Chapter Thirteen: The Arbitration Incident (Part Two)

“This is utterly outrageous! Karati dared to dissect one of our people. I propose we immediately dispatch a fleet to raze that filthy planet,” thundered a hot-tempered elder, his rage inflamed by the endless agony he sensed from the afflicted member, eager to tear the researchers apart with his own hands.

“I predicted Zuras would fail. His recklessness not only doomed this mission but led to the tragic death of our kin. I propose we arrest him at once and bring him to trial,” declared another elder, responsible for legal affairs.

“I believe the Karati are guilty, yet ultimately this tragedy stems from Zuras’s foolish actions. We cannot simply send a fleet to annihilate them,” a female elder said thoughtfully, defending the Karati.

“Even if Zuras was imprudent, he announced his identity from the outset. The Karati ignored it, hunted him down, and then performed a vivisection on a sentient being from an interstellar empire—a crime no civilization in the atomic age should commit,” an aged elder closed his eyes and sighed softly.

“I feel…”

“I think…”

“I disagree…”

The elders of the Supreme Council were engulfed in discord, each holding a different view on the recent calamity.

“Enough, elders,” Mardonis interrupted after listening for some time. “Zuras indeed erred, but now he and his companions are surrounded by the Karati. If we don’t rescue them swiftly, Karah may suffer yet more painful memories.”

Seeing the elders fall silent, Mardonis surveyed them and spoke, “I will order the nearest fleet to rescue Zuras and return him to Ayer for judgment. The fleet will also transmit a message to the Karati, demanding the return of our compatriot’s remains and the perpetrators. Should they resist, we can let the Engineering Institute’s latest drones pay them a visit. Elders, do you agree?”

“Praise your wisdom and mercy, Consul.” All the elders accepted the arrangement without objection, and the meeting ended with a unanimous vote of one hundred in favor.

Aboard the mothership of the Seventh Fleet of the Star Spirit Empire Expeditionary Force, the young Phoenix stood on the bridge, gazing outward. Each time he looked upon the boundless cosmos, his heart surged with the urge to soar freely among the stars in his own vessel. Since joining the Seventh Fleet, he felt ever closer to his dream, though for now he was but an ordinary Templar aboard the mothership.

Suddenly, he heard the fleet commander’s notification through Karah—a channel only accessible to fleet members. Every commander’s first lesson was to construct their own “war channel,” enjoying Karah’s convenience while preventing an overload of distracting information during battle.

“Emergency alert: all personnel return to your posts immediately. The fleet is preparing to jump.” Upon receiving the command, Phoenix left the observation deck and returned to his navigator’s station. His current role was as the mothership’s navigator, guiding hyperspace jumps—a task requiring at least level nine psionic ability.

Once all ships were assembled, the colossal mothership, leading its fleet, jumped to the outer orbit of Karati, and, following the Supreme Council’s orders, broadcast a psionic message to the planet below: “People of Karati, I am Executor Edmonton of the Star Spirit Empire. We apologize for Zuras’s actions, but he never harmed anyone among you. Cease your attacks immediately and hand over the remains of our slain kin, as well as those responsible. If you refuse, we will employ all necessary measures. You have been warned.”

The Karati warriors who had assaulted Zuras did not halt their attack; their commanders had instructed them never to stop, no matter what happened. The conspirators, safe in their bunkers, felt a moment’s anxiety, then relaxed. The so-called Star Spirit Empire could not possibly know who was truly behind it, and, besides, as they said, they had never killed anyone. Their technology seemed unimpressive—likely focused on defense and escape, nothing to fear.

The ordinary Karati populace, long brainwashed, refused to believe the message of the “evil aliens.” Trusting their own government, they interpreted the broadcast as an invasion and armed themselves, preparing for a desperate fight.

Observing these responses from the surveillance monitors, Executor Edmonton shook his head. His words had reached their limit; whatever happened next was the path they had chosen.

“Activate mass teleportation. Bring Zuras and his companions back to the mothership. We return to Ayer.” Blue beams of light descended from the sky, retrieving Zuras’s struggling group and the dissected remains from the secret underground lab. A flash of blue crossed Karati’s upper atmosphere, and the mothership, bearing all aboard, returned to Ayer. The Star Spirit Empire’s retribution now descended upon Karati.

