Cavnos Planet Star Map Draftsman I: Federation War

In the end, Jonathan couldn’t win the argument with Sandra, so he gave Dawn Lucius a certificate to accompany the visit. When they stepped aboard, the Ashton Federation’s large logo covered almost the whole side of the ship: a diplomatic ship bound for Visadio Planet with a quiet crew, and a war that was spreading faster than a hangover. Carlson used Lord Winifred as a shield and made his way through the Moreth Federation with little resistance, leaving the Ninth Legion and the Centaly on Sundium Planet to confront Jonathan, and no one could understand what Carlson’s intentions were. No one could understand what Carlson’s intentions were, and as Sandra and Dawn Lucius set sail, Carlson’s fleet was heading for Malea Planet in the Ashton Federation.

The political structure of the Ashton Federation determined the layout of its administrative bodies. There were five political bodies in the Ashton Federation. The Interior Sector, the center of the political groups, was on Visadio Planet; it was mainly led by Madam Winifred and Lord Winifred and handled the evaluation and appointment of officials at every level throughout the Federation. Visadio Planet was in the safe zone of the Ashton Federation’s star field, backed by the void between the Orion Arm and the Perseus Arm, so it was difficult for enemies to attack from that side, which was a natural moat. The Innovation Sector was on Malea Planet and was in charge of building ships and weapons. The Justice Sector was on Sivastia Planet and was in charge of making and enforcing the Ashton Federation’s criminal law; it was also the largest prison in Ashton Federation, where almost all prisoners were locked up. The Energy Sector was on Yasies Planet, a huge planet with fertile soil and the Ashton Federation’s largest food production base. The last political body of the Ashton Federation was the Defense Sector, on Cavnos Planet, where the military was stationed.

The front gate of Visadio Planet was the vast star field of Ashton Federation, where countless stars and habitable planets hung, and in theory, Ashton Federation should have chosen some of these planets to build armies and fortifications, but that was only in theory. The Ashton Federation’s star field was a flat grassland with no natural barriers against the enemy.

“Dawn, do I remember you saying you learned military theory on Earth?” Sandra, sitting in the corner of the room with her head down and both hands clasped, asked Dawn Lucius.

“Yes.” Dawn Lucius leaned against the wall on the other side. At the current rate of the Strath people’s advance, they could probably finish taking Ashton Federation in a month or so. He inwardly hoped that Ashton Federation would defeat the Strath people; otherwise, it would be much easier for the Strath people to attack the solar system, right?

Sandra looked up at Dawn Lucius and continued to ask. “Of the Strath people’s two forces now, the force led by Carlson is approaching Malea Planet, and his intention is obvious: to occupy Malea Planet, where all the ships and weapons of Ashton Federation are concentrated. Without ships and weapons, the Ashton army will not be able to resist the Strath people.”

“Yes,” Dawn Lucius replied.

“What about Burt? Why is he flying his army towards Yasies Planet? Was it to block Ashton Federation’s food supply?” Sandra asked as she sat up straight and she looked at Dawn Lucius.

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple.” Dawn Lucius sighed. He left the spot where he had been leaning, walked to the other side to lean on the wall, and continued. “Yasies Planet is a food base, but even if the food there isn’t shipped out for six months, the impact on other planets won’t be much. Have you noticed? The food Ashton Federation ships from Yasies Planet to other planets is mainly surplus; only a very few mining planets rely on Yasies Planet’s food. If Burt is leading the army in that direction, the most likely goal is Sivastia Planet.”

“Sivastia Planet?” Sandra continued, more puzzled, as she stood up and began pacing. “Why would he want to go there? It can’t be to break into a prison and save someone, can it?”

“No.” Dawn Lucius shook his head.

“And why?” Sandra asked as she stopped in front of Dawn Lucius.

“Think about it. Ashton Federation has so many prisoners, and they are the cheapest labor. Originally, Yasies Planet was a planet without people; when Ashton Federation turned the prisoners of Sivastia Planet into labor, Yasies Planet became the biggest food production base of Ashton Federation. I guess your authorities have made a lot of legal efforts to expand the workforce by criminalizing a large number of acts that are not really crimes, so that if people even slightly touch them, they are sentenced to work on Yasies Planet, and when there is no work, the prisoners are locked back up on Sivastia Planet. As potential enemies of the Ashton Federation, they are useful to Burt; he brought half of the Strath people to fight their way through there for the simple purpose of forming a new army.”

