The Great Negotiation Star Map Draftsman I: Federation War

Dawn Lucius had heard the parable of the one monk who carries his own water to drink, the two monks who carry water together to drink, and the three monks who have no water to drink many times, each time at a different age, and so each time his understanding of the parable was different. The last time, he understood the story to mean that the more people cooperate, the more complex human hearts become, and it becomes difficult for individuals to cooperate with each other because everyone has different intentions. The same was true of Visadio Planet, with Madam Winifred, the treasurer, Carlson, the Ninth Legion, and Jonathan, who had already arrived on the ground, with the Centaly he led; on the surface, they were all there to see the Star Map Draftsman’s hand cut off and handed to Moreth Federation; then Moreth Federation would help suppress the Ninth Legion, followed by peace negotiations between the Strath people and Ashton Federation, and finally everyone would go back to their old lives. In reality, Visadio Planet now had more than three monks; don’t forget that. Jonathan’s treasurer had a complicated identity. Dawn Lucius had gathered from his words that he was also Jonathan’s father, perhaps a hidden real father; whether the people of Moreth Federation knew was no longer important. He was operating the tool that would cut off Dawn Lucius’s arm, and as the blade sank into Dawn Lucius’s skin, the blood slowly seeped out, and on the treasurer’s face, a smile seeped out.

However, the treasurer’s smile did not last long; it was broken by a burst of cold shots from the crowd. Presumably there were pirates mixed in, also wanting to take the opportunity to grab the Star Source on the Star Map Draftsman’s arm. If they could really control the dark matter, then without White Crystal or the Star Bridge, they would be able to hold Orion Arm in their own hands. When Dawn Lucius opened his eyes, a dozen people in the crowd were rushing towards him, all armed and firing, and behind Dawn Lucius, the treasurer had fallen in a pool of blood, and Madam Winifred was commanding the Everlasting Army to run in Dawn Lucius’ direction. In the crowd that had been watching, some began to fight and some fled out of the palace. Unbeknownst to Dawn Lucius, the Ninth Legion’s troop-carrying airships had begun to attack indiscriminately over Bourlo City, and the ritual of cutting off the Star Map Draftsman’s arm held by Madam Winifred had distracted the garrison, allowing Carlson’s army to easily break into Bourlo City; they pushed slowly into the city while guarding against a Centaly attack on their rear. On Visadio Planet’s high-altitude orbit, there was a melee of attack ships, and an army was destroying Visadio Planet’s defensive ships one by one and heading towards Bourlo City.

“Commander Lucius, it’s us. Let’s get out.” A dozen people with guns rushed to Dawn Lucius and untied him, and Dawn Lucius then saw clearly that the leader was actually Norm Quentin.

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

“Yes. Pull back outside the city first. Sandra’s ship is waiting for us there.” Norm Quentin picked up Dawn Lucius and ran outside as he fired his gun.

But the evacuation did not go so smoothly. The square was in chaos, and the armies had all come down to the ground and begun to fight in a melee. Madam Winifred’s Everlasting Army resisted well at first; the Ninth Legion had almost no way to break through the Everlasting Army’s defense. The Everlasting Army built a line of defense with indestructible energy shields and exchanged fire with the Ninth Legion. The Strath army led by Carlson was not in a good position. They were sandwiched between the Centaly led by Jonathan and the Everlasting Army. On the side facing the Everlasting Army the battle pressure was greatest, almost an all-out fight, and the side facing the Centaly was not much better, with sporadic fighting and occasional harassment from the Centaly, so that Jonathan was intentionally compressing the room for Carlson’s army to respond. But he and Carlson did not break out into full-scale war, mainly because Lord Winifred was still in Carlson’s hands, and Lord Winifred was the one whom Jonathan and Carlson both wanted to draw into their conspiracy, so Jonathan currently had no way to openly fall out with Carlson.

Madam Winifred, Samuel, and others each commanded the Everlasting Army to resist, and the top brass of Ashton Federation were protected in the circle behind the energy shields. But what they didn’t expect was that Prince Burt, who had originally been held back at Smyrni Planet, fought his way back to Visadio Planet with his army, and together with the several forces at the front, they were squeezing the Everlasting Army inward from several sides. Dawn Lucius and his group were not able to break out; they could only retreat to the north side of the city near the wall. At this time, all the troops, like a tangled tide, were surging towards the north of the city.

