Chapter 170: Mother
Shortly after the conversation with Alicia about her departure, news came in from Chief Pides.
In the captain's room of the female captain, there was an interface with a communication device, allowing Gu Hang to directly view the star-sector chief's virtual image generated on the device.
The image wasn’t stable, flickering with ripples, but achieving real-time communication across countless light-years to the Winged Star was undeniably cutting-edge black technology.
This required the use of a special psionic device and an advanced thinker array, which could only be equipped on a cruiser-class ship, as well as a senior navigator.
In Gu Hang's view, he saw a composed middle-aged man, with round frameless glasses, his hair and short beard neatly trimmed, giving him a refined appearance. He wore a simple suit, which was not luxurious, but the numerous medals displayed his noble status.
Despite the countless light-years separating them, with some static in the transmission, his voice still conveyed warmth, magnetism, and charm to those who heard it.
“Good evening. It’s nighttime on the Winged Star. What time is it over there? Regardless, I must congratulate you on securing yet another victory for the Empire. This is your honor. Allow me, on behalf of the Empire's star-sector government, to extend our gratitude to you.”
The chief’s opening remarks, combined with his voice, carried a lot of appeal.
Gu Hang nodded slightly, “Thank you, Chief.”
Alicia stayed silent, stepping aside.
With this action, she made it clear that this conversation was for Gu Hang to talk with Pides.
Pides understood, facing Gu Hang with a smile, “Gu Hang, the last time we met was before you went to take up your post. I had high expectations for you, but even so, I never imagined you would accomplish so much.”
This was just pleasantries.
The so-called “so much” simply referred to the current recapture of only one city on the entire planet, right?
Of course, what level was Pides at? He wouldn’t let his words appear frivolous. He continued, “Though I don’t know to what extent you've rebuilt order on Fury Owl Planet, I can see a strong planetary force that rivals the Starfleet main forces; I see even Star Warriors serving you; I know that the limited land you control on the planet is bursting with life.”
“To be honest, when I heard you reached the planet’s surface, choosing to start from scratch, slowly taking control and completely reshaping the Alliance order established decades ago by the first-generation governor of Fury Owl Planet, I was very skeptical. But now, it seems you were right, at least for the time being. Perhaps, past governors lacked the courage and initiative you possess. You have given me hope, the hope that the Emperor’s glory will shine across Fury Owl Planet.”
“Every governor in the star sector should look at your achievements. I’m not joking. Those people, with their exalted status, ruling over billions, have never faced the hardships you encounter. If they were in your position, they certainly wouldn’t do as well as you.”
After listening to this, Gu Hang had to admit that Chief Pides was a formidable character.
A high-ranking star-sector chief, leader of star-sector securities, lowered himself to deliver such lavish praise to him, a “small character” at best for now.
Saying none of the eight governors of Fury Owl Planet could compare to you, that they all must look up to you; the Emperor’s glory shines upon Fury Owl Planet because of you…
Yet, with his mellow voice and sincere attitude, it didn’t sound off-putting.
Flattery was one thing, but flattery backed by examples truly tugged at one’s heartstrings.
If Gu Hang hadn’t been resilient, he might have actually been charmed by it.
However, he still displayed a modest but grateful look towards Chief Pides, saying, “I owe my success to your recognition, Chief. I will never forget this grace in my lifetime. But now, as we advance on Fury Owl Planet, certain crises are emerging. Blackbird Heavy Industries does not comply with the governor’s orders and has never proactively contacted me since my arrival on the planet, posing a risk of rebellion; internally, there are large numbers of mutated creatures plaguing the planet’s food-producing regions; not to mention the threat of greenskin beasts—the Ironjaw Clan suffered a major setback and, with their profane, alien nature, certainly won’t let it rest…”
“Countless risks hover over Fury Owl Planet, and we urgently need a Starfleet force here to help me pacify the planet.”
This wasn’t fabrication.
According to Gu Hang’s intel, Blackbird Heavy Industries occupied the west of the continent, further west beyond the Western Desert, and indeed ignored him. This enterprise was backed by the Faches family, an enemy of Pides, so labeling them rebels was an easy move.
Mutant creatures were indeed present, causing havoc in the Qing Valley Region.
The greenskin threat was real too. With twelve warships, wasn’t that an alarming threat?
A garrison was entirely justified!
After listening to Gu Hang, Pides frowned slightly, sighing in apparent difficulty, “I completely understand the difficulties you’re facing, but deploying Starfleet forces is challenging and not under my control. I will do my best to secure support for you, but please hang on a bit longer; you must wait for reinforcements.”
