Visadio Planet Star Map Draftsman I: Federation War

“Why are you helping Ashton Federation?” Burt asked once Dawn Lucius had arrived on his ship and Burt had arranged a separate room to meet with him. Dawn Lucius sat down.

“I’m not helping anyone. I just want to stop you guys from harassing the solar system.” Dawn Lucius yawned as he spoke. He couldn’t remember the last time he had fallen asleep peacefully; he was always thinking about something to do with Stacean Lucius, and even late at night, his sleep was broken by sudden sadness. Dawn Lucius put two fists to his eyes and rubbed them; he wanted to squeeze the sleep out from behind his eyes and let it fall to pieces deep in his hippocampus.

“Let me tell you: the people who went to harass the solar system were sent by Madam Winifred, pretending to be Strath people.”

“And,” Dawn Lucius put both hands on the table and pressed his forehead to the backs of his hands; if onlookers could have seen his face, they would surely have been shocked by the pain on it. Dawn Lucius continued to ask after taking a long breath, “You say that the nuclear war on Earth was deliberately started by someone?”

“Yes, but you can’t imagine what’s at stake here.”

Burt began to give Dawn Lucius the reasons for the renewed war in Orion Arm, which had forgotten the ins and outs of the last war, and Dawn Lucius somewhat agreed with Burt that for the general populace, the war was nothing more than collateral damage from the politicians’ redistribution of power. Besides, almost all of them are also willing to find reasonable explanations for their unfair lives. From a planet to a family, each has its own beliefs, or worships a religion, used to explain their unreasonable lives as reasonable; they do not care whether Orion Arm belongs to Madam Winifred or to the Strath people. When war comes, they go with the flow of the war, even if it drags them into an abyss from which they can never resurface. As for Earth’s nuclear war, Dawn Lucius had his own judgment: Orion Arm’s civilizations, although they fought wars, would not use weapons that could destroy a planet. “A smart war happens while minimizing destruction.” These were Burt’s exact words, and he explained that Orion Arm’s star fields were so wide and sparsely populated that it was easy to destroy a planet’s existing city-states, but it took a long time to rebuild them, and there were even city-states that, if destroyed, would never be rebuilt. On the matter of not using destructive weapons, Dawn Lucius was convinced: these first- and second-class civilizations could travel across the stars, yet in war they still used simple methods of attack and simple weapons, which fit Burt’s explanation.

“Well?” Burt asked, looking at Dawn Lucius after his long speech.

“I don’t know. To be honest, I have mixed feelings.” Dawn Lucius shook his head as he replied. He didn’t know whether to hate or to cry; one man’s desire to drag the entire Orion Arm into the grave with him just didn’t make sense to him.

“So what are your plans?”

“That I don’t know. If I could, I wish I didn’t know of your existence and had never been here, or that I were still warm and captive in the solar system.”

“Are you beating yourself up a little?”

“Well ......” Dawn Lucius pressed both hands to his eyeballs as he felt a large mass of soreness well up in his nose.

“What happened to your son isn’t your fault, but you can go on doing something to preserve more planets like Earth.”

“That I really don’t know. I’m just an ordinary Earthling.”

“You can be bolder and believe in what makes you special, and there must be a reason you were chosen as Star Map Draftsman.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it.” Dawn Lucius felt weak, as if he had just stayed up through a long dark night and at the break of dawn there was no sleep, only a wakefulness that grew more and more like torture. He tried to clench his fists and clenched his teeth. After he filled his lungs with the cold, cloudy air, a yawn started to climb up his throat. Dawn Lucius tilted his head expectantly; he could feel the yawn almost at the root of his tongue. Dawn Lucius blinked, not knowing if it was sleepiness or sadness, and two lines of tears slid over the corners of his eyes, down the skin of his temples, through the hair at his temples, and finally to the back of his head.

As for returning the ships, Burt did not put pressure on Dawn Lucius; he seemed to know Madam Winifred’s calculations very well. Burt told Dawn Lucius to go back to the troop carrier and think about how to save the lives of the living before considering whether to involve himself in this war that had nothing to do with him. Yes, even if Burt was telling the truth, Dawn Lucius had no reason to take part in the war. To avenge Stacean Lucius? When Dawn Lucius returned to the troop carrier, Sandra and a group of people had gathered in the command room, and she and Dawn Lucius looked at each other quizzically: Dawn Lucius wondering how she had gotten out of the attack ship, she wondering how Dawn Lucius had gone to negotiate without discussing it, and what the outcome of the negotiation was. Dawn Lucius walked towards Sandra, intending to tell her what Jonathan had told him; he needed her understanding, or, perhaps, her comfort.