“Thank you for coming to my rescue, thanks.” After Dawn Lucius and his group stopped at a dried-up fountain, he caught his breath and said this to Norm Quentin. Only two of the soldiers who had rushed in with them were left; the others had either gotten lost or been knocked down in the course of the fighting.

“Commander Lucius, you’re welcome,” Norm Quentin said as he stared warily ahead.

“By the way, how did you guys get here?”

“Sandra brought us here, and ......” Norm Quentin said after standing up on the fountain platform and looking back the way they had come to make sure there were no pursuers, “all this, I mean ......” he added as he drew a circle in the air and pointed over at the large army, “we all know what’s going on. Sandra gave us the general idea, and as for the nuclear war on Earth, she also said that Madam Winifred provoked the Terrans into starting it.”

“If I hadn’t gone to the Sane ship, perhaps there would not have been a nuclear war, and then Stacean Lucius would ......” Before Dawn Lucius knew it, tears had begun to well up in his eyes.

“Earth was already eyeing alien technology at that time. Even if you hadn’t gone, sooner or later someone would have. Commander Lucius, don’t blame yourself too much.”

“Norm Quentin, are those ships still destroying the solar system?”

“Not anymore. We’ve beaten them back. Sandra said there’s only one gravitational depression in the solar system; we just need to deploy our heavy forces near Mars to defend it.”

“Well then, thank you for protecting it and protecting Stacean Lucius ......” Dawn Lucius took a deep breath as he patted Norm Quentin on the shoulder and continued. “When I set out, I told my son I was going to pick a star for him, but in the end, his favorite planet was destroyed.”

“Commander Lucius, I think he will not blame you. It was not your intention.” Norm Quentin finished, but before Dawn Lucius had a chance to say anything, the Everlasting Army had already come after them, and a mass of weapons was pointed at them. Norm Quentin raised his weapon and stepped in front of Dawn Lucius, shielding Dawn Lucius behind him. Dawn Lucius’ heart felt as if Norm Quentin’s back had softly struck it a blow. He turned to look at the two already terrified soldiers behind him; Dawn Lucius knew that this was not their war, and they did not need to get involved in Orion Arm’s conspiracies.

“Norm Quentin.” Dawn Lucius tapped Norm Quentin on the shoulder. Norm Quentin didn’t turn around and continued to hold his weapon up at the Everlasting Army, keeping a vigilant eye on their every move, tilting his head back to hear Dawn Lucius’ next words. Seeing that he did not turn around, Dawn Lucius went around in front of him, faced him, and continued, “Thank you. I don’t know whose son you are, and I don’t know whose father you are. I would like to ask you a favor: return safely to the solar system and help me guard Stacean Lucius’s Earth. You don’t need to keep risking your life for me. Without Stacean Lucius, my life has no meaning, but yours has a more important meaning.” When Dawn Lucius finished, he raised his hands and walked straight toward the Everlasting Army. The crowd began to stir. Norm Quentin shouted something behind Dawn Lucius, but he did not hear it; the Everlasting Army was shifting its footing, and the noise drowned out Norm Quentin’s voice.

Once Dawn Lucius got close enough, he stopped, and the army was momentarily still. “My hand goes to Madam Winifred. Spare the Earthlings behind me.”

Long after Dawn Lucius had finished, Madam Winifred came out of the crowd, took one look at Dawn Lucius, and then turned to her attendant and said something, and the attendant went into the army. Then someone from the army came out and put Dawn Lucius in chains again, and then they faced Norm Quentin’s direction with their weapons. On the other side of their army, the battle did not stop; the intense gunfire formed an unpleasant heat wave that swept over all the creatures of Bourlo City. Some of the army paced anxiously, and some were as calm as death. They actually thought much as Dawn Lucius did, right? There was no way to take part in what was going on there.

After a while, the Everlasting Army opened a path in the middle, and a group of people came out from inside. At the front was Lord Winifred, followed by the two princes, Carlson and Burt, who were unarmed, and a little behind was Samuel, followed by several soldiers carrying a stretcher, with someone’s body covered under white fabric. Dawn Lucius felt the electronic shackles tighten; his arms were already numb. He thought that this time there was probably no escape, so he planned to give Norm Quentin a few words to tell Sandra, but the soldiers with guns stopped him, and Norm Quentin and the two soldiers behind him didn’t dare to go forward, so Dawn Lucius had to stop.

