wolf Princess Cynthia watched the shuttle lift off; she raised a hand and opened an interstellar chart.
That was the Black Tiger tribe's interstellar chart.
Upon it she marked out the positions the Owl Dragon Legion had just attacked.
Several breaths later.
The Black Wolf Princess Cynthia boarded her own shuttle without hesitation and returned to her flagship.
She had scarcely walked onto the bridge before the soldiers within it saluted her one and all.
For, in order to draw closer to the Black Tiger tribe, the Black Wolf Princess had been on the Black Tiger home star this whole stretch.
The emergency order just handed down, calling every crew member back to his post—
had given them all a fright.
"Your Highness, why do you suddenly require us to assemble? Has something serious happened?" The woman adjutant came to the Black Wolf Princess Cynthia's side and asked it.
"Something has indeed happened." The Black Wolf Princess Cynthia sat down in the captain's chair, and looked through the viewport at the Black Tiger home star before her. "Take another look at it. Very soon this glorious Black Tiger home star will never be seen again."