212 Stand.
Shi Lang gazed at the shocked expressions and after raising his eyebrow he asked, “Do I have to take over the console?”
His tone was sharp, leaving no room to maneuver. The operator nodded and quickly began to fiddle with the keyboard. He was programming all the defense stations on the ground and the satellites to lock on to the ship entering the atmosphere. Suddenly, the operator said, “Sir, they are hailing us.”
Shi Lang sat down in the chair with his knees crossed and said, “Connect.”
The operator connected the communication request and a feminine voice echoed throughout the command center, “Are the Terrans planning to go against the Galactic Council?”
Shi Lang replied, “No.”
“Then why do your defense systems lock on my vessel?”, asked the other party.
Shi Lang calmly replied, “Your vessel is entering a military territory, this is a standard procedure. How do we know that you are from the Galactic Council and not a hostile force? After all, you did not announce your arrival. Terrans are not Omnipotent.”
The other side did not expect such a strong retort from the people on the ground. After a brief silence, the voice asked, “May I ask who am I talking to?”
Shi Lang replied, “Fleet General Shi Lang.”
His voice was calm but the authority displayed just now made the people in the command center feel their blood boiling. Their new general was able to hold his end against the people from the Galactic Council. Even Edwards was not so bold.
The other side asked, “Fleet General Shi Lang, this is Envoy Minerva from the Galactic Council, do we have permission to land?”
Shi Lang nodded and said, “Yes.”
“Thank you.”, said the other side.
Shi Lang said, “Adjutant Hayley, go receive them on my behalf and bring them to the conference room.”
Hayley saluted and replied, “Sir, Yes, Sir.”
Shi Lang then began to familiarize himself with the other things in the base, he was mostly questioning the subordinates about the advances and the situation with the Zergs. He did not want to waste too much time, if the other side dared to attack them, then he will take action.
…
Hayley was standing on the spaceport with fifty armed guards. They were following the protocols of a diplomatic welcome ceremony. Soon, a silver ship landed in the spaceport, on the side of the ship Galactic Council’s symbol was painted.
The hatch door opened and a group of five people walked out calmly. They were all females and were dressed in white gowns. Hayley stepped forward and said, “Welcome to the frontier. I am the first Adjutant. The general has just taken charge of duties and was occupied. We hope you do not take offense.”
Her tone was calm but her head was leveled with the people that stepped down from the ship. The leading lady shook her head and said, “We understand, we should be apologizing to you for the crude behavior.”
Hayley could tell that something was not right, she shook her head and said, “No, it should be us. The General has just gotten out of a predicament and his state of mind was a bit volatile. Thus, he took such actions. Recently the Zergs have increased the intensity of their attacks.”
The lady nodded and then under Hayley’s guidance, the group was led to the conference room. Where they were offered water. There was a visible change in their expressions. They did not expect to have such a cold reception. One of the ladies asked, “Is this how you treat guests?”
Hayley smiled and said, “Madam, if this was my house, I would have treated you with wine and tea, but we are at the military base, and the rationing is limited. The General will come here soon. If you need anything, please tell me about it.”
The ladies in white all could not believe that this girl was playing with them like this. Were they underestimating the status of the Galactic Council Envoys? They all wanted to lash out when the automated door of the conference room slid open. Shi Lang walked inside holding a tablet, with his finger constantly swiping on the screen.
Shi Lang raised his head to gaze at the five ladies and said, “Welcome to The Frontier. I am Shi Lang, may I ask the reason for this visit from the esteemed Galactic Council?”
The lady who was earlier talking to Hayley said, “So you are the new Fleet General of the Terran First Fleet. Quite young I must say.”
Shi Lang gazed at the lady and then his gaze shifted to the one sitting in the middle of the five. This lady was the calmest among them. He could tell that this lady was the leader of the group. Turning his attention back to the lady he asked, “May I ask if you are Lady Minerva?”
The lady hesitated and was about to nod when Shi Lang said, “Lady Minerva, you came here without any prior notice. I have records of how your subordinates tried to pretend to be the leader of your group. Is your group trying to spark up trouble here?”
His words shocked the people, except for Hayley. The lady at the front wanted to say something when the one sitting in the middle raised her hand and said, “Since the truth has been seen through, we do not need to pretend anymore.”
This lady had her face covered with a thin veil, leaving only her eyes exposed. She raised her gaze to look at Shi Lang and said, “How did you figure it out?”
Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and said, “Something called temperament.”
The words directly made the room attain a state of silence. Shi Lang sat down on the host chair and leaned back against it in a leisurely manner. Lady Minerva was trying to find a hint of what Shi Lang was like. However, the more casual this guy acted, the more confused she became. Unable to hold it in any longer, she said, “We have heard that you intend to change the structure of the General Council in The Federation?”
Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, “Does the change or system of governance inside the Federation any of your concern?”
The sentence was subtly asking, what is your business here? Lady Minerva replied, “It is not our concern, but the Galactic Council has to guide the various members of the council in managing their government system.”
Shi Lang raised his lips and then he said, “So, is it necessary for the members of the council to seek your help?”
Lady Minerva wanted to nod, but it was not true and this guy was not simple. She said, “It depends if the system is problematic, we can help you smoothen the ways.”
Shi Lang understood that it was not usual, he said, “We thank you for the concern but your help will not be needed. The Terrans believe in trial and error. Only when we realize the difficulties will we be able to improve and get better. So, I will have to turn down your offer.”
He just straightforwardly rejected the help offered by the Galactic Council. However, the help was just a cover, these people have come over to learn the internal working of the Federal system. The bigger the organizations, the more greedy for the power they were.
Shi Lang directly shut down their advances toward the Federation. Lady Minerva did not have a good face. She was thinking that this young man would appreciate the advance and this way she will be able to get inside the federal system. However, she was not going to give up so easily. The lady took down her veil and picked up the glass of water in front of her.
Hayley saw her face and was stunned, it could be said that Minerva was the most beautiful woman she has ever seen. She was not a fool and could guess the intention of this lady, however, when she saw, that Shi Lang was completely indifferent to the lady, her beating heart calmed down.
It was time for Minerva to be shocked. In the past, she would have to use her face to charm people and get things done. Shi Lang said, “Lady Minerva, If you have no other matters to discuss, I would like to excuse myself, I need to deal with a few pressing issues of the fleet.”
Then he stood up and said, “Hayley, arrange for their accommodation and handle the command center. I am going out in the field.”
Under the shocked gazes of the people, Shi Lang walked out of the conference room. Lady Minerva was not angry on the contrary, she was very curious about this young man. Shi Lang had shown a firm stand in front of her, and this was the first time. She wanted to conquer both the federation and this young man.