Starsea Fleet: Age of the Lord

"大...大...sir, I'm the Sixth Boss of the Flame Raiders, from the Flame System. We've been lying in wait here for nearly a month and got greedy when we spotted the Chen family fleet."

The bald man nervously spilled everything he knew. His home, the Flame System, was precisely Feng Mo's next destination, named by the Flame Raiders' commander. The Flame Raiders were one of the three main factions there, led by nine bosses. The First Boss alone commanded over twenty T3-class starships, a formidable adversary.

The Flame System had three habitable planets occupied by the Elves, the Flame Raiders, and the Bisi tribe. Each faction claimed nearby resource-rich planets, with the Flame Raiders being the strongest. Despite tensions between the Elves and the Bisi, they were forced into a reluctant alliance to fend off the raiders.

The Elves were peaceful and rarely initiated conflict, while the Bisi were a humanoid race with sky-blue skin, large eyes, and no noses. They shared many similarities with humans but were known for their unwavering resilience and frequent clashes with the Flame Raiders. The factions engaged in constant skirmishes throughout the system.

After listening, Feng Mo nodded, satisfied with the bald man's confession. He patted the man's shoulder and said, "I'm pleased with your answer. I'll let you go. Ai Er, throw him out of the ship. He's on his own."

The bald man felt relief until he heard the latter part of the command. His hope shattered, and terror filled his eyes. Just as he was about to curse, Ai Er immobilized him with her psychic power, silencing him. Helplessly, he was ejected into space to meet his fate.

Feng Mo turned his gaze to Chen Qian and said, "Your turn. Explain your purpose here."

Chen Qian's heart skipped a beat. This commander was not to be trifled with. First, he had made her witness an explosion, then a man being cast into space. Reluctantly, she divulged everything.

The Chen family was a trading clan based in the Snow Eagle Empire, with only one viscount among them but significant wealth from generations of commerce. Chen Qian herself commanded a small convoy of twenty starships. They had come to the Flame System to trade with the Elves and Bisi tribe, only to be ambushed by the Flame Raiders. After losing over ten ships, they had narrowly escaped, only to be chased down by the bald man.

Feng Mo nodded again. Since they were fellow members of the Human Federation, slaughtering them would be overly harsh.

"How about a deal?" Feng Mo proposed. "Hand over a star map of the Flame System, and I'll let you go. The Chen family will owe me a favor. When the Storm Fleet returns, I'll come to collect. Sound fair?"

Chen Qian hesitated, then agreed. Feng Mo was pleased. With that promise, he had leverage over the Chen family, who, as traders, likely held vast reserves of rare materials for starship construction—exactly what he needed. It would save him time gathering resources, and he knew they wouldn't refuse a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Once their conversation ended, Feng Mo had her escorted back to her ship—this time without the dramatic ejection into space.

"Ai Er, spread the word: The Flame System is now the Storm System. This will be our base, our new stronghold," Feng Mo declared.

"Yes, Commander!"

The Storm System.

A relatively "young" star system, most of its stars rotated at high speeds, indicating a low concentration of rare minerals. Typically, older star systems, where many stars had died, were rich in valuable resources. However, the stability of a young system appealed to Feng Mo. The lack of a star gate posed some inconvenience, but that could be resolved after they secured the system. With the Federation's help, they could install a gate, and perhaps one day, Feng Mo could even establish a nation here—assuming he could defend it.

He opened the star map and examined the Storm System. Chen Qian had provided detailed information. Although the three major factions dominated the area, there were smaller groups, the most notable being the Yun Jian Merchant Guild. Little was known about them, but they had constructed a massive starport on Yun Jian Planet, turning it into a bustling hub for various spacefaring forces.

"Ai Er, set course for Yun Jian Starport. We'll resupply and gather intelligence on the Elves," Feng Mo ordered.

"Understood!"

With the coordinates from the star map, the fleet engaged its warp drives, reaching Yun Jian Starport in two hours.

"Connecting with Starport Services... public channel engaged. Contact established. Fees paid," Ai Er reported, managing the docking process and securing a berth at Dock Three.

The starport was pristine and newly constructed, with no visible damage or repairs.

"Welcome to Yun Jian Starport," a crisp voice greeted through the comms. "I'm your service attendant, waiting for you at Dock Three."

Feng Mo was surprised. Starports typically assigned a berth and left it at that. This level of service was impressive.

"Storm Fleet, maintain combat readiness. Have Lai Ka and Lai Xi liaise with the service staff to refuel and resupply. Ai Er, come with me. Let's meet this attendant," Feng Mo instructed.

Ai Er nodded. In an unfamiliar location, caution was wise. Better to be safe than sorry.

Using photon transport technology, Feng Mo and Ai Er appeared on the starport's surface. A stunning woman in a cheongsam awaited them.

"Welcome, Viscount Feng Mo, to Yun Jian Starport," she greeted, her voice sultry. "Here, you'll experience ultimate pleasure and luxury. Species, age, gender—we cater to all desires. Beasts, exotics, whatever you fancy."

She displayed a holographic menu with various... offerings. Feng Mo's face twitched, realizing he had stumbled into quite a place.

Next to him, Ai Er's eyes flared with blue light, her psychic energy radiating fiercely. The attendant noticed Ai Er's anger, glanced nervously at Feng Mo for direction, then quickly shut down the menu, adopting a serious expression.

"How may I assist you, sir?" she asked. "Supplies, energy, information... or companionship?"

With Ai Er calming down, Feng Mo relaxed, though he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed—what man wouldn't be?

"I'm interested in the current situation between t

he Flame Raiders, the Elves, and the Bisi tribe," Feng Mo inquired.