The words were pleasing, but no concrete promises—just stalling.
As a star-sector chief, he truly lacked the authority to mobilize Starfleet, but he certainly had means—just unwilling to pay the price.
The Imperial Navy had sent a ship to orbit, and now sending tens or hundreds of thousands of Starfleet forces on top of that—would they also need to provide reconstruction resources?
Might as well make him the planetary governor.
But Gu Hang wasn’t going to let Chief Pides off so easily.
He suggested his previous plan—that Fury Owl Planet’s imperial tax revenue fund a new Starfleet unit to be stationed on Fury Owl Planet.
His noble proposal, of course, was that, as a loyal servant of the Empire, concerned for the difficult times, the chief’s troubles, and the star-sector’s threats, he was willing to contribute both manpower and resources. Collecting tax to build an army would inevitably result in losses; deploying additional troops would also be challenging to manage. So, better to convert Fury Owl Planet’s tax revenue directly into military expenses, and forget the chief’s promised initial tax exemptions—give it to me instead. Ten million tax coins, and I’ll pull together a Starfleet unit, guaranteed to pass both military and tax bureau inspections.
Implicitly, Gu Hang emphasized three points: First, he would decide this new Starfleet unit’s commander; second, the unit’s station would be on Fury Owl Planet; third, this Starfleet unit’s long-term mission should be to secure Fury Owl Planet, suppress rebellions, eliminate mutants, and fend off external alien threats.
Pides considered the plan briefly, indicating general support, though acknowledging many difficulties.
First, there was a lack of funds; second, Gu Hang’s three conditions were challenging, particularly the third.
The first point was manageable—who they sent as commander wasn’t a big deal.
The second point was doable, as Starfleet units, although mobile, needed relatively fixed stations for thousands or millions of troops, so placing it on Fury Owl Planet wasn’t impossible.
But the third point was the hardest—ensuring that the military department wouldn’t easily redeploy this unit was no simple task. Standard Starfleet units were reassigned at the department’s discretion, theoretically unstoppable by anyone.
Of course, there were ways. Emphasizing regional threats, reinforcing the defensive role, and ensuring substitute forces for redeployment in emergencies…
But this required significant political cost, and Pides was reluctant to do it.
Naturally, Gu Hang wasn’t about to give up easily.
Words of persuasion and bargaining followed as a starting point.
Eventually, Gu Hang hinted at two points:
He could abandon this plan, but without sufficient suppressive forces, he would have to negotiate with Blackbird Heavy Industries and, indirectly, with the Faches family. The Gu family was working to mend relations, after all.
Now, there’s no need to worry too much.
With 2.5 million tax coins, he could buy quite a bit.
Only now did Gu Hang feel he’d secured his own portion of benefits from this war.
It wasn’t much, certainly less than Alicia or Wang Jiarong, but he was still satisfied.
They had ships and reaped large profits; he had no ship but still earned a fair amount.
Trading the lives of over 4,000 soldiers for 5 million tax coins, even if it came with additional costs, was a huge gain.
Cold as it might sound, the reality was that over 4,000 soldiers' lives didn’t even yield as much as the interest on 5 million tax coins per year.
Now, Gu Hang could consider what he wanted to purchase from the Beautiful Maiden, and he could also start planning the most effective way to use the 4,600-plus Grace Points on his account.
...
Countless light-years away on Winged Star.
This place was a garden world, the administrative center of the star-sector, a hub of trade that extended influence over neighboring star-sectors, with highly developed productivity.
While overall output couldn’t match some Foundry Worlds or Hive Worlds, it could provide a high average quality of life and living conditions for its 4 billion inhabitants.
The Empire’s minimum standard was low, with most of its population living in hardship.
On Foundry Worlds, brain-lobed or nearly lobotomized laborers operated like live machines on the assembly line; on Hive Worlds, hundreds of billions of people crammed together like livestock, raised as resources; on Agricultural Worlds, serfs lived medieval-style lives in the space age; in Death Worlds and Wasteland Worlds, people struggled between life and death; in Fortress Worlds, generations faced war from birth to death…
But on the other hand, there was a high standard of living.
On Civilized Worlds, people could work nine-to-five in ties, enjoy a coffee after work, or indulge at a bar; on Garden Worlds, residents led worry-free lives with advanced technology and ample resources… These two types of worlds typically held administrative or trade core statuses, with their manufacturing capacity being of secondary importance.
Winged Star was of the latter type and hadn’t seen direct warfare for nearly 500 years.
Pegasus Palace, the most important facility on Winged Star, looked like a fabled paradise.
