BATTLE FOR STARS

Staring at the unbelievable cargo in the distribution container, Arthur was momentarily at a loss. A pile of weapons: small particle cannons, high-efficiency bombs, various jammers, and an array of espionage tools—micron-scale bionic eavesdropping devices, pupil generators, pinhole projectors, and multiple restricted sensors. Most astonishingly, there was even a quantum communication device capable of hyperspace transmission.

Under normal circumstances, quantum communicators weren’t particularly rare. In Arthur’s own Kramic Kingdom, large companies had them in branch offices across multiple planets, and nearly every sizable interstellar ship carried one.

However, during wartime, for security purposes, the use of such devices was strictly prohibited on all planets—especially by personnel from hostile worlds. In the Elwin Empire, these devices had long been considered contraband; unauthorized use or trade was forbidden.

Even for his own communications with personnel back home, Arthur could only use his company’s secure ships or the Empire-approved quantum communicators at designated offices on Elwin.

In theory, interstellar vessels docked at the port were also prohibited from using such communicators. Only public devices or those outside the planet’s jurisdiction could be used. Unauthorized use could result in fines or even destruction of the vessel by Imperial authorities.

“Mr. Arthur, you’ll need to accompany us back to headquarters,” said Newman, a Security Bureau officer, his expression unreadable. Yet Arthur sensed something was off.

“These goods aren’t mine,” Arthur glanced at Newman.

“I know. Everyone caught in such a situation says the same,” Newman replied flatly. “If, after inspection, it turns out you truly have no connection, you’ll be released quickly. But…”

Newman gestured toward the cabinet of contraband. “For now, you still need to come with us.”

“You realize our company has never carried contraband in all these years,” Arthur said. He knew that, despite the scale of his company’s operations, under current circumstances, they would never commit such an outrageous act. If so many illegal items were present, it would only mean the gifts he had prepared were insufficient in quantity.

Yet these items were not on his cargo manifest, nor had any company personnel mentioned them.

“Really? As far as I know, your company has transported contraband before,” Newman said calmly.

“Yes, some, but they were only civilian goods. We didn’t fully understand your taxation requirements. They were all handled with fines or supplemental taxes, weren’t they?” Arthur explained.

“I’m not familiar with past cases, but this suggests your company has done this kind of thing before,” Newman replied. “In any case, we need to investigate thoroughly. So, you must come with us to assist.”

Arthur realized he had no way to avoid this. He tried to send messages through his personal AI, only to discover that all communications on site had been completely blocked. No information could be transmitted.

“Mr. Arthur, for security reasons, communications here have been blocked. Any contacts must go through official channels,” Newman explained, noticing Arthur’s attempts. He waved toward a special vehicle, which arrived promptly.

Arthur recognized it as a Security Bureau special transport, reserved for operations or important personnel. Its presence indicated that the Bureau had anticipated such a situation.

The situation had exceeded his expectations. Unable to contact the outside world, Arthur examined the open vehicle and the surrounding warehouse. Among the distribution containers, he noticed some with special markings. Gently moving his finger, he issued a command via his AI in the background, then calmly got into the car.

Meanwhile, Lev paced nervously in his office. Newman had just reported an unexpected situation and needed to discuss it in person. Lev knew that any face-to-face briefing was bad news; conversations not recorded by any device were rarely positive.

-------------------------------------------

Newman entered, looking frustrated. “I didn’t expect this to happen.”

“What exactly happened? You haven’t told me,” Lev said, trying to remain calm and lowering his voice. Though there were no active sensors and the soundproofing ensured total privacy, he instinctively spoke quietly.

Newman fidgeted uneasily. “That… that girl… something happened.”

Lev was surprised. In his plan, this was a simple frame-up to drive Arthur and his sister back to the Confederation, preventing them from returning to the Hill Empire. This would allow him to seize all the cargo and disrupt Landon’s wedding.

In his mind, a high-ranking Imperial officer marrying a girl from a hostile nation was undesirable. He told himself that what he was doing was entirely for the Empire’s benefit.

He had done similar frame-ups before, but this time, he had prepared thoroughly for inspections, considering every possible angle. How could anything go wrong? And it wasn’t Arthur who caused the problem—it was Caroline.

“What exactly happened? Speak clearly!” Lev demanded, suppressing his anger.

“They gave Caroline a truth serum. When that failed, they used… GHB-2… and raped her,” Newman finally said.

Hearing this, Lev relaxed slightly. GHB-2 was a powerful stimulant, dramatically heightening sensory perception. Even slight contact during certain acts could produce intense arousal. Within the department, personnel had nicknamed it the “nymph drug.”

Many similar substances existed on the market, but GHB-2, as a Security Bureau-specific agent, had an additional effect: it caused the victim to forget events for a short period—typically around an hour—more than enough for the perpetrators’ purposes.

Upon hearing the name, Lev roughly understood the sequence of events. In the Security Bureau, some operatives—particularly in action teams—frequently used interrogations as a pretext to assault attractive women.

However, by always employing such drugs, the victims remained unaware of the assaults, and incidents rarely surfaced.