“What gives you the right to negotiate on behalf of the Ashton Federation?” Dawn Lucius hadn’t even reached Sandra when a fat white man cut him off and asked this in a stern voice.

Dawn Lucius didn’t answer. He looked at Sandra, hoping she could give him some hint, and the old lord spoke up instantly. “Elder Samuel, our brother Dawn here helped us plan this battle with the Strath people, and it is thanks to him that we seized these troop carriers.”

“Merit? Why can’t I see any merit?” The white, fat Elder Samuel continued, staring at Dawn Lucius. Dawn Lucius knew him to be a sworn enemy of the Duncan family, as Sandra had told Dawn Lucius several times.

“Elder Samuel, if it weren’t for Brother Dawn, we wouldn’t have been able to hold Prince Burt and his army here, which relieves the pressure on Visadio Planet and helps in beating back the Strath people again,” the old lord said with a smile.

“Who says we’re resisting the Strath people?”

“Elder, the Strath people come to attack our planet and we don’t resist?” the old lord asked, his smile vanishing.

“Madam Winifred has her plans, so what is it to you?”

“So tell me,” Dawn Lucius asked, picking up where Samuel left off, while the old lord paused to take a deep breath. “What’s the plan?”

“Are you entitled to know?” Samuel said coldly.

“Then why are you wasting words on me? Why do you care how I negotiate? What does it matter to you?” Dawn Lucius walked around Samuel, walked over to Sandra, and took her hand, then prepared to walk out the door.

“What kind of attitude is that?” Samuel asked, his voice raised high, almost yelling at Dawn Lucius and Sandra’s backs. Dawn Lucius ignored him and pulled Sandra on towards the door, where he heard Samuel stomping his feet in anger behind him.

Dawn Lucius pulled Sandra towards the end of the cavernous corridor of the troop carrier. There were many small empty rooms, or clothing rooms, at the rear of the ship, and after the two entered a random room, Sandra spoke up. “Dawn, what’s going on?”

“I went to Burt because he said he knew who started the nuclear war on Earth, and I wanted to know. It was important to me, but I couldn’t find any reason other than saying I was going to negotiate, so I just went on impulse. I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I was just worried about you getting hurt, and the Centurios were worried about you defecting and leaving us to the Strath people.”

“Not likely. You’re here, so I’m not leaving.”

“Well, I know.” Sandra stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Dawn Lucius as she planted a kiss on his stiff face.

“Maybe the reason behind this all-out war in Orion Arm is not as simple as we know. Burt told me ......” Dawn Lucius pushed Sandra a little away from his arms and then looked her in the eyes and continued. “All of this is being manipulated behind the scenes by Madam Winifred, who wants to get Orion Arm back into her pocket and restore Ashton Federation to its former glory, when it ruled Orion Arm, as you told me.”

“It is true that long ago, the entire Orion Arm was ruled by Madam Winifred. But, Dawn, is Burt’s word credible?”

“I don’t know. I still have a few questions, but the Strath people Burt killed on Gyaly Planet had been paid off by Madam Winifred with White Crystal to infiltrate organizations throughout Orion Arm. It took them many years to cleanse the Strath Federation’s army. And the Moreth Federation was not clean in this war either: they claimed that the Star Bridge could not be used to transport troops, but Madam Winifred’s people impersonating Strath people used the Star Bridge to jump into the solar system to wreak havoc.”

“Dawn, that doesn’t make sense. Why would Madam Winifred go and destroy the solar system?”

“Burt told me that it was to lure the Star Map Draftsman into the war. He told a very old story, one that we still need to verify for ourselves.” When Dawn Lucius said this, Sandra’s eyes flickered without her knowing it; she clearly remembered that Madam Winifred had threatened her family to make her bring the Star Map Draftsman to Gyaly Planet and get him involved in the war.

“I wouldn’t know what to make of that,” Sandra said after a brief daze.

“What I’m worried about now is that Madam Winifred is going to come after your family, or that she’s targeting you; I really don’t dare to guess. So if anything feels strange, or if you sense danger coming, tell me quickly and I’ll take you away.” Dawn Lucius grabbed Sandra’s shoulders, looked her in the eyes, and said this.

“Dawn, do I mean a lot to you?”

