King Sullyuka was a man of his word. Barely two hours after agreeing, he had already sent a dreadnought roaring over. It was a long, sleek, tapering warship, its shape more like the blade of a short sword. Its entire hull was painted a grand, brilliant red.
It readily reminded Yu Lian of his own Scarlet... no, the Marauder dreadnought, which had been renamed and hauled back to Earth to serve as a test ship.
But, as we all knew, such a bold, imposing color as bright red put a vehicle's craftsmanship and paintwork to the test, whether it was a car or a spaceship. And it had to be admitted that when it came to engineering aesthetics, the Empire stood at the pinnacle of the universe in both taste and skill—at least among the civilizations of this era.
If this Imperial dreadnought, blazing like an open flame, was a speeding red Ferrari, then the Marauder's Scarlet Throne could at best be called a little Alto struggling over hill and dale.
Yu Lian felt that a ship like this seemed destined to cross his path. But when he took a closer look, he had the vague impression that he had seen it somewhere before.
By then, the beautiful red dreadnought had already sent a friendly signal and halted beyond the Thirteenth Fleet's safe distance. It presented its unshielded flank to them, then sent a request to communicate.
A stern, broad-shouldered officer appeared on the screen. He looked to be in his mid-forties, with a tall, powerfully built frame, gray hair, brown eyes, and dark skin. He was as severe and unyielding as granite. Raising a hand in salute to Yu Lian, he said, "I am Colonel Campbell, captain of the dreadnought Barbarossa. At the request of His Highness King Sullyuka,