"No — no need for the Void Hunters?"
Pep exclaimed in shock. "How can that be?"
"Why not?"
The elder brother said, "In the past thousands of years, we have been living on the Void Hunter as a tiny … reptile under the protection of such a behemoth. Such humble and humiliating days have passed for so long that many people have forgotten the glory of the more distant past. They have forgotten that when our ancestors were still living on Earth, we were the kings of the entire planet, and we were the terrifying apes standing at the top of the food chain. No creature could compete with us!
"At that time, our ancestors reigned supreme on Earth. As far as the eye could see, all lives were either our food, our slaves, or our toys. There was no such thing as the Void Hunters that could be mentioned in the same breath as us or even vaguely above us.
"When we wandered the sea of stars in desperation and were on the verge of death, we were forced to attach ourselves to the Void Hunters. It was an act of helplessness that countless people regarded as the greatest humiliation! Now that we have recovered from the shock and embarked on the path of glory again, why should our hands and feet be bound by a mere Void Hunter?
"Did you know, Pep, that many fleets chose a certain natural paradise as their base after abandoning the Void Hunters? They developed so fast that they left us far behind.
"The people on those fleets even mocked us for being stubborn old fools who clung to the dregs of a thousand years ago and did not know how to change customs and develop new production methods and social forms.
"The power struggle of the highest council was also involved. The relationships in all aspects were so complicated that even I couldn't explain it clearly.
"Right now, of the dozen or so fleets that still chose to rear the Void Hunters, more than half of them were shaking and ready to accept the technical assistance of other fleets, completely abandoning the outdated and dangerous vehicle that was the Void Hunters.
"The commander of our fleet is the most stubborn one in the highest battle council. He always feels that we cannot put all our eggs in one basket. Since most of the fleets have chosen a new direction of development, there is nothing wrong with a few fleets maintaining the traditions of the past thousand years. That way, if there is an upheaval, some seeds of hope will be preserved. The reason why he is so stubborn is also because of Dad's persistence.
"However, it is precisely at this moment that the Void Hunters of our fleet have touched the dangerous bottom line of 'self-awareness'. Right now, billions of pairs of eyes are staring at us, waiting to see how we deal with the Void Hunters. If the matter is not settled neatly, or if something goes wrong, not only our fleet, but also the Void Hunters of a dozen other fleets, as well as the entire 'harmonious coexistence' between human beings and Void Hunters, will not be preserved. Do you understand?"
Pepe's mind was in a mess.
She could understand every word her brother said, but when they were combined into a sentence, the murderous intent hidden in them made the girl shudder. She could not understand, nor did she want to understand.
Pepe was a sensible girl after all. Knowing that it was useless to throw a tantrum at her brother, she simply cried hard.
"Stop crying."
Her brother handed over a tissue and said, "How ugly would it be if such a beautiful girl's face is smeared with tears?"
Pepe snatched the tissue that her brother handed over, but she cried even harder and could not stop at all.
"Don't blame Dad for being cruel. I believe that he is doing this to protect you."
Her brother said again, "In the past half year, the situation in the highest battle council has changed subtly. The Dove Faction has weakened, and the Hawk Faction has taken over. It is said that the new highest commander is strengthening the control of a hundred fleets and hunting for heretics. We have to be cautious during unusual times."
"Hawk Faction? Dove Faction? Heretics? "
Pepe stopped crying and asked with swollen eyes, "What are they?"
"They are …"
Thinking for a moment, her brother managed to explain, "The Hawk Faction is the most iron-blooded and tough soldiers. They believe that the living space that we colonize right now is far from enough and that the civilization of mankind should continue expanding outward, expanding the living space a hundred times, a thousand times, or even ten thousand times, until we become the dominator of the entire universe. All the lives and civilizations that may threaten us should be obliterated mercilessly. At the very least, their threats should be eliminated and suppressed so that they can serve the civilization of mankind.
"As for the Dove Faction, they believe that the goal is too magnificent and too far away. For now, we should live in harmony with the intelligent alien species in space and develop slowly. Everything will come naturally when the conditions are right.
"As for the heretics, they are … the guys who are under the control of the alien species or who are deranged for unknown reasons and betray the interests of the civilization of mankind!"
"Huh?"
Pepe bulged her eyes. "Do such guys exist?"
"Of course."
Her brother said gloomily, "If Dad did not control you in time and let you go to Shanuya in secret to tell him everything, wouldn't you have become a heretic who is under the control of the alien species and betrays the interests of the civilization of mankind?"
Pepe shuddered hard and said subconsciously, "I — I'm not!"
"It doesn't matter if you are or not."
The elder brother said, "What's important is whether the Supreme Operations Conference and the Supreme Commander think that you're … a new broom sweeps clean. I heard that the current Supreme Commander used some dishonorable means in the process of taking office. His position is not stable, so he has been sharpening his knife, wanting to make an example out of someone to strengthen his position. It's not strange at all. Let's not give him any excuses."
"Brother, what are you talking about exactly? At first, it was about Shanuya. Then, it became about the Highest Operations Conference. In the end, it was about the supreme commander. "
Pepe mumbled, "I don't understand. I don't understand at all."
"It's best that you don't understand."
Her brother smiled. "The greatest wish of your brother and your father is that you never understand the … bloody, dirty, or even evil things and that you will always be a carefree little princess.
"Alright, my little princess, have a good sleep. You will be transferred to the medical starship tomorrow and the day after. Everything will be fine by then."
The moment she heard that she was going to be separated from Shanuya, Pepe's nerves that had just been relaxed were tightened again.
But when she saw her brother's face, she knew that it was useless for her to say anything.
"Brother, I only want to ask you one last question."
The girl said softly.
"Ask away."
Her brother smiled.
"I remember that a long time ago, you once told me that you chose to be a 'warrior' because you wanted to protect all your family from harm."
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