“Does that still need to be said? The most important people to me are Stacean Lucius and you ......” Having mentioned Stacean Lucius, Dawn Lucius did not continue.

“So, Dawn, if ever ......” Sandra was about to say something when Duncan cut in on communications, telling the two of them to hurry back to the command room.

When the two rushed back to the command room, the image of Madam Winifred was hovering in front of the group, glaring at Samuel, and upon seeing Dawn Lucius and Sandra enter the room, Madam Winifred taunted, “The two with the biggest airs in Orion Arm have finally arrived.”

“Madam Winifred,” Sandra said, stepping forward and saluting with a slight bow.

“Down to business. Duncan, Sandra, and this Earthling, you three come to Visadio Planet first with Samuel, while the others continue to hold Burt surrounded.” Madam Winifred called out the names as her eyes swept over the four of them.

“But we ......” Before Sandra could finish, Madam Winifred exited the hologram, and everyone in the room stared at Samuel, waiting to see how he would show his authority next. What no one noticed was that Dawn Lucius’ fists clenched even tighter.

Samuel himself was no fan of Duncan’s family; as a revolutionary, he did not like the old ways of Duncan’s father. The group took shuttle boats to an attack ship and withdrew as slowly as possible to the rear of the troop carrier. Samuel detected that Smyrni Planet’s gravitational depression was on the other side of the planet, and without any plan, he rushed towards it, not caring whether the Strath people’s shuttle boats came to stop him. Fortunately, the shuttle boats did not come to intercept, and they met no Strath interception all the way until they entered the Star Bridge.

After stopping near Visadio Planet, Samuel gave the group a brief introduction to Visadio Planet’s current battle situation. Although the Strath people had camped near Visadio Planet’s equator, they had not yet broken Bourlo City, which was the largest city in the Ashton Federation. The army on Visadio Planet was not only Strath people but also a mess of pirates, and the Ninth Legion was here as well. They intended to take the opportunity to sack Bourlo City. Samuel also said that Jonathan, in order to win over the Moreth Federation citizens of the Ninth Legion, was coming with Centaly’s army. This was good: apart from Prince Burt’s army still trapped at Smyrni Planet, Orion Arm’s armed forces would be concentrated on Visadio Planet.

Samuel also revealed that even though Madam Winifred had ordered no resistance to the Strath people, there were people in Bourlo City who had organized themselves into a civilian force, almost all of them deployed behind the walls on the Ninth Legion’s side. The group discussed countermeasures in orbit. Scattered pirate ships continued to fly down to Visadio Planet, and Dawn Lucius proposed that their ship could mix in with the pirates, so as to avoid trouble from the Strath people or the Ninth Legion. They flew towards the north pole in the dark night. Visadio Planet was a super-large planet without moons, and its outer force field, flashing with the starlight behind it, tinted Visadio Planet light green. The most obvious feature was the keel of the four defense systems connecting Visadio Planet’s north and south poles. The lights of Bourlo City illuminated the north pole of Visadio Planet, and the outline of the city’s main building was clearly visible.

“We’ll go in through the pass near the equator,” Sandra said as she adjusted the parameters on the screen. When she was done, she walked over to the porthole and pointed directly at the planetary engineering project along the equator.

Dawn Lucius had heard Sandra tell him about planetary engineering, which was the technology second-class civilizations used to transform planets: digging up the equator and building a large ring along it, with pipes leading into the core at intervals, which could artificially change the planet’s climate and even modify the strength of its gravity. It was very impressive engineering, but it made Dawn Lucius uncomfortable; it looked like a very ugly scar.

“Can’t we find a place closer to Bourlo City?” Dawn Lucius asked.

“No, there are Strath troops all around Bourlo City. It’s dangerous for just a few of us to go there,” Sandra said, glancing back at the dense red dots on the screen.

Samuel used his ID to get in touch with the defenders of Bourlo City and found out that the person in charge of defending the city was now a subordinate of Samuel’s, and the army gained great confidence when they heard of Duncan’s arrival. When the ship landed, the shuttle station had been cleared out. Dawn Lucius could hardly imagine that the planet that had once been the liveliest in all of Orion Arm was now as cold as the end of days. While they were looking for a vehicle at the shuttle station, they met a hollow-eyed old man who was the maintenance man at the shuttle station, responsible for maintaining small robots. From him, they learned that the people who could escape from Visadio Planet had already escaped, and some had entered Bourlo City before the war to join the defending forces. The group took a shuttle bus to Bourlo City. There was little life along the road; the empty streets were like the veins of a dead city, and the closer they got to Bourlo City, the more corpses in different uniforms could be seen everywhere.