Sandra listened to Dawn Lucius and stood motionless like a frozen tree, staring at the wall behind Dawn Lucius. The Ashton Federation had spread its five political groups so widely apart that, thanks to its illustrious past, even though they were separated, there was little danger, and they had brought greater benefits to the Federation as a whole. But the two princes of the Strath Federation were running rampant in the Moreth Federation and the Ashton Federation, all because of the alienation between the various functions within the Federations. Moreover, Madam Winifred had sent a large number of troops and the Everlasting Army to save Lord Winifred, and that powerful military force was now just an elephant caught in Carlson’s pincers. As of now, Visadio Planet was safe for the time being; Malea Planet, which dominated weapons and airships, was about to fall; and Sivastia Planet, which held prisoners, was a time bomb that Ashton Federation had not yet reacted to, and it had become the enemy’s new legion base. As for Yasies Planet, apart from food, the main thing left there was the prisoners, and the Strath people could easily turn them. So it seemed that three-fifths of the core political group of Ashton Federation had been lost, leaving only Visadio Planet and one other planet to rely on.

Sandra suddenly came to life, her eyes hollow, her lips trembling, repeating, “I have to inform my brother. We can’t go to Visadio Planet first! Yes!”

“Your brother?”

“Yes, my brother.”

“Where is your brother?”

“He’s at Cavnos Planet.”

“I see. Ashton Federation’s main army is stationed on that planet; they are training there and waiting for orders to act.”

“Yes, I have to tell my brother to guard Cavnos Planet.”

“Then why not just go to the guy who runs the place and tell him what’s going on now?”

“Yes, my brother is the one who runs the Cavnos Planet army. His name is Duncan, the chief of the Ashton Federation Defense Sector,” Sandra said as she walked up to Dawn Lucius.

“Can your brother deploy the army directly?”

“Yes!” Some concern grew on Sandra’s face, and she turned her back on Dawn Lucius.

“What’s wrong?” Dawn Lucius asked.

Sandra hesitated a bit and did not answer Dawn Lucius.

Dawn Lucius came around to face her. He didn’t open his mouth; he didn’t intend to put any pressure on her. After all, if Sandra could really tell him, she didn’t need to hide it.

“Here’s the deal.” Sandra looked up at Dawn Lucius and spoke. “Although my brother is the governor of Cavnos Planet, he needs Visadio Planet’s agreement to mobilize the army. Without Visadio Planet’s transfer order, the army will not listen to my brother, not to mention ......” Sandra did not continue. Dawn Lucius thought there should be nothing complicated here; internal struggles in armies were common. He did not want to pass any judgment on Duncan, but Duncan could not be so perfect that the people under him were all devoted to him to the death.

“Have you ever heard of the two political factions of the Ashton Federation?” Sandra asked Dawn Lucius after the two were silent for a while.

“I’ve heard.”

“Some years ago, there was an army rebellion right on Visadio Planet, and Lord Winifred was almost assassinated. From then on, Lord Winifred did not trust the army at all. He set up a very strict system for mobilizing the army; even Visadio Planet can only station very few troops, and those troops can only operate in a limited area. There are rumors that the rebel army was authorized by Madam Winifred, who is a conservative, and my brother is on the side of the conservatives, so I fear that he will not be able to mobilize the army.”

“If your brother mobilizes the army, it has to be cleared by Lord Winifred, right?” Dawn Lucius added.

“Yes. But Lord Winifred is in Carlson’s hands now, and my brother can’t get Cavnos Planet’s army to move.”

“It’s wartime. I guess Cavnos Planet’s army is concerned about being able to stop the Strath people, so we can go and try.”

“Then we have to tell the pilot to divert to Cavnos Planet,” Sandra said, and headed out the door.

The two left the conference room they had been in and headed toward the bow; the ship was still flying toward Visadio Planet’s orbit as originally planned. It was possible to fly from one Federation to another so quickly thanks to the Moreth Federation’s interstellar route project, which allowed for rerouting midway. These routes were somewhat similar to the viaducts of early Earth, with a main route to each destination, and if you wanted to reroute, you went back to some winding node. The two walked side by side; the incandescent light in the corridor was cold, and apart from a humming sound, there was only the sound of their hurried footsteps.

“Can I ask you a question?” Dawn Lucius asked, speaking up.

“Hmm.”

“When you were at Jonathan’s, you didn’t seem to want me to come to Ashton Federation. Why?”

“To protect you,” Sandra said back, and the answer made Dawn Lucius’ heart hammer hard against his chest, and he even felt his face burn a little.

“Protect me?”

“Right.”

“Why protect me?”

“Earth is not developed enough to match Orion Arm’s Federations, and the later you are exposed to intermediate civilizations, the safer it will be for you as well. If you come to Ashton Federation, what do you think it is, in your eyes?” Sandra gave Dawn Lucius a look and went back to looking at the road ahead.

“An excursion?”

“That’s what it seems like to you, but in the eyes of Ashton Federation, we would think you’re there to build a relationship. Whatever it is, you need to pick a Federation to belong to and render that Federation a service.”

“What about not choosing?”

“No choice?” Sandra raised her voice.

“Well, what happens to Earth if it doesn’t choose to belong to any Federation?”

When Dawn Lucius finished, Sandra stopped and turned to look at Dawn Lucius; some sympathy flashed in her eyes, and she spoke. “A group of people are sitting in a room, with a boss sitting in the most dominant position. Except for one maverick who won’t follow the boss, everyone else obediently follows the boss’s arrangements. Over time, what do you think will happen to that maverick?”