Here, white marble made up almost all of the buildings. Inside, master designers laid out streams both wide and narrow, swift and gentle, appearing harmonious and vibrant from afar; greenery decorated every structure, interspersed with colorful flowers; intense lighting illuminated Pegasus Palace like daylight even at night, and perhaps even more splendid than daylight.
At the highest point of the palace was Pides’ office.
At this moment, he had just ended an interstellar call with Gu Hang and stood before a vast window, gazing at Pegasus Palace.
A slightly intoxicated voice came from behind him, “Why did you agree to that Gu family boy? His own family has cut ties with him; even his mother wouldn’t give him a dime, so why are you stepping in? Aren’t you afraid that everything you’re investing now will end up wasted?”
The speaker bore a resemblance to him but was leaner, with a more casual and dashing demeanor.
He was Governor of Winged Star, Vaga Pides, also called “Little Pides,” and the younger brother of Loann Pides. The two were known as the Pides brothers, one the governor of Winged Star, the other the chief of the Pegasus star-sector, wielding the highest authority in the sector.
Loann Pides replied to his brother, “What did we spend? 2.5 million tax coins? That was supposed to go to the Empire’s tax department anyway; we just advanced it by a year.”
Little Pides still looked doubtful, “But if he can’t fulfill the Empire’s tax requirements, and his newly-built army fails inspection, we’ll have to cover the shortfall.”
“That’s hardly anything.”
“It’s still coming out of my Winged Star’s pocket.” Little Pides muttered, taking another sip of his drink before saying more seriously, “Are you still hoping to bring the Gu family in? I advise you to admit that this attempt has failed. From what I know, that Wang Jiarong girl went to Fury Owl Planet on her own; Wang Qi didn’t approve, and she was furious when she found out. You know that woman; she means it when she says she’ll leave her son alone. We should think of other solutions.”
“Sigh…” Pides sighed, “I know what you’re saying, and I’m no longer counting on it. But cutting ties isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Gu Hang already held some resentment toward his mother, and that made it easy for me to persuade him to go to Fury Owl Planet. Now, with his biological mother truly severing ties with him, their relationship will deteriorate further, leaving him with no one but me to depend on.”
“You see, the first person he contacted when he had an idea was me, his mentor and sponsor, without the slightest intention of confiding in his mother. Fury Owl Planet will always need a governor, and since he’s accomplished something, it’s better to give him some confidence—perhaps it’ll yield new returns. The initial costs have already been paid, so a little more won’t hurt. They won the battle, and that victory was genuinely useful. What if the boy really succeeds? Then he’ll have no choice but to rely on me, and I’ll have a Gu family member working wholeheartedly in my service.”
Hearing this, Little Pides paused before laughing as if he had thought of something amusing, “If that happens, it’ll be quite a sight. I’d really love to see Wang Qi’s son kneel down to kiss your boots. If she were to witness that, what would her expression be?”
Pides gave a faint, resigned look, turning to his brother without a word.
After a while, Little Pides finally shrugged, “Alright, alright, I was only joking. I know it’s not the time to provoke that woman. I won’t stir up any trouble.”
Then he added, “At least not in the near future.”
Pides gave a weary shake of his head, saying nothing further to his brother.
...
Also on Winged Star, elsewhere.
This was an estate, a Gu family property where Wang Qi now resided.
It wasn’t as grand or as lavish as Pegasus Palace, but it had its own charm.
At the moment, the hostess, Wang Qi, was reading a letter:
“Mother, I hope this letter finds you well.”
“When I left home out of frustration, I wanted to carve out my own place.”
“Now, six months since my departure, with Heaven’s grace, I have seen some results.”
“You must have heard of the battle in space. Though I had no great warship, my work on Fury Owl Planet over these six months has allowed me to raise a reliable army, defeat the Ork Warboss, turn the tide, and secure victory.”
“In six months, though I have yet to fully control the planet, I have brought a million people under my rule and established a force of a hundred thousand. Under my governance, every industry is thriving, and prosperity awaits; the system I’ve built ensures that my million citizens are fed, clothed, and gain rewards for their labor.”
“Since founding my endeavors, I have received no family support. Still, I am confident I can meet my first tax payment a year and a half from now, and in three and a half years, the full tax payment won’t be an issue either. Fury Owl Planet will gradually become a regular Imperial world, and I will secure my place as the Ninth Governor of the Pegasus star-sector.”
“But this is not the end; it’s the beginning. I once told one of my subordinates that I would make Fury Owl Planet as productive as a Foundry World and as beautiful as a Garden World. This is my goal, and I remain steadfast. I wonder, Mother, if you believe me?”