Three colossal unmanned machines appeared above the underground laboratory where the remains were recovered. These gigantic robots, named Colossi by the Kales of the Engineering Institute, were fearsome land-war machines designed solely for slaughter.

Standing over a hundred meters tall, the robots resembled mobile skyscrapers from afar. Four slender insect-like legs supported their bodies, adorned with artistic patterns that lent them an air of elegance and nobility—though the menacing designs betrayed their true nature too soon.

The three Colossi emerged from the warp gate. Their high-precision AI guidance systems instantly locked onto the underground research facility. Two blazing plasma beams incinerated the evil before them, and the Colossi began their sole mission on this planet—revenge.

Every citizen of the Star Spirit Empire was precious. With technological advancement and ever-higher psionic levels, the Empire’s birth rate had plummeted; now, it took centuries for a single new Star Spirit to be born. The higher their psionic power, the longer their lifespan. The Star Spirit dissected here had lived for over two thousand years, and could have lived much longer.

Equipped with psionic matrices, the Colossi’s AI could easily distinguish friend from foe and predict enemy movements, eliminating threats before they could act. Karati’s ambitious leaders were terrified by the Colossi’s power. They sent countless warriors to intercept them, incited the populace to rebel, but all resistance was futile; everyone who fought back was reduced to ashes by thermal beams. In desperation, the leaders unleashed several nuclear bombs, heedless of the innocent civilians in the cities. After the smoke cleared, countless citizens were dead or wounded, yet the Colossi remained unharmed within their blue shields.

Madness overtook the leaders, driving them to self-destruction as Karati’s civilization marched inexorably toward extinction, much as it had during the War of Eternity. This time, their terror was not the Fang King, but three Colossi.

Meanwhile, on Ayer—Koshaka—Council Hall, Zuras sat dejectedly in the defendant’s seat as the elders of the Supreme Council scrutinized his every action.

After thoroughly reviewing Zuras’s memories, Mardonis spoke first: “Interacting with alien races is never easy. You relied blindly on supposed success stories from parallel universes, unaware of their terrible endings. Our methods of observing alternate universes are too limited, yielding only imagery. I will instruct the Engineering Institute to improve the dimensional detectors. Still, your crimes cannot be ignored. Zuras, do you admit your fault?”

“Consul, I do. My ambition and rashness cost Matos his life. I accept my punishment,” Zuras replied, head bowed, unable to meet the elders’ eyes.

“Then, according to the unanimous decision of the Council, Zuras is sentenced to one thousand years in the Stasis Prison—effective immediately.” Mardonis announced the verdict. The Stasis Prison was a special facility of the Star Spirit Empire; inmates felt time flowing but could not move, and were cut off from Karah communication. It was a cruel punishment, but if one endured the solitude and strove to cultivate, it often led to breakthroughs—a form of closed-door training.

By the time the Supreme Council finished judging Zuras and recalled the Colossi, Karati’s civilization had regressed to the Stone Age. Countless Karati perished at the Colossi’s hands, and at the hands of their own. Amid disaster, some lost the will to resist, knelt in surrender, and soon discovered that the Colossi did not destroy the helpless. The survivors organized themselves into a church worshipping the Colossi, and thus survived.

The Council, unprepared for the devastation wrought by three Colossi, resolved to seal them permanently. Yet the Supreme Preserver objected, and under his persuasion, the Council abstained from sealing the Colossi, instead storing them as quasi-purification-class weapons, to be activated only with strict approval. Everyone hoped these weapons would never be needed again.

Following this arbitration, the Supreme Council urgently enacted a new law—Dau. Dau forbade the people of the Star Spirit Empire from revealing themselves to primitive civilizations, from directly interfering in their development, from participating in their internal wars, and imposed other restrictions. Karati’s refugees were sent a new, capable Executor to console them. Through his explanation, they finally understood the causes and consequences of their fate. The refugees accepted the baptism of Karah, became new Star Spirits, and thus joined the Star Spirit Empire.