“He’ll be ostracized and attacked,” Dawn Lucius replied tentatively.

“See, you’re not stupid after all.” Sandra laughed a little and then went back to her worried face, adding softly, “Even if the boss doesn’t command it, the other minions will keep attacking that maverick. If Earth does not choose to belong to any Federation, then to the other planets, Earth is the maverick.”

Sandra finished and turned to continue on her way. Dawn Lucius followed a short distance behind her and teased, “The aliens turned out to be similar to the Earthlings.”

“The universe uses the same set of efficient and concise rules, and you are virtually indistinguishable in appearance from Ashton people, except for being a bit dumb. That’s how this set of rules works.” Sandra didn’t turn around.

The two arrived at the cockpit door. When Dawn Lucius tried to open it, he found that it was locked tight. Sandra tried to open it with her administrator privileges but found that her identity had been disabled. Dawn Lucius remembered his previous experiences on the Dawn ship, and even though his life signature was the transitional state of a Star Map Draftsman, those feelings of hunger and pain were still fresh in his memory. After Sandra reactivated the emergency power, the communication light by the door came on, and she pressed the talk button before asking why the door was closed.

“Miss Sandra, sorry to have worried you. The ship was disturbed while passing a massive neutron star, and some of its systems failed, but everything is fine for the flight.” When the pilot replied, his voice was muddled by a muffled bit of noise. He explained again why the door wouldn’t open, promised to fix it as soon as possible, and suggested that Dawn Lucius and Sandra go and rest until he informed them.

“Got it, pilot. Please reroute to Cavnos Planet,” Sandra said as she pressed the call button.

After a burst of noise, the two did not hear any useful information. Sandra looked at Dawn Lucius and repeated the words twice, and only then came a clearer reply: “Copy!”

“Let’s go then.” Sandra headed for the rest area, with Dawn Lucius following at her side.

“How long does it take to fly to Cavnos Planet?” Dawn Lucius asked.

“We’ll be there in about half a day.”

“Better to get there early. I don’t like being stuck in a spaceship.”

“Why?”

“I’ve had some bad experiences that are a little scary to think about now,” Dawn Lucius said as he raised his left hand and pointed to the flexible device with its dark screen.

“Okay.” Sandra smiled as she turned her face to look at Dawn Lucius and asked, “Can’t you turn that device on?”

“Hmm.”

“I’ll do you a favor and get someone to fix it for you at Cavnos Planet.”

“Can it be fixed?”

“Yes, I know a very good repairman who can fix anything.” Sandra finished with some pride on her face.

“Good, then I owe you one,” Dawn Lucius replied with a smile.

“You’ll have to pay it back.” Sandra slapped him on the arm.

“Don’t worry.”

“I’m going to take a shower, so make your own arrangements for what you want to do,” Sandra said when they reached a fork, and she walked toward the other passage.

“So where do I go?” Dawn Lucius shouted as he stood at attention.

Without answering him, Sandra pointed behind Dawn Lucius and jutted her chin.

“Where is that?” Dawn Lucius asked as he turned to look at the passage, and when he turned his face to look at Sandra, he realized she was nowhere to be found.

Dawn Lucius just had to walk forward. Alone in this long passage, even with bright incandescent lights, he felt as if he were walking at night; he didn’t want to run, and he didn’t want to stop, and a sense of unease went from the top of his head through to the bottom of his feet. Dawn Lucius chose a compromise: he jogged all the way to the end of the passage and quickly turned into the left channel, because it was a bit brighter than the right side. Dawn Lucius had not gone far when he entered an oversized space, and looking closely at the items there, he seemed to have jumped into a sea of books. The walls and shelves were full of beautiful books, and looking at the entire space from where the walls met the ceiling, this library seemed to be housed in a cylinder. Dawn Lucius excitedly walked to the nearest shelf, picked a few books at random, and put them on the floor. He sat on the floor like a child and began to turn the pages. He could not understand the words inside, but what was certain was that they were different from what he had seen on the Sane ship as well. Dawn Lucius put the books back on the shelf; he missed the days of reading books on Earth. Dawn Lucius walked casually among the bookshelves, a wave of peace in his heart and a wave of longing rising up; he missed Stacean Lucius. Dawn Lucius circled around for a while, feeling a bit sleepy and planning to go back to his rest area to get some sleep. He walked in the direction he had come from and was approaching the exit when there was a sound of footsteps behind him; it felt like someone was following him from behind the shelves, getting closer and closer. “Is someone there?” Dawn Lucius asked.