Madam Winifred reappeared, and Dawn Lucius could see clearly that the person following her was Jonathan, the person who had pretended to be Dawn Lucius’ friend but who was also the person who had plotted against Dawn Lucius and started the nuclear war on Earth. His treasurer had wanted to cut off Dawn Lucius’ hand, and Jonathan could certainly not escape responsibility for that. On Smyrni Planet, Jonathan had given Dawn Lucius the Star Bridge controller, and Dawn Lucius had been touched for a long time. Now, if his hands could move freely, he wanted to pull the controller out of his pocket and smash it in front of Jonathan. Only after seeing Madam Winifred and Jonathan did the few who had arrived first turn to face the direction she was coming from. Dawn Lucius could not see the expressions on their faces, but he guessed that everyone’s expression was very complicated, just like what they were thinking and worrying about now.

“All right ......” When everyone had arrived, Madam Winifred swept her eyes around and then spoke. “This farce of Orion Arm, it’s time to end it.”

“Madame knows what I want. It’s simple.” Jonathan was the first to speak, looking at Dawn Lucius as he did so.

“I know. Doesn’t the Moreth Federation just want to get the Star Map Draftsman’s ability? But you have to understand, Orion Arm has an old rule: if a Star Map Draftsman takes part in war and disrupts the peace of Orion Arm, any of our Federations has the right to strip him of his ability. Now, this Star Map Draftsman has taken part in countless battles in Orion Arm, captured Strath Federation’s General Les, engineered the seizure of Prince Burt’s troop carriers, and turned my Ashton Federation’s forces to initiate combat. These are facts, right?”

“If you want to talk about breaking the rules,” Jonathan said, looking at Madam Winifred, “then Madam Winifred has broken more rules, right? You asked Sandra to bring the Star Map Draftsman to Gyaly Planet; your goal was to get the Star Map Draftsman involved in the war in the first place, and everything after that was arranged by you, wasn’t it? You used White Crystal to blackmail the officials of my Moreth Federation and took the Star Bridge to transport your army, and when you heard that the Star Map Draftsman had arrived at Smyrni Planet, you sent people pretending to be Strath people to destroy the solar system, to lead the Star Map Draftsman to join the war to protect the solar system. Later, you continued to use White Crystal to blackmail the managers of the Star Bridge to help you transport the Everlasting Army back to Visadio Planet. At that time you recognized Lord Winifred’s scheme ......”

“What ploy? You need to stop driving a wedge between my mother and me.” Lord Winifred snarled at Jonathan, while glancing tentatively at Madam Winifred.

“Jonathan Moreth Steader, I don’t know how what you describe happened. I was not involved in these things. You say I told Sandra to bring the Star Map Draftsman to Gyaly Planet; Sandra is a traitor to my Ashton Federation. As for your claim that I used White Crystal to blackmail your Moreth Federation people into letting them use the Star Bridge to transport an army, no matter what army you mean, that is a matter between their generals and your people who manage the Star Bridge, and it has nothing to do with me. I only care about the old rules, the one rule that the Star Map Draftsman broke.”

“Ma’am, if you want to put it that way, then we have no rules to follow,” Jonathan sneered.

“So after all this, second brother ......” Carlson walked to Burt’s side, patted his shoulder, and continued, “the second-level civilizations are quite shameless, aren’t they? They break their own rules and don’t follow them, but they want us first-level civilizations to comply. If you ask me, these so-called rules are determined by strength. We of the Strath Federation never established rules; today I understand something: we must also establish a few rules for Orion Arm.”

“Big brother is right. I think the first rule is that no one is allowed to use White Crystal; everyone who takes it turns stupid, almost like a zombie,” Burt said with a smile.

“You two don’t have to sing the same song. Do you think I don’t know about your little tricks?” Madam Winifred sneered and continued, “You two pretended to fall out to show your old chief your abilities, so as to compete for the next Strath Federation leadership. I don’t care about such trivial things, but you got Lord Winifred involved and made him your talisman, and I haven’t taken that up with you yet!”

“Mother, I ......” Lord Winifred intended to defend himself, but was interrupted by Madam Winifred.