“Perhaps this goal is far off; perhaps you still see it as the wild dreams of your incompetent and foolish son. But I am sure I am on the right path.”
“I am not as you expected; I cannot, like my father, be a good successor, and I refuse to simply revel in the family’s wealth. Fortunately, my rash decision six months ago has led me to a unique path with no ties to the Gu family.”
“You may think I am telling you all this to boast or to respond to your harsh words from our last meeting. I won’t deny it.”
“But I also want to say that these past six months have changed me profoundly. I have begun to reflect on my past mediocrity and recklessness. All my grievances were rooted in my own incompetence and foolishness. When we parted, your assessment was right.”
“Now, I understand that accepting this appointment and becoming the governor of Fury Owl Planet was detrimental to the family, impacting your efforts to preserve Grandfather and Father’s legacy, and put me in a situation that would require either tremendous sacrifice or risk my life.”
“But my fortune lies in the fact that a mistaken choice has opened a better path.”
“Mother, I don’t seek your forgiveness. I am walking my own road, and that isn’t wrong; it needs no forgiveness. But I have let go of my misplaced resentment and will view the past more calmly.”
“Your judgment of my past self was correct. But whether it applies to my present or future self, you’ll see from countless light-years away.”
“Watch to see if I can, as I wish, accomplish a feat far beyond my ancestors.”
“When that time comes, I hope you’ll give me a new judgment, and I await it.”
“—Governor of Fury Owl Planet, Gu Hang,
your son.”
...
The letter was not very long, nor did it contain many specifics, but Wang Qi lingered over it.
In between the lines, she saw in the first half a young man proudly boasting of his achievements to his mother, as if saying her past assessment of his “incompetence and foolishness” was foolish itself.
But in the middle, she saw a steady, settled adult admitting his mistakes, yet holding his head high. He expressed reflection, admitted his poor decisions, yet also felt fortunate for his luck.
Being able to recognize his mistakes and gain insight through reflection had already fulfilled Wang Qi’s highest expectations.
But toward the end, she saw yet another change. She seemed to glimpse an enthusiastic entrepreneur, sharing his grand vision with her, then turning away confidently to walk his own path.
Wang Qi never expected Gu Hang to write such a letter.
No one knows a child better than his mother, and based on her understanding, Gu Hang would probably never write a letter until his death.
If he did, it would likely say, “Are you happy now that I’m dead?” or “As you wished, there’s no longer a foolish, incompetent son to shame you.”
In a slight chance, he might, out of fear of death, cry and write a letter pleading for his mother to save him.
No matter what, Wang Qi would eventually try to help. He was her son, her only blood, and she couldn’t really leave him.
But that wouldn’t ease her disappointment; perhaps she would imprison him in the future, find him a wife, and have them quickly produce a grandchild.
If her “main character” failed, she would look to her “side character,” letting a grandchild inherit the family business while Gu Hang was left to his own devices.
She really did plan this, even beginning to seek a daughter-in-law with good genes.
But this letter genuinely changed her mind.
After reading it, the joy in Wang Qi’s heart nearly broke out on her face, forming a gentle smile.
Yet aside from joy, her emotions were complex.
Immersed for so long in intrigue, she instinctively wondered if the letter was truly Gu Hang’s own work or expressed his genuine thoughts.
Could it be that old fox Pides’ trick, where he found a skilled manipulator to fool her son, teaching him to write a letter to deceive, even ambush her, exploiting motherly affection to cloud her judgment?
But this was unlikely, as the letter was accompanied by one from Wang Jiarong. Her niece detailed how her cousin had greatly changed, describing how his six months on Fury Owl Planet had transformed him. She even saw her cousin write the letter herself, without outside help.
Even if it were some scheme, Wang Qi had to admit she would fall for it.
What mother wouldn’t be proud to see her child grow up?
---
This chapter is 7,300 words, the equivalent of three and a half chapters.
I don’t go short.
I added this part because I felt it would flow better to write it all at once.
Some readers might find it dull, but I feel it’s important. The content of the past two days didn’t involve battles, but it wasn’t uneventful either, was it?
The main points are: 1. Gu Hang securing the benefits of war, 2. explaining the interstellar background and protagonist's background, which have been part of the outline all along but were previously unmentioned as the story hadn’t reached space yet, and 3. emotional exposition.
I hope everyone enjoys it.
Starting tomorrow, the protagonist will go back to developing the planet and begin unifying it.
(End of Chapter)