Dawn Lucius opened his mouth and shook his jaw from side to side, trying to get his eardrums to move so he could hear more clearly. Dawn Lucius’ jaw clicked as it shook. He was listening sideways when a hand suddenly reached out from behind his neck, strangling him and dragging him backwards. He smelled a foul odor, like dried dead fish, and then it was hard to breathe. When he was dragged to the exit, Dawn Lucius hooked his foot on the door frame and wrenched at the hand around his neck, and when the person dragging him saw this, he began to hit his back with his knee, which made him feel as if his bones were cracking. The man dragged again, and the moment he hit Dawn Lucius’ other foot, Dawn Lucius let go of the door frame and pushed back with all his strength. The man lost his footing and was slammed against the wall, and Dawn Lucius broke free and stood up, holding the wall. Dawn Lucius kicked the man in the waist, and only after seeing that the man did not react did he relax his guard. He looked around to see if there were other dangers, and no one was following behind him.

Dawn Lucius quickly ran to the bath area. Since someone had attacked him here, Sandra might also be in danger. When he reached the bath area, the sound of running water hitting the metal plate was particularly harsh; other than that, Dawn Lucius did not hear any other sounds, and he thought Sandra had been attacked. He pulled out a stick from the locker where the clothes were hanging by the door, and while raising it in his right hand, he gently pushed open the bathroom door with his left hand, planning to strike first if it was not Sandra. Dawn Lucius gently approached the door, his two feet pressing outward, feeling the soles of his shoes completely grip the ground. Then, his right hand raised the stick and gathered power, his left hand held the door handle, and he pushed the door and swung the stick down almost at the same time.

Dawn Lucius’ stick had only come halfway down when a foot from inside the door landed on his chest. Before he could see his attacker, though Dawn Lucius had gripped the ground firmly, his feet left the ground, and his whole body flew to the other side of the bathroom, smashed open the door there, and fell at the foot of the wall. He heard the clatter of the stick as it rolled away and felt the pressure on his chest as if the kick had flattened it; he had trouble breathing, and his eyes were blurry. Dawn Lucius braced himself and slid back a distance, leaning his head against the wall. After a while, his hearing returned; the sound of water hitting the floor was still piercing. His vision was restored, but the sight before him took him by surprise: Sandra was shirtless, crouching in front of him and shaking him.

“I heard you.” Dawn Lucius hurriedly averted his eyes and pretended he was blind.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sandra questioned in a stern voice.

“Someone attacked me, and I was worried about you.” Dawn Lucius pretended to feel for something on the ground.

“It was me who attacked you.” Sandra’s voice sounded angry.

“No, I was in the library and was attacked by a very smelly person.” Staring blindly ahead, Dawn Lucius, too embarrassed to look in Sandra’s direction, tried to crawl forward, fumbling for the stick on the ground.

“Can’t you see?” Sandra asked.

“Hmm.”

“What are you looking for?”

“The stick.”

“I’ll pick it up for you.” Sandra stepped in front of Dawn Lucius, her white body like a white mist, clean and transparent.

“No, hurry up and get dressed. Maybe the ship has been taken over,” Dawn Lucius said as he crawled toward the stick.

“Good.” Sandra headed toward the closet, paused as she slipped her clothes on, and spoke up to ask, “Hurry up and get dressed? How do you know I’m not dressed?”

Dawn Lucius hadn’t thought of that question, and he scrambled around in his head, intending to find a better excuse, but the longer he delayed in this situation, the more suspicious it became, so he said offhandedly, “I guessed.”

“Guess?”

“Hmm,” Dawn Lucius replied. He had been close to the stick but did not dare to touch it, so he began to grope randomly in another direction.

Sandra saw how he looked and thought it didn’t seem like he was faking. She dressed, walked over to Dawn Lucius, handed the stick to him, and helped him up again. The two planned to wait for Dawn Lucius to recover some of his vision and then go to the cockpit to see the situation. Dawn Lucius put his right hand on the wall, looked down at the ground, and shook his head, and after a few deep breaths, he announced that his vision had been restored, and the two quietly felt their way to the cockpit. Sandra pointed to a cabinet in the room, gesturing for Dawn Lucius to see if there was a threat hidden there, and she went straight to the cockpit, where all the input devices that could operate the ship had been ripped off, some of them broken, and the screen was flashing with alarms. Dawn Lucius checked the locker thoroughly and found no pilot’s body or anyone hiding in it, only spacesuits.

“I didn’t find anyone in there,” Dawn Lucius said after the two met in the middle of the room.

“The ship has been emptied of fuel, the controls are damaged, the communications equipment and locators are damaged, and we are now floating in space.” Sandra told Dawn Lucius her conclusion.

“How far are we from Cavnos Planet?”

“It doesn’t matter how far. This ship has no escape pods and no way to contact the outside world; it’s as if we’re on a floating island. There’s no way to contact my brother.”

“Someone wants to trap us here, or maybe someone doesn’t want us anywhere near Cavnos Planet?” Dawn Lucius said, looking at Sandra suspiciously.

“It’s an attempt to trap one of us here, and the other is just collateral damage.”

“Do you have an enemy? Or, do you have some important secret?” Dawn Lucius picked up the conversation.