It took them a long time to enter Bourlo City through a secret passage, which came out on the southern side of Bourlo City. There, not only was the defense force insufficient, but the civilian resistance groups, in Dawn Lucius’s eyes, were just a bunch of rabble; if there really was a war, they were very likely to turn into bandits instantly and take the opportunity to rob their own people. The worst thing was that the southern wall of Bourlo City was also the thinnest. Lord Winifred’s palace was located there, and he had felt that the southern wall obstructed his view too much, so he had demolished the walls to make them much lower. He had also eliminated the soldiers’ temporary resting places in the southern city to make his palace more exquisite: no shelters, no food supply stations, not even an agency stationed here to deal with sudden fires. And at this time, the Ninth Legion was assembling outside the city. The soldiers were happy to see Duncan; they had perhaps been desperate, and with Ashton Federation’s best general appearing, the army’s morale did get a brief boost, until the Ninth Legion’s small attack airships gradually approached the walls.

Duncan ordered the interceptor airships to take off and fight the Ninth Legion’s airships; if the defensive fire points were destroyed, the walls would be broken by the Ninth Legion. Dawn Lucius put Sandra behind him and retreated to the shelter below the wall to observe. Looking through the window, the airships on either side were like two flocks of birds in a hurry, instantly mingling in the wind and tearing at each other, some falling, others turning back with wounds and continuing to tear until they fell, staining the yellow earth with a ball of fire, which then went out, leaving black smoke floating listlessly.

Dawn Lucius had not yet recovered from the sound of the artillery firing from both sides, but Duncan had already urged the ground troops to organize their formation. He regrouped the scattered troops and concentrated the combat-capable soldiers in the middle of the wall. After asking around, he learned that most of the defensive fire points in the city had not survived, which made the faces of those present fall. Duncan was talking with Samuel, discussing how to defend. “General ......,” Dawn Lucius said at the top of his lungs as he came up to the two men. “It’s clear that their first wave of attacks destroyed the fire points in order to protect the airships dropping troops in the second wave. Our fire points have been pretty much destroyed. I suggest placing our soldiers near a few open squares. The odds are that the Ninth Legionnaires will choose to land in a square with open terrain, and it will be more effective to attack when they are halfway down, before they can get their footing.”

Samuel glanced at Duncan; after all, he was not sure if Duncan’s brother-in-law was reliable. Duncan also hesitated, but nodded yes. Sandra took some soldiers to guard the walls to avoid people climbing in outside the walls, while Dawn Lucius and two others took three groups of men to ambush near the three main squares in the city. Then the second wave of the Ninth Legion attack began, with the troop-carrying airships acting like an artificial curtain, covering the sky over Bourlo City. But Dawn Lucius wasn’t sure; he wasn’t sure if the Ninth Legion troop carriers would stop at the three squares where they lay in ambush. The soldiers were already like loaded bullets; when the carriers arrived, they would fly out like slugs driven by gunpowder.

Dawn Lucius paced in front of the soldiers, an excessive amount of sweat seeping from his palms, making it hard to grip the butt of his rifle, so he rubbed them on his shirt and wiped them with the corner of his shirt again. He turned his face to look at the soldiers around him, who were staring straight ahead at the empty square. It was amazing that a sunny afternoon could become the preparation for a fight for your life. If there were no war, the old people might be sitting by the fountain sunbathing, the mothers chatting, the children chasing each other happily. “Coming, coming, coming,” the soldier at the front of the ambush said quietly in excitement. Dawn Lucius’s worry that the Ninth Legion would not come was put to rest, but at the thought of the life-and-death struggle ahead, his heart leapt to his throat again.

The troop-carrying airships began to gather above the square. The soldiers at the head were beamed down first, and they quickly set up a defense at the edge of the square. The rope ladders on the ships began to descend, and Dawn Lucius raised his fist to signal the people behind him not to move. The first group came down, and the soldiers around him were already anxious to press on. But this was not the time: if they rushed out now, the troop-carrying airships would take the main force elsewhere or escape, and that would not achieve the goal of eliminating them. Dawn Lucius breathed heavily.

After the group made it to the ground without incident, Dawn Lucius knew that it was time. He swung his fist and shouted with all his might, “Charge.”

