Chapter 20: The New Trojan Horse

In a star system located at the border of the Parker League, a sleek 300-meter-long ship emerged from hyperspace, escorted by four destroyers.

The fleet's weapons remained inactive, with all gun barrels pointed to the right, as it slowly advanced toward the only planet in the system.

"This is Mullis I Space Station. The Sith Empire's delegation has arrived in the Mullis system! Escort warships are preparing for deployment." A quantum communication signal was transmitted from Mullis to the Alliance's capital in the Androla system.

"Mullis acknowledged. Dispatch a fleet to escort the Sith Empire's ambassadorial fleet. If they show any signs of hostility, take them out!"

Following the order, six destroyers ignited their engines in the space station's port, leaving planetary orbit to meet the Sith delegation.

Ten days earlier, Emperor Li Mingze of the Empire had sent a signal to the Parker League, notifying them that the Sith Empire would soon be arriving for its first diplomatic exchange. If possible, the Empire was willing to join the League—a message filled with diplomatic pleasantries and deception.

The League was both surprised and delighted by the news. Surprised—because they had no idea when a new nation had risen so close to their borders. Delighted—because the aging Alliance had not welcomed fresh blood in a long time.

A newly risen empire seeking to join them? Wasn't this proof of the League's greatness? The Alliance's leaders indulged in their own fantasies.

Thus, they placed great importance on the Sith Empire's delegation, inviting them to the Alliance's capital system, Androla, for direct talks.

However, wary of any potential deceit from the Sith Empire, they sent six destroyers for "escort"—though in reality, it was for surveillance.

Once the six destroyers met the Sith delegation, they flashed their signal lights in confirmation before slowly turning to form a protective perimeter around the delegation's fleet.

The eleven warships moved to the edge of the system, flickered with blue electric light, and vanished.

After dozens of jumps, the fleet arrived in the orbit of the Parker Alliance's capital.

The capital planet of the Parker League was a desert world. Once lush with vegetation, it had been overdeveloped during the rise of the Alliance's founding nation. Later, as technology advanced, the League decided to leave the capital planet in its ruined state as a reminder to future generations of the dangers of overexploitation.

A massive space station floated above the planet's equator, connected to the surface by a space elevator. Though the station still felt the planet's faint gravitational pull, its high-speed rotation kept it suspended in orbit.

Dozens of enormous docking bridges extended outward like a spider's web, forming the station's open-air port. The sheer volume of daily ship traffic had forced them to abandon enclosed hangars in favor of open-air docking.

The ambassadorial ship shut down its engines and was towed into port by a set of tug ships.

The Sith Empire's delegation disembarked, boarding a transport vehicle that carried them to the diplomatic reception hall. Honor guards from the Parker Alliance stood on both sides of the hall, while at the far end, the Alliance's high-ranking officials waited.

Ambassador Mode strode toward the Parker leadership, shaking hands firmly with them. Nearby, journalists captured the moment in photographs, preparing to write headlines about the "symbol of friendship" between the two nations. But in hindsight, history would remember this image differently: On this day, we touched the true face of the devil.

As the Sith ambassador and the Alliance leaders engaged in seemingly pleasant conversation—

A sudden flash erupted from the hull of the ambassadorial ship in the distance.

Moments later, violent explosions tore through the ship's exterior, spreading rapidly toward the stern. The chain reaction reached the ship's reactor, and with a final, devastating detonation, the entire vessel was obliterated into thousands of fragments, scattering toward the planet below.

The debris ignited as it entered the atmosphere, turning into hundreds—no, thousands—of fireballs raining down on the planet. Some smashed into skyscrapers, leaving gaping holes in their structures.

People across the capital stared up at the sky in confusion, watching the fireballs descend from the direction of the space elevator.

What they did not yet realize was that these fireballs carried something far worse than destruction—they carried "the devil."

This entire diplomatic visit was, in fact, part of Li Mingze's grand scheme. Taking advantage of this perfect opportunity, he had filled the ambassadorial ship with containers carrying a deadly super-virus. Upon docking at the Parker Alliance's capital, the ship was detonated, scattering the seeds of death across the enemy's homeworld.

With a three-month incubation period, the virus would have ample time to spread across the entire Alliance, rendering their fleet ineffective before war even began. At the same time, the explosion provided the Empire with the perfect casus belli: "You attacked our ambassadorial ship!"

Perfect.

Inside the space station's reception hall, chaos erupted. The guards from both factions quickly formed protective circles around their respective leaders, ensuring no harm could come to them.

As a seasoned diplomat, Mode understood the importance of seizing the initiative. He bellowed, "Is this how your Alliance treats its guests? Attacking our ambassadorial vessel? Absolutely shameful!"

His words were faithfully translated by the diplomatic translator, reaching the ears of the Alliance's high officials.

They had originally intended to question the Sith delegation about the explosion, but Mode's outburst forced them into a defensive position. Doubt crept into their minds—could this really have been the work of rogue elements within their own ranks? In a loosely governed democracy like theirs, extremist factions certainly existed.

To avoid sparking a diplomatic incident, one of the Alliance leaders responded, "The Alliance would never commit such an act! We will launch a full investigation, and if internal actors are responsible, we will provide your Empire with an explanation."

"No! Such a heinous act must be reported to His Majesty. Until he reaches a decision, our diplomatic relations are suspended!"

With that, the Sith ambassador turned on his heel and stormed out, flanked by his guards.

The Empire's four escort warships immediately departed the Parker League and returned home at full speed.

In truth, Ambassador Mode himself had no idea why his own ambassadorial ship had exploded. But it didn't matter. Whoever was to blame, the priority was to take control of the narrative and put the blame on the Alliance before they could react.

This was all Li Mingze's doing. When devising the "New Trojan Horse" plan, he had only confided in his chief scientist—no one else, not even Mode. He feared that if the enemy possessed mind-reading technology or similar detection methods, any signs of deception from the ambassador might jeopardize the entire plan.

Failure was not an option.

Even if sacrifices had to be made, they were for the Empire.