(If you missed Part 1, you can find it here. Comments, upvotes, and resteems always appreciated.)
"And thus with traitor's blood was Captain Hu's ship rechristened the White Tiger. The ship slipped away from the rest of the fleet into the wilderness. When the gassed crew awoke, Madam Hu offered them a chance to join her rebellion. Those who refused, she locked in the cargo hold like common prisoners. The remainder she ordered to train her people in the running of a fighting ship. On a distant planet, she sold the crew loyal to the Empire into slavery. And so began Madam Hu's career as a pirate."
Blind Li Xiao had the audience now. He could feel their attention on him.
"Madam Hu started small: ferrying bandits from one of their bases to another, looting transports bound for distant colonies, capturing ships of prisoners heading from the Jianghu region into the Inner Systems. As the skill of her crew grew in piracy, the original sailors chaffed under Madam Hu's rule. The woman caught wind of an impending mutiny. Knowing the risks of an open fight on a space vessel, she challenged the leader of the mutineers to a duel."
The girl in the front row had inched closer to Blind Li Xiao, probably without realizing it. Blind Li Xiao had chosen his
audience well.
"For some time Madam Hu had adopted the custom of wearing mannish clothes and bearing a sword. The Empire's champion must have been astonished to see such an unwomanly woman wield her blade, for it is said that she killed her opponent in the first minute of the duel. Madam Hu then hunted out the leaders of the mutiny and had them exposed to the coldness of space. The remainder of the original crew she sold into slavery, joining their fellows. From that moment on, the only men to board the ship -- with one exception -- were either passengers or cargo. The White Tiger became crewed only by women."
Interest radiated from the girl. Curiosity tinged with sadness and wonder. Here was a story. Stories intersecting stories. Blind Li Xiao hoped he would have the chance to discover how the girl's story intersected with the story he now told.
"From that point on, the White Tiger entered into history. Madam Hu's role in the Great Jianghu Rebellion is most difficult to ascertain. Of course there is her famous voyage with Lady Bao, but that is a story for another time.
"Such was the age in which Madam Hu lived that she came to be seen as a defender of the oppressed. Unlike our own blessed age, in those days the people's tears and cries to the Son of Heaven for justice did not reach the Jade Throne. Wicked and unrighteous ministers and governors dared to usurp the will of Heaven. Madam Hu upheld justice and righteousness, but only as understood by her pirate's code, and only so far as it pertained to women.
"And women flocked to her. Escaped slaves and failed courtesans, tradeswomen and colonists. No woman who found herself on the White Tiger was ever turned away. As the story of Lady Bao demonstrates, Madam Hu would even refuse profit on occasion if the voyage aided a woman's vengeance.
"For many years the planetary ministers of the Outer Systems and the Governor of Jianghu tried to capture Madam Hu and bring her to trial. But being unjust themselves, they of course had no success in capturing her. Corrupt ministers of the court kept the reports on Madam Hu from reaching Imperial eyes. However, they could not keep Prince Shen from seeing the record of their incompetence."
Prince Shen sighed. Reports, endless reports. When he had chosen bureaucratic service over the military life, Prince Shen had not imagined that the foundation of the Empire was a mountain of paperwork. The further he rose in the ranks, the more the paperwork seemed to multiply. The life of a bureaucrat was far different from life as the fifth son of the Emperor's third wife. Yet everywhere he went he was constrained by duty. Prince Shen sighed and turned the page.
He frowned as he read the next report. He reread it. This could not be. He snatched up the report and hurried to the office of his superior, the Inspector for Outer System Affairs.
"Have you read this?"
He threw it onto the Inspector's desk. The man glanced at the title of the report and grunted. "It's old news."
"Old news? This…this Madam Hu has broken countless laws and is directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of thousands of Imperial citizens."
The Inspector gave a barking laugh. "Thousands? Don't exaggerate, Deputy Inspector. Next you'll be telling me you believe the rumors that she defeated a dozen imperial cruisers with her one little ship."
"Of course not." Prince Shen did not say that this was the first time he had heard of such rumors. How many reports had there been about Madam Hu? Why was this the first time he had heard of her? "I apologize for over-reacting."
"Think nothing of it, Deputy Inspector. Though you may want to consider that holiday I've mentioned to you before. You're working too hard."
"Undoubtedly, Inspector. Thank you, Inspector."
Prince Shen returned to his desk, but instead of finishing his work for the day, he ordered his subordinates to pull every report they had on Madam Hu. Some of them gave him odd looks that made him wonder how many reports on the piratess they had hidden from him in the past. But they brought the reports. Stacks of reports that covered half of Prince Shen's desk.
Prince Shen read every word of the reports. As he read them, he realized that, reading what was unsaid in the reports, Madam Hu's actions could be understood as responses to the unrighteous behavior of others. The thought came into Prince Shen's head that he would very much like to meet this piratess. If greed only moved her, he would himself bring her to the tribunal for execution. But if a righteous heart motivated her crimes, he would use all of his influence to win an Imperial pardon for her.
The next morning he asked his superior for his holiday time. The inspector was surprised, but granted the request. Prince Shen dressed simply, in the unbleached silk of a journeyman merchant, and carried an unadorned sword. On a single-person craft, he set out for the Jianghu region. He was in the region only a few weeks when he came across a warship in an unexpected place. His ping received no electronic banner from the ship, but a scan revealed a white tiger painted boldly on its side.
(To be concluded...)
Gosh! You've made me feel nostalgic for the olden days and the good and crappy space opera stories the magazines of those days published.
A lot of them had one quality I did not enjoy. Space opera is a serious business, yet many authors would try to add slapdash humour to it, destroying their story. Thank goodness you have good taste and have not attempted to emulate them.
I'm looking forward to the next part.
Very glad you're enjoying the story so far.
I should have the last part up soon.