The heavy firearms ambushed in the rear opened fire together, and the troop-carrying boats hanging in mid-air of the Ninth Legion scattered like popcorn, and those soldiers who were too late to disembark mixed in the debris of the airship and fell heavily on the ground. And the soldiers on the ground, surrounded by the Ashton people’s absolute numerical superiority, were wiped out in a very short time. The victory came so fast that some Ashton soldiers rushing up from behind did not even touch the enemy.

“Let’s hurry back to the walls,” Samuel said after the three of them regrouped.

“General, leave some of your men behind to take care of our soldiers’ bodies and drag the enemy bodies outside the city.” Dawn Lucius reached out to block Samuel, who was about to leave.

“Why? Where’s the time?” Samuel looked at Dawn Lucius impatiently, ready to go.

Dawn Lucius blocked his way and continued. “General, a soldier being dead doesn’t mean he no longer matters. They were someone’s son, someone’s husband, someone’s father, and when they die, their bodies have to be given back to their loved ones. Besides, if we don’t respect the dead soldiers, the living will think that death earns no respect, and no one will sincerely risk his life.” Samuel’s face eased, and Dawn Lucius, sensing that the other man was listening, continued. “Returning the enemy’s bodies to the enemy is respect for the dead. Most importantly, bodies decaying in the city may spread a virus; putting them outside the city will reduce the risk of the virus infecting the city.”

Eventually, Samuel took Dawn Lucius’s advice. When Sandra saw him, her worry eased only a little, and she checked Dawn Lucius’s body all over, deeply afraid that he was injured. They were setting up the next defense in the city when a messenger came to inform them that Madam Winifred wanted to see them, including Dawn Lucius, so after setting up the defense plan, the group took a small dirigible and flew in the direction of Madam Winifred’s palace. In the middle of the columns stood a transparent cylinder, which was Madam Winifred’s chambers, and the space around the cylinder was filled with airships acting as patrols and guards.

Samuel led the group off the airship outside the building. They surrendered their weapons and stepped onto the road into the palace with the usher. The road was blue-gray, flat, and so clean that they could see their own reflections. Dawn Lucius looked up ahead, and in the distance there were three female faces on the pillar with the same expression, especially the eyes that defied everything.

After a long walk, they finally met Madam Winifred at the top of the cylinder. Duncan had said that Madam Winifred was at least 9,000 years old, so in theory she should look like an old woman. Madam Winifred’s hair was braided into many thin strands, tied at the back of her head and scattered over her shoulders, the tip of each braid like a glowing firefly. Her dress was light green and looked smoother than silk. She stood barefoot in the middle of the hall, looking at the four of them with contempt.

“Madam Winifred ......” Samuel stepped forward and bowed, raising his hand and pointing to Dawn Lucius and the other two behind him. “These three are from Cavnos Planet ......”

“I know.” Madam Winifred interrupted Samuel and turned to look out of the floor-to-ceiling window and continued. “You organized the army to repel the Ninth Legion’s attack, thanks to you, but to put it mildly, this victory is meaningless.” Before several people could respond, Madam Winifred said sternly. “You will stop sabotaging my plans, or I will treat you as enemies.”

“Ma’am, I don’t understand what you mean,” Samuel said.

“Don’t understand?” Madam Winifred sneered and turned her face to look at him. “Lord Winifred is still in Carlson’s hands, and all of Orion Arm’s armies are rushing towards Visadio Planet. Everyone has different schemes, but in the end, don’t they all want the White Crystal technology in my hands? Forget it ......” Madam Winifred waved her hand, turned her face to look at Dawn Lucius and the other two, and said coldly, “Prince Burt and I have reached a truce, and the Duncan family deserves a lot of credit.”

“Ma’am, I don’t understand. What credit does our family deserve?” Sandra asked tentatively.

“Ashton Federation can continue to exist, but the Strath people need Ashton Federation to give up military training, and Prince Burt needs your heads as a gift for this negotiation ......” Madam Winifred pointed at Duncan and Sandra.

Just then, Dawn Lucius noticed a large number of heavily armed soldiers pouring into the hall, forming a circle around the group and slowly closing in on them.

“Ma’am, you’re going to kill the people defending Ashton Federation?” Samuel cried, glancing at the others before continuing. “By doing so, our soldiers will no longer have the confidence to protect Ashton Federation ......”

“Shut up,” Madam Winifred yelled. She raised her hand, and five soldiers instantly tied Samuel up and gagged him. The only thing Samuel could do was keep weeping.

“Ma’am, Ashton people never kill their own people,” Duncan said with restraint.

“It’s not what it used to be, General Duncan.”