“What about you? Do you have enemies or secrets?” Sandra asked rhetorically.

Dawn Lucius paused. Even if he had enemies, at most they could only be in the solar system; they would not come so far to find him. As for secrets, he had even fewer of those. Dawn Lucius shook his head at Sandra.

“The hatch was locked, so the person inside must have been the one sabotaging the ship. Who could have been inside?” Sandra asked.

“The pilot.” Dawn Lucius thought for a moment as he continued. “There are no signs of a struggle in the cockpit and no bodies in the lockers, so only the pilot could have sabotaged the ship.”

“It doesn’t make sense. Why would he sabotage the ship and trap himself in space as well?” Sandra didn’t believe it.

“Yeah, how did he get himself trapped in space?” Dawn Lucius added as he looked at Sandra.

“Ah.” Sandra exclaimed, then realized that this was not the right time to speak aloud and lowered her voice to say, “He has a way of leaving.”

Dawn Lucius gave a thumbs-up and smiled at Sandra.

Sandra took Dawn Lucius’s hand and rushed out; they had to find the pilot before he escaped, and most likely he was at the ship’s docking port in the middle, where the whole ship had its exit. Sandra held Dawn Lucius’s hand tightly. He wanted to let go to run faster and tried to pull it back several times, but Sandra held it tighter and tighter, so he just let Sandra pull him forward as they ran. He had never expected that the first time he held hands with a woman, it would be with an alien woman. Dawn Lucius and his wife had been married by arrangement, and both of them only saw each other as family; they had never really held hands, and at that time, Dawn Lucius had envied those lovers who could hold hands and run on the beach. Sandra’s hair fluttered on her shoulders, and water that had not yet dried flew back onto Dawn Lucius’s face. He gripped Sandra’s hand and felt that he too was running on the beach, until Sandra suddenly stopped, knocking Dawn Lucius out of his fantasy.

“Behind!” Sandra shouted, and Dawn Lucius realized that they were surrounded by three men in the aisle, two in front of Sandra and one behind Dawn Lucius, who hurriedly turned around, and the two defended back to back.

“Who are you?” Sandra asked sternly. The three didn’t answer or attack, and Sandra raised her voice and asked, “What do you want?”

Dawn Lucius tried to switch to Sandra’s side to take on the other two, but Sandra dragged him back in the same direction. Dawn Lucius threw a punch, and before he could touch the other man, he was kicked to the other side. Dawn Lucius got up from the ground; the man pulled out something like a knife, and instead of attacking Dawn Lucius, he rushed at Sandra’s back. Dawn Lucius had no time to think, and as the knife rushed towards Sandra, Dawn Lucius was in front of it.

Sandra knocked the three down and helped Dawn Lucius continue to the exit. A small ship was docked at the ship’s exit with its hatch open. The two went inside and found no one, and Sandra began to treat Dawn Lucius’ wound. When she finished dressing it, she asked, “Why did you block for me?”

The pain had been accepted by his body, and there was a burning sensation spreading through his abdomen. Dawn Lucius braced himself and stood up as he replied, “Take me to Cavnos Planet. We have to stop the Strath people.” Dawn Lucius walked to the bridge and sat down, and Sandra sat next to him and started the ship. After recalibrating the coordinates to Cavnos Planet, they were like rescued castaways, on an island far out in the vast universe.

“The man who attacked me in the library had a six-manifold symbol on his clothes.” After they had flown some distance, Dawn Lucius spoke up.

“That’s the mark of the Rangers. They don’t belong to any Federation; they roam the universe robbing and also act as hired killers. The Ninth Legion is full of them.” Sandra turned her face to look at Dawn Lucius and said back.

“Why did they attack us?”

“Have you ever wondered?” Sandra did not answer Dawn Lucius directly; she spoke with her left elbow propped up on the table. “The person who stabbed you didn’t want to take your life. He fought you with a knife but didn’t cut you, and ended up trying to stab me. Is it possible that their target was you?”

“Me?”

“Yes. You can’t be killed, but wasn’t destroying the ship we were on an attempt to leave you stranded in the universe?”

“For what purpose?”

“I don’t know.” Sandra shook her head, then, as if she had remembered something, raised her voice to add, “But one thing I can say for sure is that they should have all served time on Sivastia Planet, and I saw that they all had Ashton Federation prisoner numbers on the backs of their hands.”

“They came back to get revenge on you?” Dawn Lucius asked, frowning.

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple. The numbers on the arms of those who served time on Sivastia Planet are erased when they are released, but the numbers of those who attacked us are still there, which means they are prisoners who ran away from Sivastia Planet. That’s what worries me. Maybe Sivastia Planet really is being turned into a new hostile force by the Strath people, as you said.”

“Then we should indeed be worried.” Feeling a little tired, Dawn Lucius covered his wound and leaned back in his chair, sleep drifting up to him and resting on his eyelashes.

“You’re not dying, are you?” Sandra saw this and came over to shake Dawn Lucius’ arm.

