After finishing his call with someone on the other side of the sea of stars, Jiang Jianming looked up against the scorching sun of Beta Alien Star and saw that someone was already waiting for him a few steps away.
At the entrance to the starship port, a middle-aged general with thick eyebrows and a short beard stood tall and straight. His Silver Big Dipper uniform outlined his strong and tough physique.
The general’s square face was serious. He saluted Jiang Jianming and said, “This subordinate, Jin Min, greets His Royal Highness the Crown Princess.”
Jiang Jianming immediately returned the salute. “Lieutenant General Jin,” he said in a deep voice, “there is no need to be so polite. You are the general of the fortress here.”
Jin Min, Lieutenant General Jin. The supreme commander of the Second Army of the Silver Beidou, and also the commanding general of the Second Fortress of Beta Alien Star… Jiang Jianming had met this man a few times before, but they were not close friends; the last time they had seen each other was at the interstellar military conference, where they had only exchanged a quick glance.
Although Jiang Jianming had said not to be so polite, Jin Min obviously did not dare to be negligent. The general immediately led the young man, who was of high status and suffering from an illness, down from the open-air starship port – as if he was afraid that he would get heatstroke if he stood there any longer.
After all, Beta’s air was hot and dry, mixed with fine sand and dust, a different kind of discomfort from the frigid Alpha Alien Star.
As the two entered the interior of the fortress, the temperature dropped considerably.
Because of its proximity to the Starship Port, this area was still bustling with activity. Mechas glided along the runways, soldiers coming and going on black alloy steel plates, the sound of their boots echoing. It was indeed a long-lost frontier fortress.
“Uh…” Jin Min seemed a little flustered. After all, the last time this little excellency had visited the Second Fortress was almost four years ago, when he had been pampered by His Highness Ryann.
The other person had already been promoted to a colonel with double insignia on the Golden Sun Wheel and Silver Big Dipper. His command of the recent interstellar warship battle was nothing short of brilliant, his psychological strategies interlocking, toyed with the cunning space bandits in the palm of his hand. At the same time, he was also the newly appointed crown princess, and…he was a non-crystal human with a weak constitution!
Lieutenant General Jin, a veteran of many battles, didn’t know how to treat this young man with “too many identity elements” in front of him.
His face was rarely as red as a rough old man being forced to hold a jade item in his arms. He rubbed his hands together and spoke first, “Your Highness…”
Jiang Jianming waved his hands repeatedly and smiled wryly, “No, no need to call me Your Highness. I’m not used to this title myself.”
“Then, I’ll presume to follow in the footsteps of Major General Xie and still call you Little Excellency.”
Jin Min hesitated, “The environment in interstellar is harsh, and the fortress is not much better. Does Little Excellency feel unwell? Do you need to rest first?”
“Should I take you to your room or directly to the medical area?”
Jiang Jianming was slightly startled, then said helplessly, “Lieutenant General, is it a standard feature for Silver Big Dipper people to get nervous when they hear about disabled humans?”
“I do have a medical condition, but since I dare to go on the battlefield, I’m not at the point where I need special care from others. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Jin Min was speechless for a moment. Just then, Major Zheng Yue finished ordering the mecha soldiers to unload their armor and leave the port. As he passed by, he naturally saluted and reported:
“Lieutenant General, don’t listen to Little Excellency’s nonsense. He has chronic crystal disorder—”
Jiang Jianming gave him a glare, “Go! What about the rules?”
Zheng Yue immediately ran away, leaving Jiang Jianming not knowing whether to cry or laugh. He and Lieutenant General Jin walked down to the next level while talking, and the familiar steel passageway came into view.
The three alien star fortresses of the Silver Big Dipper had a unified structural style, but the layout and defense systems of each functional area differed greatly. This was to prevent the enemy from easily mastering the layout of the remaining two fortresses after the fall of the first one. Now it seemed that it could only be described as far-sighted.
“The problem of the Lava Space Bandits has been settled for now, and we can accept Major General Xie’s fleet to dock at any time.”
Jin Min said, “But the carrying capacity of the second fortress is also limited. Strategic retreat is indeed a bold plan, but if we cannot recapture the first fortress within half a year, it will be very difficult afterwards.”
