Two hundred thousand kilometers above the surface of Earth, the Star Alliance Military Academy in Ruyi City was as tranquil as ever. It had welcomed its second batch of trainee officers, and the students from the first round of short-term training had already been assigned to Universe Army warships and other posts for internships.
It wouldn't be long before these first-batch students became qualified Universe Army officers, piloting warships and voyaging through the starry sea.
In the lobby of one of the academy's teaching buildings, it was decorated more like a college institution abroad, complete with sofas and desks in the spacious halls and corridors for the students to rest or study.
Taschwe sat on a sofa, holding his academy-exclusive Sunarmon Mobile Phone, looking somewhat absent-minded.
A large hand clapped on his shoulder, Taschwe turned to see Huang Quan, with whom he had a good relationship. Although they often teased each other, they shared similar backgrounds, having been raised in affluent and prominent families with more money than they could ever spend and boasted considerable intelligence, aspiring to make something of themselves through their own efforts.
Huang Quan noticed the holographic screen projected by his phone, displaying a piece of news about yesterday's South Sea artificial island-building incident, mainly covered by Western media.
"Hey, why are you looking at that stuff? Brain-dead or what?" Huang Quan teased mercilessly.
Instead of retorting as usual, Taschwe was uncharacteristically serious and said, "The Star Alliance has finally gotten into a fight with the Lighthouse Country."
Huang Quan sat down opposite him, surrounded by students coming and going from classes and robots that bustled about cleaning or serving students.
"What, starting to doubt where you stand?" Huang Quan's tone became slightly more serious as well.
With a bitter smile, Taschwe pointed to his face and said, "This face of mine is already an exception here at the academy. Now that the two countries have gone to war, considering I was born in the Lighthouse Country and even served in its military, it's inevitable people will gossip."
"What those people want to say is their business; what matters is what you think," Huang Quan remarked.
"Me?" Taschwe propped his feet on a low table, stretched his arms across the back of the sofa, looking extremely informal as he spoke. "I thought about today from the moment I made the decision. Since I've chosen to give up Lighthouse Country citizenship and join the Star Alliance, I have no room for regret."
Taschwe pointed to the holographic screen displaying the news and said, "These media outlets love chaos; they pull ideas out of thin air, crafting grand concepts and inciting ordinary people to sacrifice themselves for bullshit ideals.
It's as if Lighthouse Country's dismantling of its military bases in East Asia would cause the collapse of 'democracy' and 'freedom.' As a rich man who lived in the Lighthouse Country, I've always had more 'democracy' and 'freedom' than others. But few people are willing to acknowledge that."
"This is full of disgusting logical traps, portraying overseas bases that bring trouble to locals in Nibang and South Rod as bastions of defending freedom, and taking for granted America's leadership of the world. In the end, it's always the people instigated by lies, those who truly believe in those lofty ideals, who shed their blood, while the real beneficiaries are capitalists like my old man."
Huang Quan asked with a smile, "So you've defected to the Star Alliance? Are you a leftist?"
"What a joke, I don't care for that crap. I like the thrill of life, beautiful women, and money," Taschwe declared earnestly.
He took a deep breath, appearing relaxed, and said, "I'm not interested in how the world or society operates. At most, I care about things around me. You don't need to doubt my loyalty to the Universe Army; I'm a professional and will fight against all enemies of Star Alliance, even if it's the Lighthouse Country."
Huang Quan nodded and said, "The wars on Earth don't call for our Universe Army. Besides, the higher-ups trust you; they haven't taken any measures against you. You're still authorized to fly and will be joining us on an exploration mission to Saturn's sixth moon."
Without stating the obvious, Taschwe felt his flight status remained unchanged mainly because the Universe Army's fighters were controlled by Supreme Command, and he wasn't about to use them to harm Star Alliance's interests.
"Another exploration mission? Last time we discovered a huge Martian Underground World, and not only have none of us set foot in it yet, but we also haven't seen any recognition for our discovery."
"But you got the bonus, didn't you?" Huang Quan chuckled. "Our names will definitely be tied to the Martian Underground World; you can't escape that."
Taschwe, with his hands crossed behind his head, said, "That money, for people like you and me, isn't even worth considering. These endless Solar System exploration missions—I wonder if they'll ever conclude. I think one or two of them are interesting enough, but as a pilot, I should be dueling Universe Fighters from other Interstellar Civilizations like a Knight."
Huang Quan casually threw something at him and said, "Don't jinx it; I'd rather have the quiet life, get promotions, and make money."
Taschwe teased in jest, "You lack ambition."
After chatting with Huang Quan for a while, Taschwe was in a much better mood. In the gradually unfolding grand canvas of Interstellar Civilization, he was just a minor character, unlikely to have any significant impact on history. With that in mind, it wasn't worth overthinking.
However, Huang Quan knew more than Taschwe let on. The outbreak of this war seemed random, but it was anything but.
Some believed that China was challenging the declining superpower status of the Lighthouse Country and trying to break free from any military threats and blockades in the surrounding regions.
Some thought it was the Lighthouse Country, recklessly testing China to maintain its dwindling authority, and thereby courting disaster.
But Huang Quan knew there was something deeper behind this. For now, those reasons wouldn't be discussed openly. However, the person who had orchestrated this war and stirred the changing winds of world politics was already accelerating their moves on the chessboard.
This was certainly not about China attempting to break through some sort of island-chain blockade or vying for global dominance.
While it seemed like a major geopolitical event on Earth, it was actually the workings of an Interstellar Civilization. The thunderous strike was delivered by China's military, but the true wielder of the sword was the seemingly very young Chancellor.