Dawn Lucius pushed her away and said slowly, “Let me rest. If I’m going to die, you’ll know for sure.”

“I’ll know?” Sandra wondered, looking at Dawn Lucius as if he weren’t joking, and pursued the question. “How will I know?”

“If I’m shaken to death by you, can’t you tell?” Dawn Lucius said with a laugh.

Sandra listened and felt she had been tricked, so she turned away in exasperation. Dawn Lucius closed his eyes and rested. He gripped the screen on his left hand; there was a smiling face under the dark screen, and that was his goal. He just hoped the rest would go smoothly, or maybe Datheon would suddenly appear and wipe out the war so he could go back to Earth and wake up Stacean Lucius. Thinking this, Dawn Lucius fell asleep.

When Dawn Lucius woke up again, the pain in his abdomen had diminished, but he found himself stripped naked on the floor. Dawn Lucius scanned the room in a panic and realized that he was still on the ship where he had fallen asleep. He grunted and lay back down when Sandra rushed out of the room where the spacesuit was kept and crouched beside him.

“What for?” Sandra growled.

“Where are my clothes?” Dawn Lucius asked, covering his body.

“Your wound got infected and started twitching when you fell asleep, so I re-treated it for you.”

“Where are my clothes?”

“I threw them away.” Sandra pointed to the room where the spacesuits were.

“Why?”

“Your clothes were stained with blood. They would infect your wound and skin if I didn’t throw them away,” Sandra explained, and when she noticed Dawn Lucius looking down at his lower body, she continued. “The pants are stained with blood, too.”

Dawn Lucius was a bit teary-eyed: after dealing with his clothes, why not put clean clothes on him? Dawn Lucius had one hand over the wound, the other elbow propped up on the floor, and he was ready to find his own clothes to wear.

“What are you doing?” Sandra yelled again.

“Looking for clothes. You’ve been looking at me for ages and you’re not going to let me get dressed?” Dawn Lucius said as he struggled to hold himself up, and when Sandra saw this, she helped him up from the floor.

“I’ve looked at you for a while, so we’re kind of even,” Sandra said as she followed him.

“Even?” Dawn Lucius asked suspiciously, as he found a clean work uniform to put on himself.

“You looked at me for ages in the bathroom, and you won’t let me look back?” Sandra replied in a somewhat flirtatious tone.

Dawn Lucius was too embarrassed to answer when the console screen displayed an arrival warning; they seemed to be arriving at Cavnos Planet’s port. Sandra took the communication request, and after she confirmed her identity, the ship was allowed to enter Cavnos Planet’s outer defenses. Dawn Lucius looked out the porthole and saw that the side facing them was pure white. Dawn Lucius guessed that Cavnos Planet might be a world covered in ice and snow. As they passed through the defense zone, they were confronted by an oversized group of extremely complex ships, all similar in shape, with long hulls covered in regular shapes and rings on the outside of the hulls that did not rotate; the rings looked like numerous cylinders assembled on the hull, uniform in color, like decorative objects on a high-end desk. Dawn Lucius realized that there was a man-made field outside the atmosphere of Cavnos Planet, like a transparent glass cover protecting the planet, and that their ship had been taken over by something like artificial intelligence and was following the coordinates and speed given by the Cavnos Planet command center through the gate of the field. The ship plunged into a white cloud, and Dawn Lucius found the planet divided into two halves: one half was icy and snowy, while the other half had four seasons. They landed at the fortification where the two hemispheres met. It was a mega building; apart from the gray and black building frame, most of it was transparent, including the floor. Dawn Lucius did not dare to look down; he followed closely behind Sandra and walked towards the building.

After passing through the curved corridor, the two came to a room with two soldiers standing on the left and right of the door. “Remember, you can’t say you’re a Star Map Draftsman. I’ll do the explaining.” Before entering the door, Sandra pulled Dawn Lucius aside and whispered seriously in his ear.

“Brother, I’m home.” Upon entering the room, Sandra called out to the person across the large table.

Dawn Lucius surveyed the room. Six people sat in the left corner, each in front of a screen, seemingly busy organizing information; in the right corner there was a shelf holding a lot of firearm-type weapons; and in the middle of the room was the large table, which seemed to be a high-tech holographic sandbox. Looking further, from the far side of the table, a stout man approached them, dressed in black, with short hair, looking very competent, with not very distinctive features and somewhat dark skin, looking like a hard-working crop duster.

“So the crazy girl is willing to come back.”

“Brother, this is Dawn Lucius, the Earthling who saved Moreth Federation’s Moreth Steader Jonathan by mistake. I told you about him in my message.” Sandra finished and then turned her face to look at Dawn Lucius and continued her introduction. “He’s my brother Duncan, in charge of the Ashton Federation’s military.”

Dawn Lucius smiled and bowed to him, but Duncan had little response. He turned and walked to the other end of the large table, and the two followed. Duncan suddenly stopped, turned to look at Dawn Lucius, and asked, “You know military matters?”