“Madam, our family has laid down our lives for generations to protect Ashton Federation. My father helped the old emperor conquer numerous planets to build the glorious Ashton Federation. If you kill us now, how can you face the people of Ashton Federation?” Duncan asked in a stern voice.

“Since your family is willing to lay down their lives for the Federation, and you would die anyway if you fought in the war, consider yourselves sacrificed for the Federation on the battlefield.” Madam Winifred was like an abandoned woman with a broken family mindlessly destroying the things in her house. She raised her hand and pointed at Sandra, laughing coldly. “And you.”

Just then, a group of soldiers surrounded Duncan and Sandra and tied them up.

“Lady ......” Dawn Lucius shouted. The soldiers stopped what they were doing and looked at Madam Winifred. She raised her hand to signal them to stop, and Dawn Lucius continued. “The Strath people are just getting you to destroy your own generals. When Duncan and Sandra are dead, their next demand will be your head. Have you thought about it? They’re just leading you into the trap step by step.”

“Nonsense. Prince Burt promised me in front of so many people. Don’t you spoil my plan.”

“Ma’am, only the Duncan family can save Ashton Federation now. Only with these siblings here can all the people of Ashton Federation be rallied to protect Visadio Planet. If you kill them, not only will the Strath people’s plot succeed, but the people of the Ashton Federation will also hate you. They will never be loyal to your rule again. You must think this through, Madam,” Dawn Lucius pleaded.

Madam Winifred turned her back, looked down at the floor, and after a moment of silence, she shuffled over to Dawn Lucius, looked up at him, and said, word by word, “Earthling, you have another purpose.” Hearing this, Dawn Lucius felt bad, and before he had time to think, Madam Winifred gritted her teeth and continued. “A deal with the Strath people is a deal, and as for you, there are plenty of people interested in what’s on your arm. When I cut it off and give it to someone in need, he will naturally destroy the Strath people for me.”

“What do you mean ......?” Dawn Lucius remembered what General Les had said; it seemed that someone had been watching him all along. Who was it?

“All right.” Madam Winifred raised her hand, and the three of them were tied up tightly and gagged.

Dawn Lucius could not die. If Ashton Federation did not succeed in stopping the Strath people, the solar system could not be saved, and that was Stacean Lucius’ favorite place. And Sandra and Duncan, they could not be beheaded. The back of Dawn Lucius’ head burned uncomfortably, as if on fire. He clenched his fists and tightened all his muscles, trying to evoke the purple layer of light to end it all. But even after the muscles in his chest began to ache, he could not evoke the purple light. Dawn Lucius, with his head down, rushed through the crowd and was kicked to the ground. After he hit the floor with his head, he hoped to conjure up the purple light, but in the end, he only got a face full of blood.

Dawn Lucius was hauled up. Through his blurred vision, he saw Sandra, full of tears, looking at him and shaking her head; he could understand that Sandra’s heart ached for him. But she did not understand that for Dawn Lucius, the meaning of going on living was to protect the place where Stacean Lucius had been. People, right, can go to many places in a lifetime, but there are few places they want to go back to, only home, and if the solar system was gone, Dawn Lucius would have no place to go back to. There was still some reluctance: he wanted to really live with the woman he loved. Dawn Lucius was not willing; he ground his feet from side to side, letting the soles grip the ground, built up strength, and lunged hard forward, but was held down by the soldiers. Madam Winifred raised her hand, and the soldiers brought Dawn Lucius before her. After the device sealing his mouth was removed, Madam Winifred sneered, “Quasi-Star Map Draftsman, you can’t evoke the dark matter, right? To be honest, I’ve only heard of it, but I’ve never really seen it with my own eyes.”

“Then try untying me,” Dawn Lucius said provocatively.

Madam Winifred curled her lip, stepped back a few steps, and signaled the soldiers to untie Dawn Lucius. Dawn Lucius rubbed his wrist and squeezed the Star Source on his right arm several times, but no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many times he recalled his previous experiences, he couldn’t conjure up the purple light, and Dawn Lucius fell to his knees in exhaustion.

Madam Winifred walked up to him and said, “Earthling, you can’t call it out, right? It seems you will die without knowing why?”

“I have a request. May I make it?” Dawn Lucius bowed his head in loss.

“You can cut off the arm, but please let Duncan and Sandra go.”

“Haha, what a joke.” Madam Winifred sneered, put her foot on Dawn Lucius’ hand, and continued. “It’s come to this, and it isn’t up to me whether your arm gets cut off or not?”