“The only person who could think of this method is Jonathan Moreth Steader. Within the Moreth Federation, countless people have taken my White Crystal. To get these people not to resist the Strath people crossing the border, you just need to make good use of White Crystal. Presumably, the Strath people’s smooth passage is all thanks to Jonathan Moreth Steader instructing his own confidants in Moreth Federation to persuade the various departments.” Madam Winifred said this, turned her face to look at Burt and Carlson, and continued, “I say, haven’t you two been set up by Jonathan? If he could convince Moreth Federation not to resist, why didn’t he convince the people of Maniya Planet to provide the Star Bridge for you to transport troops, instead of making you travel the hard way across the universe in the most primitive manner?” Madam Winifred finished and started laughing, as if she had exposed a childish show.

Jonathan and the two Strath princes looked at each other; the three did not argue about the matter. They knew the situation at this point and understood that their respective goals were the main thing. Jonathan took the lead and said, “Madam, if it were as you say, then Visadio Planet would not be in this situation today. I have no power to convince Moreth Federation to give the Star Bridge to the two princes of Strath Federation to transport troops. But the Strath Federation, the Moreth Federation, and the Centaly have all come here for a common goal; we have all been deeply poisoned by White Crystal. We don’t want to be enemies with Ashton Federation. We just want Madam Winifred to either make White Crystal available to all or break it off, and bring life and power back to nature.”

“That’s a very clever thing to say.” Madam Winifred continued after a cold laugh. “The future master of Orion Arm is Jonathan Moreth Steader. You had the two princes of Strath Federation face Ashton Federation directly, tying down Ashton Federation’s army and distracting people’s attention at the same time. You’re really smart. In order to get back your power, you personally hired the Ninth Legion to wreak havoc in your own star field. You led the Centaly, whom you had positioned long ago, out to follow the Ninth Legion like a butt-licker. Indeed, once the Centaly followed the Ninth Legion, the Ninth Legion stopped destroying planets in the Moreth Federation star field. You would occasionally stage the two armies confronting each other, but only shouting, never starting a fight. You are very efficient, Jonathan Moreth Steader. Once this play had been staged on a dozen planets, you, Jonathan Moreth Steader, became the only one in Moreth Federation who cared about the people, and no matter how Moreth Federation’s rules limit you, the power will slowly return to your hands. Brilliant indeed.”

“Madam, this story is quite well made up. I should ask Madam for advice on these underhanded tricks you speak of. You are right, I do want to take back the rule of the Moreth Federation, because the Moreth Federation will be destroyed by White Crystal from within sooner or later, but I, Jonathan, don’t stoop to using what you describe.”

“I can’t agree with that. Jonathan Moreth Steader besieged Ashton Federation, and the timing of the different armies arriving at Visadio Planet was all within your arrangement. First you won over Lord Winifred, and then used Samuel’s management authority ......” Madam Winifred looked at Lord Winifred before turning her eyes on Samuel and continued. “You had him shut down Visadio Planet’s defense system and open Visadio Planet’s defense shield, and Prince Carlson easily landed with his army, beating my Everlasting Army back all the way, and finally trapping us in Bourlo City.”

“Madam, I have been wronged ......” Samuel kept bowing to Madam Winifred, trying to explain that he had not done this, but was interrupted by Madam Winifred raising her hand.

“Don’t worry, we’ll settle your score slowly.” Madam Winifred turned her face to look at Jonathan and continued. “Then you sent the Ninth Legion to surround the other side of Bourlo City, so the people of Bourlo City could neither enter nor leave, and my Everlasting Army and the people of the city slowly lost confidence and finally lost faith in me, Madam Winifred. I think this was your safest ploy, right? Even if Bourlo City did not go to war with Carlson, or with the Ninth Legion, you could still surround us inside Bourlo City until we died. You could protect yourself and build your image as a good man. What you did not expect was that the Star Map Draftsman would run to Smyrni Planet, ready to take the army there to reinforce Visadio Planet, which scared you. Then you pulled a little scheme so that Smyrni Planet’s army could not rescue Visadio Planet, which put you much more at ease. Then you informed Carlson and the Ninth Legion at the same time to attack Bourlo City, and seeing Bourlo City fall, you started your next move. I think Jonathan Moreth Steader is still very satisfied with the current situation, right?”