Dawn Lucius was caught somewhat off guard, and, not knowing what the intent of the question was, he nodded tentatively and slightly.

Duncan flipped a switch on the side of the large table, and a nebula map rose above the table as he continued. “I’ve heard Sandra talk about your deductions about Yasies Planet and Sivastia Planet, and so far you’ve got it all right, but no one else in Ashton Federation did. We’ve lost three political centers.” Worry was written all over Duncan’s face. He paused for a moment and then continued to ask, “What do you think will happen next?”

“Me?” Dawn Lucius asked, pointing at himself. Duncan had little reaction, still looking at him with a worried expression.

“Go on, talk.” Sandra slapped Dawn Lucius’s waist hard, and Dawn Lucius moved forward half a step, covering his stomach in pain.

Duncan glared at Sandra, who smiled and took a step back.

“If I were the prince of the Strath people, I would concentrate my army to attack Visadio Planet,” Dawn Lucius said.

“Why?” Duncan pursued.

“I’m afraid the main purpose of the Strath people’s war is not as simple as White Crystal. Word is going around Orion Arm that the Strath Federation is going to choose a new chief and the two princes are competing; at the very beginning, Burt and Carlson were indeed acting separately. Burt went to attack Gyaly Planet, ostensibly to free the Strath slaves, but Sandra and I had seen that Burt didn’t care about the lives of those Strath slaves, though at that time I hadn’t guessed his real goal. Then Sandra and I were asked by Burt to escort someone he had captured to Carlson, unknowingly, not realizing that it was Lord Winifred, who became Carlson’s talisman. From this I guess that Carlson and Burt are competitors on the surface, but in fact, every step of their actions has been planned in advance, and someone is secretly helping them; I just don’t know who.” Dawn Lucius said this and then stopped. He did not know whether the people present could accept this conclusion, so he glanced at the crowd, and when he found that the others were staring at him, he did not dare to continue speaking.

“No wonder. I was wondering why Carlson was able to attack Ashton Federation so successfully; now I know why.” Duncan spoke up.

“So what’s their purpose?” The man next to Duncan spoke up and asked.

“I don’t know; there are several forces at play here. If the news that the two princes of the Strath people are going to attack the solar system is true, then my guess is that they will use the solar system as the end point, wrap up all the star fields between Strath Federation and the solar system, and re-rule Orion Arm. It is not about fighting for the position of chief of the Strath Federation, as it is said to be, but about creating a bigger Strath Federation. The purpose of their attack on Visadio Planet is easy to guess: one is to destroy the top of Ashton Federation, and the other is to satisfy the soldiers’ desire to plunder. We all know that the Strath people’s political structure is simple; they are much like the nomadic peoples of Earth’s ancient history, and their way of motivating soldiers to fight is to promise that they can plunder. Of Ashton Federation’s political bodies, only Visadio Planet and Cavnos Planet are left, and Visadio Planet is the richest and the political center of Ashton Federation. The Strath people must attack there.” Dawn Lucius finished and pointed to Visadio Planet on the star map; at this time, the fate of that prosperous planet was still in the hands of a few people.

“So aren’t they afraid Cavnos Planet will hit them?” Duncan asked as he looked at Dawn Lucius.

“They must have taken that into account. Cavnos Planet’s troops need Lord Winifred’s orders to move out, and now that Lord Winifred is in Carlson’s hands, he definitely won’t let Lord Winifred give the orders. Plus, they’ll find a way to stifle Cavnos Planet’s troops at some point.”

“How would they stifle us?” Duncan asked with a frown.

“I don’t know. The best strategy would be to block you in on Cavnos Planet so you can’t get out, and if you do send troops out, to cut you off halfway.” Dawn Lucius felt pain in his abdomen as he gripped the edge of the table and braced himself.

“Now here’s the situation. After Burt took Sivastia Planet, he incited the prisoners to go with him to destroy Visadio Planet so they could get revenge for what they had suffered, but the prisoners wanted more; they wanted their own independent territory, and they even started to confront Prince Burt’s army. But he made a deal with the prisoners: they could do whatever they wanted inside Orion, but they couldn’t resist the Strath people’s attack on Visadio Planet. So now we have to deal not only with the Strath people but also with a bunch of prisoners who aren’t bound by any rules.” Duncan turned slightly and looked at the red dots surging in the hologram.

“Has Burt’s army joined up with Carlson’s army?” Dawn Lucius asked.

“No real rendezvous yet. Carlson is already setting up camp near Visadio Planet, and Burt is on his way to Visadio Planet,” Duncan replied.

“Then I suggest you send troops to reinforce it,” Dawn Lucius said.

