On July 8, 833, at 13:18 Galactic Common Era, the Qingqiu, a super-luxurious "cruise ship" known on the circuit as the "Rose Princess," passed through a gravity well and arrived at Lotak, a border tourist destination in the Alliance.
The elegant "cruise ship," its entire hull gleaming with a sacred silver light, glided gracefully toward Lotak, the fourth planet in the system. It moved with such leisurely ease that it seemed like a dignified queen inspecting her loyal domain.
This was indeed the homeworld of the Lothar people. Ten years ago, even five years ago, the Lothar separatists and the remnants of the Lothar Kingdom could be considered the Alliance's greatest source of terrorism. But ever since the region had been developed into a tourism and agricultural hub, the planet had received massive investment and an influx of immigrants. Its public safety had visibly improved at a remarkable pace.
Many believed that this unruly stretch of space would soon become a loyal part of the Alliance. With the Rainbow Rose Princess about to arrive, that confidence seemed even stronger.
At that moment, the mistress of the Qingqiu was sitting in her study, reading an original-language edition of The Imperial Heraldry. This official history of the changing fortunes of the Empire's vassals and noble families already ran to over 150 volumes and more than a hundred million words. Of course, it would continue to be updated at a leisurely pace until the Empire fell.
Amida Senge Berenkest, naturally, knew her ship had arrived in the Lotak system. It would be another two hours before they officially entered the orbital spaceport, enough time for her to finish the entire volume on the Far Frontier. ""
But she had only just read a few pages when her secretaries, who had been waiting outside,