The standoff lasted for a while, as neither the captain nor Theresa wanted to make the first move.
Captain Midori was not that hasty to start a conflict with the Lantean Empire, while Theresa was buying time for the second fleet to arrive.
Not that she was afraid of this small group of ships, nor the fleet behind the portal, but as Andrew always said, it was better to be safe than sorry, especially since she didn't know how big the Japanese fleet was.
Twenty minutes later, Arien's fleet arrived, and immediately every ship powered up, getting ready for the fight they were expecting.
-What's going on?
Arien asked over the comms, as the situation was way different from what she had imagined.
-We are more or less at an impasse, since they don't seem to be as eager to attack as we previously thought, and we won't let them go to earth.
Undine explained.
-Well, since we are here, the impasse is over.
We don't have the time to be just sitting here staring each other down.
Arien stated and sent a message to the Japanese ships on the open channel.
-To the Japanese imperial navy.
I'm Admiral Arien of the Lantean Empire's second fleet.
You have exactly five minutes to turn your ships around and go back to wherever you came from, or be destroyed.
The choice is yours, and the countdown starts right now.
Both Theresa and Undine were shocked at this development.
They were not afraid of six frigates, which they could destroy whenever they wanted, but the size of the portal suggested that they had a powerful star nation backing them up, and they didn't want to start a war.
-Arien, does Andrew know about this?
Undine asked.
-I sure do.
Andrew said over the comms.
-Then, can you explain what you are thinking about, issuing a challenge like this?
Theresa asked.
-I was monitoring your communications from the start, and it looks like they are bluffing.
If they had a fleet powerful enough to break through, then they would have attacked by now.
Moreover, they only sent a few frigates, which is not the best way to convince anyone about how powerful you are.
-Then how do you explain this portal?
Undine asked.
-I can bet you anything that they simply found the crystal box back in our universe and chose the jump gate, which we rejected.
Andrew explained with a confident expression.
Just as they were talking, the Japanese fleet hailed Arien's flagship.
-Admiral, Arien, please don't fire on our vessels.
My superiors wish to send an envoy to discuss this matter with your emperor.
Captain Midori said as soon as Arien opened the connection.
-Alright, but you are only allowed to send one vessel, and if any more of your forces come to this side of the portal, you will be perceived as hostile and dealt with accordingly.
The admiral replied after receiving instructions from the emperor.
-Understood, the envoy's vessel will arrive within an hour.
The Japanese captain said and ended the call.
A bit less than an hour later, a Japanese ship appeared through the portal and requested the coordinates and safe passage to meet the emperor.
-This has to be some kind of a joke.
Andrew commented upon seeing the ship.
-Do you recognize this ship?
Aelita asked, seeing him barely able to control his laughter.
-Yes, it's in our database.
Andrew answered.
They had long ago placed every ship class found in games, movies, TV shows, and even cartoons in their database, as they also used many of the designs found in such sources.
He looked for it through the search engine and found it in seconds.
-This ship is almost an exact copy of Nasca's class ship from an anime series.
He said, displaying the information they had on the vessel.
-I don't see anything to laugh about.
Nairin said after reading through the information.
-It might not be a match for our destroyers, but our vessels don't carry mobile suits in them.
She added.
-Yeah, and if this one does, then it's an even bigger joke.
Andrew retorted, still amused.
-I already explained this many times.
The small craft that look great in the movies and TV series are mostly useless in real combat.
-They look quite impressive to me, and even in the real fight, I bet they would pack a punch.
Nairine argued.
-Yeah, they look impressive, but if you upload their specs into the simulator and run some tests, it becomes evident that they are useless, as most of the maneuvers they perform in the show are impossible to perform without killing the pilot.
Add to that the simple fact that the energy weapons can destroy them easily at the ranges below one light-second, and they are a nightmare to maintain and repair.
All in all, they are just an impressive-looking piece of junk, and before you even ask, the answer is no.
We won't be using anything like a mobile suit anytime soon, if ever.
Andrew stated, shooting down the idea before the young engineer could try to persuade him.
Nairine didn't argue anymore, but she did plan on building one of these bad boys and testing it.
Six hours later, the envoy arrived at the main system, and to say that the envoy was surprised would be an understatement.
They didn't have a clue what some of the installations were, but the sheer size of the space docks and the shipyard was awe-inspiring.
Not to mention hundreds of transport and warships, and the defenses of the system, which turned it into a fortress that would be extremely hard to conquer.
The icing on the cake was the merchant station, indicating the presence of a resident merchant.
After docking with the shipyard and going through all the security checks, the envoy, along with her two aides, was brought before Andrew, who was waiting in the conference module.
-Your majesty, allow me to introduce the envoy of the Japanese Empire, Sato Minami, as well as her two aides, Tashigi Kei and Hatake Izumi.
The imperial guard introduced the Japanese delegates.
Andrew nodded, acknowledging the three people.
Then the guard proceeded to introduce Andrew, Aelita, Tarina, and Runir, who were already sitting at the table.
-Greetings, your majesty.
The envoy said, and all three Japanese delegates bowed deeply before Andrew.
-We welcome you to the Lantean Empire, envoy. Please have a seat.
Tarina said, when Andrew nodded, accepting the greeting.
-Thank you, your majesty.
The envoy bowed slightly again and sat down, while her two aides stood behind her chair.
-We would usually take our time during such talks, but unfortunately, time is not a commodity that the Empire of Japan has an excess of.
So with your approval, I'll move straight to the main reason for my visit.
Minami said, and one of her aides stepped forward, taking out a folder of documents and handing it over to the imperial guard, who quickly brought it to Tarina.
As soon as the diplomat opened the folder and skimmed through its contents, her eyes went wide in disbelief.
-Envoy Sato, are you sure that you have brought the right set of documents?
Tarina asked, surprised at the contents of the file, before handing it over to Andrew.