“The difficulty now is that I can’t send troops. Carlson is besieging Visadio Planet while negotiating with Madam Winifred, and one of the demands is that no troops be sent to Visadio Planet; if the Strath people find out that troops are coming to break the siege, they will take Visadio Planet.” Duncan sighed deeply, turned to look at Dawn Lucius, and said, “Our Queen has been scared silly. Every so often she sends over an order forbidding Cavnos Planet’s troops from heading toward Visadio Planet, and still she isn’t at ease; she has to send supervising officers over to take over my military authority.”

This kind of thing had happened too many times in the ancient history of the Earth, and the end result was that the besieging party broke the treaty and killed the emperor who had forbidden sending troops, and the whole dynasty disintegrated. If this happened, Earth would really be in jeopardy. Dawn Lucius squeezed his left hand as he spoke. “This is only a reprieve. After they take down Visadio Planet, Cavnos Planet will be the most significant threat, and faced with a threat, I think everyone’s choice is to destroy it. By then, the Strath people could wipe out Ashton Federation completely. We can’t sit back and wait for it to happen.” Dawn Lucius took a step in Duncan’s direction and said it anxiously.

“Do you mean I should disobey Madam Winifred’s orders and go out to war?” Duncan asked suspiciously.

“That won’t work. I suggest you place a certain number of troops behind the Strath people and trap the Strath people between Visadio Planet and your army.”

“And when will the war start?”

“Don’t go to war; only act as a deterrent, so that the Strath people always have to watch their backs, and so help Visadio Planet buy time. But also beware that the Strath people may ignore Visadio Planet and turn around and attack you first, or encourage other forces to attack you, so your defenses must be good.” Dawn Lucius felt a little strained; he looked at the floor and then simply sat down.

“What’s wrong with you?” Sandra asked anxiously as she walked over to Dawn Lucius and knelt down, holding him by the shoulders.

Dawn Lucius pointed to the wound on his stomach; his mouth felt as dry as the highlands on a March day. Duncan called the soldiers, and they lifted Dawn Lucius onto a chair. Dawn Lucius pointed to his mouth, and Sandra brought him water; Dawn Lucius drank it all, and it was as sweet as the first rain of spring. Then the medical staff came, re-treated Dawn Lucius’s wound, and gave him some pills or something similar. Before long, the pills worked; the pain was reduced a lot, and he became somewhat more alert.

“Are you feeling better? I’ll take you to rest,” Sandra said as she crouched down by Dawn Lucius, who smiled at her and shook his head.

“Who in the Ashton Federation is best at commanding armies?” Dawn Lucius asked, looking up at Duncan.

“Me,” Duncan replied, not very modestly.

“Then you have to be prepared for another possibility: removal from office, if Madam Winifred and the Strath people negotiate further.”

“Why?” Sandra and Duncan exclaimed almost simultaneously.

“To reduce the threat.”

“A threat to whom?” Sandra asked aloud.

“Duncan is able to command the army to fight a war, which threatens the Strath people militarily and threatens Madam Winifred’s determination to make concessions in the negotiations without resisting. I guess ......” Dawn Lucius paused and asked another question. “Why should you listen to me? Why do I feel as if I’m the one who knows more about warfare than your mid-level civilization?”

Duncan and Sandra looked at each other. Duncan turned his face to the holographic star map, waved his hand to switch the star map between different views, zoomed in on Cavnos Planet, and spoke. “We haven’t fought a war in a dozen generations; we haven’t even seen one. Our culture avoids war; even military training is forbidden. As for what you’re saying, we don’t actually know if it’s right, but it seems a little more well thought out than what we have.”

“Why?” Dawn Lucius wondered.

“Many years ago, Madam Winifred staged a military coup, killed her husband, and seized power. Later, people in the Federation wanted to put Lord Winifred on the throne, and then the army rebelled, which put Lord Winifred’s accession on hold. I believe you understand: in our Federation, the army is able to pick its own emperor. From that time on, Madam Winifred has been weakening the influence of the army. The great general of Ashton Federation is not even as respected as the idle post of managing prisoners.”

“So what are you doing on Cavnos Planet?” Dawn Lucius thought it odd to distrust armies but still set aside a planet to house them, and Dawn Lucius added, “Don’t you guys train here?”

“We just idle around here, mostly working on the buildings, constantly modifying them in the style Lord Winifred likes.” Duncan pointed outside, and Dawn Lucius took a look. The planet was indeed beautiful, a cluster of buildings set in giant plants, each one looking like it had stepped out of a design museum.

“The Strath people’s culture is not the same as ours. They have a lot of small wars, more like the lower civilization of the sun ......” Duncan may have felt that it was not appropriate to say “lower civilization,” and he did not finish. He walked to Dawn Lucius, looked at him, and said, “Your way of thinking is closer to theirs. When Sandra contacted me about your speculation about the Strath people, I was a little jealous to hear it.” Sandra stood behind Dawn Lucius and patted him on the shoulder, then simply put both hands on his shoulders. Dawn Lucius looked at her hands and then looked up at her; Sandra looked at him with a smile on her face and had no intention of taking her hands away. A tall, thin man burst in aggressively.