Jiang Jianming naturally understood the pros and cons, and he thought about it while listening to the sound of military boots hitting the ground.
At this moment, the automatic door opposite suddenly opened, and an officer strode in, “Report, Lieutenant General!”
Jiang Jianming fixed his eyes and found that he actually recognized the person who came.
This was clearly the officer who had brought him to the alien star, the new soldier instructor of the second fortress, Lieutenant Colonel Louis!
At this time, Louis also saw him.
In an instant, the lieutenant colonel’s face turned ashen, his eyes filled with grief and resentment. He wanted to say something, but stopped himself again and again:
How could it be you…pooh, how could it be you! The dignified Crown Princess, what were you doing pretending to be a new soldier when you ran to the Far Star? You deceived me so badly!
Jiang Jianming was very innocent. How could he have known that he would become the Crown Princess in less than a year? He thought he was just an ordinary widow.
But he couldn’t explain this clearly, so he could only pretend not to understand. He turned to Jin Min and smiled, “Lieutenant General, don’t worry about me.”
The Little Excellency was so gentle and innocent that Jin Min didn’t understand what was going on. He raised an eyebrow and sank his face, “Louis, this is His Highness the Crown Princess, you should not be rude.”
Louis felt even more aggrieved. Lieutenant General Jin still didn’t know what had happened back then…Why? Because the news was intercepted by His Highness Ryann!
He also pretended to be mysterious and aloof, saying “That person is not to be underestimated,” and “I felt threatened”–
Louis was heartbroken and thought to himself: Don’t you just want to spoil your favorite person? Just say it directly, Your Highness, would anyone dare to do anything to you?
Of course, he dared not pour out all the grievances in his stomach.
Lieutenant Colonel Louis could only salute Jiang Jianming sullenly, adjust his shaky mentality, and continue his report.
“Lieutenant General, the space bandits have now confirmed their retreat, and the suspected spy still refuses to admit it, and his words are all over the place. Some people suggest that he be sent back to the country for trial in a military court. What do you think…”
“Spy?”
Jiang Jianming was really surprised, thinking how could there be a spy mixed in in a place like Silver Big Dipper.
“Oh, yes,” Jin Min explained, “we found a guy from the last batch of recruits who has ties to the space bandits, but it’s just in the suspicion stage…”
The lieutenant general turned his head. “Louis, show the Little Excellency the file.”
For some reason, Louis’s face became even more colorful.
He pulled up the information from his wrist device. “You might still remember him,” he said, handing over a file of Silver Big Dipper soldiers. The photo was of a man with tanned skin and a simple expression.
Jiang Jianming was even more surprised. “It’s him?”
He did have an impression of the man. He was the one who had sat next to him on the starship to the alien star. He was a bit dim-witted, but his crystal bones were quite strong. He remembered his name was…Gao Long.
“Last month, we confirmed his identity,” Louis said. “He’s the son of a Lava Space Bandit.”
As he spoke, he pulled up another file and handed it over. Jiang Jianming immediately recognized him too.
—It was the big Space Bandit guy who always followed Red Dragon around!
The file stated that the Space Bandit’s codename was “Old Black Sheep” and his real name was Kenny Gao. He was once a resident of Maz.
Calculating the time, when Old Black Sheep left home to join the Space Bandit group, Gao Long should still have been in his infancy.
“…”
Jiang Jianming looked at Louis with mixed emotions, and he immediately understood the sad, angry, and resentful eye contact.
A Crown Princess and a son of a notorious Space Bandit were both among last year’s new recruits. That was indeed quite a sour and refreshing experience.
However…
Jiang Jianming frowned and thought to himself: The Gao Long he remembered didn’t seem like the type who could handle the high-level mental work of being a “spy.”
He checked the time again. It should still be a while before Ryann and his fleet return.
“Can you take me to see this person?” Jiang Jianming asked.
****
Ten minutes later, in the dimly lit Silver Big Dipper dungeon, separated by two electrified fences, Jiang Jianming saw the unusually strong figure.
Gao Long’s hands and feet were shackled with electronic cuffs, and he was sitting in the corner of the cell, legs outstretched, whistling an out-of-tune version of the imperial national anthem out of boredom.