“I, Jonathan, am not capable of getting Prince Carlson and the evil Ninth Legion to go to war at the same time. Why would they listen to me? Winifred should know that.”

“I’m not sure about that, I’d like to ask Prince Carlson.” Madam Winifred turned her face to look at Carlson and asked as she walked towards him. “I don’t know what alliance Jonathan has made with you, but have you considered that this Jonathan Moreth Steader doesn’t simply want the Star Map Draftsman’s powers?”

“I suppose,” Carlson replied with a smile, after glancing at Jonathan. “I don’t care what your ladyship says. Jonathan Moreth Steader has his own agenda, and so do we of the Strath Federation; it’s just that a few of us young men happened to bump into each other while we were on the move.”

“Oh, yeah?” Madam Winifred sneered and continued after walking back to where she had been standing. “If Jonathan Moreth Steader has nothing on the Strath Federation, then why did he let Centaly’s army block behind you, sandwiching you between the Everlasting Army and his army? Young man, it’s obvious that he wants you and the Everlasting Army to fight to the death, and when both of us are almost depleted, Centaly will strike and destroy both you Strath Federation and me Ashton Federation at the same time.”

Hearing Madam Winifred say so, Dawn Lucius felt a burst of panic. Jonathan’s scheme was indeed much more brilliant than those of the other armies. He was now going to get the Star Source by any means without admitting it himself, but Burt’s words were almost true: Jonathan had somehow found out that the Star Source was on the Sane ship, and he had run to the Sane ship to try on the Star Source. Probably the Star Source did not fit or accept Jonathan, and as a result, Dawn Lucius had put it on by sheer accident. If Jonathan had succeeded in putting on the Star Source, he might have openly operated dark matter to control all the kingdoms of Orion Arm, but Madam Winifred intervened in the middle, and Jonathan pulled several parties together in a roundabout way, using the conflicts between different groups to have them weaken each other. And the Centaly’s oath of eternal allegiance to the Moreth Federation’s Moreth Steader was Jonathan’s last base; as soon as Orion Arm had fought itself to the point of death, Jonathan would lead the Centaly out to clean up the military power of Orion Arm. When all was said and done, Dawn Lucius had even felt heartfelt gratitude to him before, and all he had done was simply to guide Dawn Lucius to make his plan run more smoothly.

“I don’t think your ladyship’s purpose today is really to negotiate.” Prince Burt glanced at Jonathan and continued after walking to Lord Winifred’s side. “Since the lady has spoken openly, we won’t hide anything either. The Strath Federation has been poisoned deeply enough by White Crystal. Our elders only think about how to get enough White Crystal and never thinks about how to develop the Strath Federation. We two brothers came to Visadio Planet to see Madam Winifred, not for a guarantee or to destroy Ashton Federation. We want Madam to hand over the White Crystal technology, and we will destroy this technology and let life evolve naturally. The Strath Federation’s elders will then be more concerned with technological development.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Madam Winifred continued after giving Burt a cold look. “You are invading Ashton Federation, not ‘coming to Visadio Planet to see me, Madam Winifred,’ as you put it. White Crystal technology is currently in my hands alone, so handing it over is no problem. But will that solve your Strath Federation’s problem? It’s hard to leap forward once technology has developed to a certain level. Do you really think that just by getting your elders to stop focusing on White Crystal, you will be able to develop? You are too naive.”

“It’s not naive, ma’am,” Carlson put in.

“How is it not naive?” Madam Winifred asked rhetorically.

“Ma’am,” Carlson continued in reply. “There are five spiral arms in the entire galaxy, and Datheon divided Orion Arm into three Federations, so there must be Federations on the other spiral arms as well. We’re not sure how the other spiral arms have developed, but the Strath Federation has been trying to communicate and trade with them across the vast star river. And they need to develop more advanced technology. If those in power in Orion Arm care only about immortality, they will have no awe of life and will not even think about how to develop. Our purpose is to destroy the White Crystal technology.”

“I get it. If you want to destroy White Crystal technology, no problem; I, Madam Winifred, can simply stop selling it in your Strath Federation’s star field. But if you really want to break through your civilization’s technological limits ......” Madam Winifred shook her head, turned to point at Dawn Lucius, and continued. “Only Datheon can break through the limits of technology.”