“I am willing to tell you, Madam, the secret of the Datheon’s energy, the secret that only I know,” Dawn Lucius said, enduring the pain.

Madam Winifred withdrew her foot; she seemed interested.

“What’s the secret?”

“Dark energy, the ability to live forever and sweep across the universe. I know how to master it.” Dawn Lucius said as he looked up at Madam Winifred.

“This is new. Only Datheon can master dark energy. They relied on this ability to sweep the entire galaxy at first, tore Orion Arm from my hands, and divided it between the dirty Strath people and the treacherous Moreth people. You, a Terran, can do this?”

“Ma’am, have you ever seen Datheon use dark energy?”

“Purple energy. Who in Orion Arm doesn’t know it?” Madam Winifred’s voice slowed as she seemed to understand.

“Yes, I called it out twice, madam. I had died in the Kuiper Belt of the solar system, but before I died, I gained the secret of mastering dark energy. You have heard of that, right?”

Madam Winifred waved her hand dismissively at Dawn Lucius, acting as if she had little interest. “I’m not interested in hearing about you.”

“Madam, spare Sandra and Duncan, and I am willing to tell you the secret. Then, never mind the Strath people, all the people of Orion Arm will be loyal to you again, loyal to Ashton Federation,” Dawn Lucius said, pressing his advantage.

“How do I know whether what you say about the secret is true?”

“Ma’am, if it were fake, why would that person care so much about what’s on my arm?”

Madam Winifred didn’t answer. She walked over to Sandra, who was trussed up like a dumpling, and stroked her hair playfully.

“I can promise you to leave Sandra alone. You are her husband, right?” Madam Winifred yanked Sandra’s hair so hard that Sandra’s face twisted in pain, then walked over to Dawn Lucius and continued. “But she must never reappear; if she ever enters here again, she will be dead. Understand?”

Dawn Lucius held back his anger and spoke up. “Ma’am, I’ll tell you the secret to spare both siblings. Besides, Duncan’s political stance is on your side.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. Duncan is the key bargaining chip in the agreement with the Strath people. Either all three of you die together, or you tell me the secret and I’ll spare Sandra. Think about it quickly.”

Dawn Lucius looked up at Sandra; she shook her head again and again. He looked at Duncan, and Duncan nodded heavily. Sandra turned around to see her brother nodding, and her tears flowed like a broken reservoir.

“Okay, I promise you. Can I say goodbye to them alone?”

“Whatever. Make it quick.”

Sandra was untied and Dawn Lucius took her in his arms. “I’m sorry for not being able to protect you and your brother.”

“No need to apologize. It was an honor to meet you.”

“I still owe you a wedding.”

“I’ll wait for you. There will always be a chance to do it.”

“Good.” Dawn Lucius touched the back of her head. He let go of Sandra, took off the flexible screen on his left hand, and handed it to her, looked her in the eyes, and said solemnly, “This is the most precious thing I have. Keep it for me. My son is the meaning of my life. He’s gone now, but he’s still the meaning of my life.”

Sandra nodded vigorously as she took the device and carried it in her left hand.

Madam Winifred urged him to hurry up and finish, and Sandra was put on a small spaceship, which pierced through Visadio Planet’s atmosphere and disappeared from Dawn Lucius’ view. This gave him a lot of peace of mind. Visadio Planet’s sun crashed down toward the horizon, and as its light was gradually buried in the ground, the dark night, like a huge plant, began to grow wildly, not stopping until it had covered the sky. While he waited for Madam Winifred to dispose of him, Dawn Lucius felt himself become unusually calm. He was not afraid of death, nor was he worried about what would happen to Orion Arm. Perhaps he was a little regretful not to be able to say thank you to Katherine. Thinking of Katherine, Dawn Lucius always felt a certain closeness to her. Yes, and Norm Quentin: Dawn Lucius always felt that his demeanor gave off a feeling of family, but this seemed unlikely, unless... forget it; Dawn Lucius’s wife was not very likely to have gone and married someone else.