His hair was a bit messy, and he was wearing a special prison uniform, but he still looked quite spirited. It seemed that Silver Big Dipper did not use extreme methods such as severe punishment to extract confessions.
Jiang Jianming walked in, still not sure how to start the conversation. Gao Long, who was inside, lit up when he saw him. He jumped up and bounced like a carp.
“Hey, little brother!? Isn’t this my long-lost little brother!”
Jin Min scolded, “Shut up! This is His Highness the Crown Princess, not someone you can be disrespectful to.”
Gao Long clapped his big hands together, jubilantly saying, “The Crown Princess! Ah, I knew my little brother wasn’t just anyone!”
… For the things he couldn’t explain, Jiang Jianming once again chose to ignore them. And he was glad Ryann wasn’t there, otherwise, hearing Gao Long call him “my little brother” all the time, with His Highness’s possessiveness, he might get angry enough to bite someone.
He pointed at the fence and said, “Lieutenant General, can this be opened?”
Soon, the black-haired officer walked in.
Gao Long was still scratching his head in confusion, “No, isn’t the Crown Prince already dead? Then wouldn’t my little brother be a royal widow…a widower?”
Lieutenant General Jin flushed with anger. Jiang Jianming immediately said that it was okay. He sat down on the ground facing Gao Long and said gently, “Good friend, let’s not rush into the topic of catching up on old times. We need to clear up your problem first. I’m asking, are you a spy?”
Gao Long: “No! I’ve already told the officers that I’m not!”
“Do you know that your father is a Space Bandit leader?” Jiang Jianming asked.
“I know,” Gao Long confessed frankly.
“Then… does your joining the Silver Big Dipper army have anything to do with your father?”
“Of course it does,” the big guy declared firmly. “I came here to find my damn old man. The Silver Big Dipper’s second fortress deals with Space Bandits the most, so of course I had to join the army here.”
“Then, what happened after finding your father in the Silver Big Dipper?”
Gao Long scratched his head honestly and said, “Oh, I haven’t thought about that yet.”
Jiang Jianming’s eyelids twitched. He thought to himself: no wonder the fortress suspects you as a spy. Even if you’re not one now, you might become a traitor in the future…
After a brief conversation, he combined Gao Long’s words with the information Silver Big Dipper had gathered and pieced together the history of this family.
It turned out that Gao Long’s parents were residents of Maz when they were young… As everyone knew, Mars was the poorest star city in the empire. It was said that “poor mountains and bad waters breed unruly people,” and this place had been prone to riots for quite some time.
Kenny Gao’s experience was nothing more than the hardships of the poor, nothing new to tell. It was just a cliché story of an honest man being cheated into a mountain of debt. To make matters worse, his wife lost her ability to work after falling ill, and their newborn son was crying out for food.
With no other options, Kenny resorted to joining the Space Bandits, taking on the alias “Old Black Sheep,” and began working for the Lava. Initially, he was able to send money and supplies to his wife and son regularly. However, as tensions between the empire and the Lava Space Bandits escalated, Old Black Sheep’s messages became increasingly infrequent until they eventually ceased altogether.
Gao Long, following in his father’s footsteps, was strong but simple-minded. After seeing off his ailing mother, he embarked on a journey to the Far Star to find his biological father, as per her dying wish.
Coincidentally, just as he was about to meet his father, the empire and the Lava were embroiled in frequent battles. The empire discovered his father’s true origins before they could reunite, leading to the current situation.
“This is not uncommon, Little Excellency,” Jin Min sighed beside him. “The Space Bandits emerged during the dark ages of the old empire. The majority of its early members were from the lower classes who were persecuted by the old empire, with a small number being freedom fighters determined to overthrow the tyranny.”
“The current situation…can be considered a historical legacy, all things considered.”
“…”
Jiang Jianming remained silent. He stood up, leaning on his knees, his pale brow furrowed with a faint, unconscious frown.
He had read a lot of history and understood the subsequent developments: the old empire was overthrown, but the Space Bandits, accustomed to the free-roaming “outlaw” life, despised the old empire and looked down on the newly established empire, even more, not daring to trust it.