Hearing what Madam Winifred said, everyone’s eyes flashed to Dawn Lucius. Just as the crowd was wondering, a slight vibration seemed to come from the ground of Visadio Planet, as when someone drags a bench past the window of an old house with a moldy wooden floor and the spider on the windowsill feels a brief vibration. Some people in the crowd noticed it, but the vibration was not that alarming. What everyone cared about most was what Madam Winifred had said: why could only Datheon break through the limits of technology?

“Ma’am,” Jonathan interrupted before the crowd could respond. “Don’t divert attention. The few of us are here for White Crystal. If you destroy the White Crystal technology, I, Jonathan, promise you, and promise you all, that I will take the Centaly and evacuate Visadio Planet, and also force the Ninth Legion to evacuate and disband, so that there will be no threat to most of the planets.”

“Is it really that simple?” Madam Winifred glared at Jonathan, and after she raised her hand toward the Everlasting Army, someone in the crowd brought out a hologram device that showed Malea Planet, the planet where, as everyone knew, all the secrets of Ashton Federation’s technology and ships resided. Madam Winifred continued, “Malea Planet is where White Crystal is brewed. Ashton Federation doesn’t need any high-tech spaceships or lethal weapons. Our science team, our pharmacist team to be exact, has been brewing White Crystal for thousands of years. Now ......” Madam Winifred raised her hand to point, and the hologram showed a huge engineering project under the ground of Malea Planet; then the image switched to a room full of White Crystal, and Madam Winifred continued. “Malea Planet’s people have finished evacuating, and this place is filled with bombs. I just need to press this device in my hand, and Malea Planet will be blown back to its initial state. The equipment in Orion Arm that can smelt White Crystal will disappear, and Orion Arm will no longer have a stock of White Crystal in circulation. So, won’t that satisfy the wishes of the two princes and Jonathan Moreth Steader?”

“Wait, mother ......” Lord Winifred stared closely at the device in Madam Winifred’s hand, deeply afraid that Madam Winifred would press it. He hurried in front of Madam Winifred and continued. “Mother, I think these people will not stop there, even if we do destroy the White Crystal technology, they will still seize the star field of Ashton Federation.”

“Oh?” Madam Winifred looked at Lord Winifred with interest, put the hand holding the detonating device behind her back, and continued, “And what is your idea?”

“Mother, we can promise the two princes and Jonathan Moreth Steader more White Crystal; they won’t need to pay galaxy coins for it, and we can even provide it to their senior leaders for free, but they must pull their troops out of Ashton Federation and never harass Ashton Federation again. If they don’t believe us ...... I mean ......” Lord Winifred hesitated for a moment. “Mother, you can give me the White Crystal technology for safekeeping, so that they will not worry about whether we will really give them the White Crystal.”

Madam Winifred hesitated for a moment and then spoke with a smile. “That’s a solution. Do the rest of you have ideas to tell us too?” Madam Winifred scanned the crowd present.

“Madam, I am in favor of giving it to Lord Winifred for safekeeping.” Jonathan was the first to speak up and take a stand.

“And the two princes?” Madam Winifred asked, looking in the direction of Carlson and Burt.

“We’re more in favor of destruction,” Carlson replied.

Madam Winifred did not speak. She took a deep breath and then looked at Dawn Lucius with eyes as deep as the largest black hole at the heart of the galaxy. Dawn Lucius shook the shackles on his body. Madam Winifred smiled a little and then raised her hand, and a few soldiers came out of the Everlasting Army and held Samuel down on the ground. Before the crowd could figure out what was happening, Samuel was executed, and Lord Winifred knelt heavily on the hard floor, as if the ownership of his life had been lost at that moment. Two soldiers came to his side, lifted him up, and pulled him to stand in front of Madam Winifred, who looked at her son with disappointment in her eyes.

“Was it for the sake of White Crystal or for the sake of power that you thought of plotting against me?” Madam Winifred finished speaking, then pressed the detonator in her hand. In the hologram, the soil of Malea Planet was thrown into the air, large bubbles burst one after another, and what was left of the planet was a sky covered with smoke and dust.

“What are you doing?” Jonathan yelled angrily and stepped forward, pressing the communication device on his arm at the same time. Next, those who started the killing were either the Centaly or the Ninth Legion.