The room where Dawn Lucius was held was empty, with a large window facing west. He had seen the sunset over Visadio Planet several times, and it did not differ much from the sunsets he had seen on Earth. He did not know when Madam Winifred would dispose of him, or whether Duncan had been killed, and as for why his ability to awaken dark matter had disappeared, he didn’t care that much anymore. He lay on the floor. The breeze blew, and Dawn Lucius felt a chill on his face as he clasped his hands to his chest and tightened the collar of his shirt. There was no one on the whole road. The trees on either side of the road almost blocked out the sky, none of them willing to be smaller than the others, each trying to grow into the other’s space until they were so intertwined that the trees couldn’t tell whose leaves were whose. Dawn Lucius looked back and forth, and there didn’t seem to be much difference between the two ends of the road, so he decided to go ahead and maybe find someone to ask. He walked for a while and came to a T-junction, where there was a simple pavilion, its original red faded and aged by the rain, and the stools inside were worn smooth. Probably a bunch of old men often played the erhu here, or a dad, like him, brought Stacean Lucius here to do his homework and to swap toys with the neighbors’ children. The other end of the T-junction was no different: the trees enclosed a gradually narrowing channel, and the farthest point of the channel shrank into a dot in Dawn Lucius’ eyes. A wind blew through, stirring the leaves, and the sunlight fell naturally through them, and the whole road became shifting light and shadow.

“Wake up.” Someone kicked Dawn Lucius, and he woke up from his dream and fixed his eyes on the visitor, who was none other than Jonathan’s finance officer.

“It’s you?” Dawn Lucius asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Who did you think it would be?”

“What are you doing here?”

“What do you think?” the treasurer said as he looked at Dawn Lucius’ right arm.

Dawn Lucius glanced at his right arm. The Star Source was no longer glowing; it was more like a scar embedded in his hand.

“You’re the one who wants this equipment?” Dawn Lucius asked, looking at the finance officer.

“So what if it is?”

“What do you want it for? The device won’t necessarily choose you.”

“What’s it to you? The choice isn’t up to me; the device is just a device.”

“I remember. No wonder you were so arrogant in front of Jonathan.” Dawn Lucius did not use a polite tone with the finance officer either and spoke contemptuously.

“What do you remember?” The treasurer came to his senses and turned to look at Dawn Lucius.

“Isn’t your little ambition to replace your Moreth Steader?” Dawn Lucius stood up, walked over to the finance officer, looked down at his forehead, and continued. “You’re not destined to be a Moreth Steader, got it?”

“What makes you think I’m not destined for it?” The treasurer looked at Dawn Lucius with eyes like two venom-coated arrows.

“A Moreth Steader should be a benevolent man, not a scheming villain like you. What’s more, even if you become one, you’ll be cursed for at least ten thousand years, and you’ll go down as a traitor for the ages.”

“I’m afraid of scolding?” The treasurer asked rhetorically through clenched teeth.

“At first you certainly won’t be afraid. You become Moreth Steader, look around, and the whole Moreth Federation is yours; you hold the power of life and death over everyone. Needless to say, that must feel great, but as time passes ...... then ......”

“And then what?”

“Then you begin to doubt yourself, the voices against you grow, and instead of a hero, parents tell their children bedtime stories about how a traitor killed a king and usurped the throne. Then you will certainly not be happy. You start to suppress, you start to kill, and the more people you hurt, the more the people who curse you multiply. You know the result, don’t you?”

“What’s the result?” The treasurer glared at Dawn Lucius.

“Needless to say, you die with a bad name on your back. If you ask me, you might as well be a good finance officer and keep the Moreth Federation prosperous; the people of the Moreth Federation will regard you as a hero.” When Dawn Lucius finished, the treasurer’s face looked a little stiff. He turned around and walked to the door.

After pausing for a moment, he turned back, stood in front of Dawn Lucius for a moment, looked up at him, and asked, “What do you want?”

“Let me go.” Dawn Lucius’ heart pounded and he looked anxiously at the treasurer’s lips, expecting the answer he wanted to emerge from there.

The treasurer did not answer directly. He walked out the door and called three soldiers to come with him. Dawn Lucius put his hands up so that it would be easier for the soldiers to open the metal shackles that were binding him. When the three soldiers came in, the leader walked up to him, and the other two stood on either side of him. The two men held his arms, and just then the lead soldier punched Dawn Lucius hard in the stomach, forcing the acid in his stomach up his throat, and Dawn Lucius bent over in pain, burning saliva pouring out of his nose.

The treasurer walked up to him, and when Dawn Lucius looked up, the treasurer began to laugh. At first he couldn’t breathe, and then the laughter sent his saliva into his lungs, and the treasurer began to cough, coughing as if his insides were bursting. “What an inferior creature. Your nonsense is fine for deceiving Ashton Federation fools, but in front of me you had better be honest. Sadly, you’ll die without ever understanding what was going on.”