In the early days of the founding of the nation, the Space Bandit groups, large and small, made different choices, with the vast majority deciding to maintain the status quo. And then…
Jin Min’s heart skipped a beat. He studied Jiang Jianming’s expression in the dim light of the dungeon, feeling even more admiration for this extraordinary young Crown Princess.
On the faces of generals who only know how to fight, it was rare to see such an expression; even rarer on the faces of nobles in high positions.
Some politicians who claim to care about the country and the people often wear a similar expression on their faces all year round. But whenever they speak eloquently, all they say was unrealistic sweet talk.
It’s a pity that such a brilliant and patriotic Crown Princess was also afflicted with crystal disorder.
“Little Excellency,” Jin Min thought of this and couldn’t bear it, “You’ve been working hard today, let me take you to rest.”
Jiang Jianming was silent for two seconds, then suddenly reached out and pressed the electronic handcuffs on Gao Long’s wrist, saying seriously, “How about we persuade your father to return to the empire?”
Lieutenant General Jin was shocked.
Gao Long was overjoyed. “Okay!”
Jiang Jianming calmly continued, “Do you know that your father has a red-haired little friend with him now? If we bring him to the empire too, you’ll have a younger brother to play with.”
Lieutenant General Jin’s face turned pale.
Gao Long was even more excited. “Okay, okay!”
Jiang Jianming was about to say more when Jin Min rushed in and grabbed him, saying anxiously, “Little Excellency! At this point, the hatred between the Lava and the empire is almost impossible to…”
Jiang Jianming remained calm and said, “Lieutenant General, I know it’s difficult. But the rampant Crystal Cult is the current priority. If the empire and the Lava Space Bandits can establish a truce…”
His gaze was fierce, “Even a temporary truce would make things much easier.”
Jin Min sighed again and he used his palm to weakly support Jiang Jianming’s arm, which was a polite gesture of persuading him to come out.
Jiang Jianming immediately realized that the general could not possibly not understand such a simple concept.
He followed Jin Min silently out of the cell. The lieutenant general said, “Little Excellency, do you know how the first Holy War failed back then?”
“…I know.”
Jiang Jianming’s heart sank even further. In order to investigate Ryann’s situation, he had meticulously researched that period of history.
Back then, despite facing opposition, the Great Emperor dispatched a fleet on an interstellar space expedition. While the journey was arduous, the fleet initially managed to press forward.
— If the Lava Space Bandits hadn’t ambushed the fleet, the outcome might have been different.
“I know that too!”
Suddenly, Gao Long behind them started yelling again.
“The reason the First Holy War failed was because His Majesty the Great Emperor was in a rush to achieve success! He argued with the commander even when they were out on the battlefield, causing a rift and preventing the troops from following orders. How could that work?!”
Lieutenant General Jin was about to lose his temper again. Jiang Jianming, on the other hand, just smiled wryly. The complexities of war were not something that could be summarized in a few words. He didn’t take Gao Long’s words seriously.
However, the anger on Jin Min’s face dissipated like smoke, replaced by a long sigh and a murmur. “Yes, Commander Aslan…”
“Little Excellency may not know,” Jin Min said in a low voice, “but in fact, Commander Aslan was already seriously ill before the Holy War.”
Just as Jiang Jianming showed surprise, he saw Lieutenant General Jin’s eyes filled with pity:
“It wasn’t a disagreement. It is said that at that time, the commander’s physical condition was no longer suitable for him to go on the expedition. This was not a simple metaphor for physical or mental exhaustion, but… he was already so weak that he could not withstand the concentration of crystal particles in the Far Star.”
Jiang Jianming’s heart trembled violently, as if a tight grip had been placed around her chest.
“…But,” he couldn’t help but open his mouth in a daze, “but because of the Lava’s ambush, the Imperial starships were trapped, and in the end, it was Commander Aslan who led the troops to the rescue…”
“After returning home, the commander did indeed pass away soon after. So…”
Jiang Jianming felt the words stuck in his throat. He uttered his voice with great difficulty, “Was it the Lava Space Bandits who indirectly killed Dawn Aslan?”
