Years were ticking by, and on the fifth year of training, I was still no closer to what I sought. Providence was clearly better than I expected at covering their tracks, and there were more of them than I expected, and all it did was make me wonder just how many there were. Even if my plans worked out, I have to win every time while Providence needs to only win once, and I couldn’t leave the universe to chance if I failed to fight back against Providence. I needed the one thing I never thought I’d search for, and that was allies, those who want to fight back against Providence for the sake of their people, but that was easier said than done. Most people don’t want to fight back against Providence due to their strength, others just want to surrender and hope they can reap even a little bit of the reward for submitting early on, very little carry the will to fight back. Much like with the simulation, that person I spoke to appeared before me, as if he was something close to a voice of reason, “It’s a good idea, I never did that… and I think I paid for it in the end.”

  I sighed, lucky to be alone in the room, “I know that, but what do I do when most people are hiding away in fear about it?” He nodded, “I understand that, but have you considered the fact that there could be some right next to you?” I raised a brow, “What do you mean by that?” He smirked, “Alexander, Olivia, the Duke? Come on, the Duke even said how much he hates them. Check the Providence affiliated people, we can see if he’s trustworthy.” I nodded, then began looking up each name I could recall off the top of my head, and I wasn’t surprised that all of them were arrested and tried over a year ago. He said, “See, he’s trustworthy, I mean, why arrest them and risk pissing them off when only he would know about it?” I replied, “Well, that is a fair point, but what about…” He sighed, “Out of everyone here, the only ones they do converse with the most is you, and they don’t really speak outside of that with basic friendship. Trust me, I’ve lived longer than you, I can read what they’re doing like a book. You know what, let’s just do this, make a meeting with the three of them and state your intentions.”

  I shook my head, “No, if any of them aren’t with me, they’ll inform Providence and work against me.” He sighed again, one more drawn out, “Look, you see how they act? They trust you, not to mention the fact that they put you in a leadership position, if they didn’t trust you, they likely would’ve chosen Alexander to be the leader, right?” After a moment of thought, I nodded, “You’re right, it wouldn’t make sense otherwise.” He patted my shoulder, “Trust me, you’ll understand.” Once he said that, the door to the room opened as Alexander entered, “Woah, you slept in today, not often you do that.” I waved my hand, “No, I was just thinking… and wrestling with it a little.” As he got ready to freshen up, I asked, “Would you mind meeting with Olivia and Duke Batholomew about something I want to ask?” He seemed surprised that I asked, he soon nodded, “Yeah, sure. Do you know when?” I shook my head, “No, I got to ask the both of them, but I want to do it by the end of the day if possible.” He smiled, “Alright, if you can, I’ll come.” After he waved and entered the bathroom, I slapped my face, “I can’t hold back anymore, I have to do the best that I can.”

  ~~~

  Before me sat Aurelian, he seemed nervous, which was a rare sight for me. Olivia and Alexander were here as well, though I couldn’t understand why since there haven’t been any issues. Aurelian, after slapping his face to the surprise of everyone, stood up and spoke, “Thank you three for coming, especially in a place meant for privacy, since what I’m about to ask you is pretty risky.” He looked to us, his voice had a nervous tone, “I realized that I’m alone in my fight against Providence recently, and I understood that if I fought alone, I’d never win the fight. All it would take for my active rebellion against Providence to die would be my loss, and I can’t let it end like that. I realized that I need allies… and the only ones I could think of would be you. Duke Bartholomew, you told me that Providence nearly killed your son, not to mention the string of Providence supports being tried in court, that was something I didn’t expect. Olivia, you lost your lord to him, and now all this pressure is on you to pick up where he left off, and I know that means he’d likely want you to pick up the fight again.”

  As he looked to Alexander, he began to slow down, “Alexander, you… you… actually, I have no idea what your goal would be, I just realized you talk to me more often than others. But that’s not the point.” He looked between the three of us, his eyes stern, “I can supply you the means to fight back, that means technology, mechs, ships, even weapons that can actually stand a chance against Providence, though I’ll need payment since the forge is my own place, and the deficit would be incredible if I tried to fund you all at the moment.” After he shook his head, likely snapping himself out of the rambling he started, “The point is, Providence will likely never look on us in any favorable light, and they’re actively enforcing their tyranny as we speak. I… I don’t have much else to promise you, but I can say that Providence won’t take us lightly afterwards. It’s up to you though, and if you turn me in to Providence, I won’t say I can blame you, but just know that no matter what, I won’t let my people suffer under them for as long as I live.” He looked to us, his face not that stuck neutrality, but one that gave away how nervous he truly was, “So… what do you say?”

  I understood what he was thinking, and he even stated a technological edge, it wasn’t something I expected him to be able to do. Before I could state anything, Olivia spoke, “I already told my parents about you, at first it was about helping our planet recovering, but they wanted to know more since your story began to spread. If anything, I think I can see if they’d be up for it, give me a minute.” After she stepped out of the room, Alexander spoke, “Oh, we heard about it rather fast, father told me that if I ever met him that we work out terms as soon as possible.” He looked to Aurelian with a smile, “We’re already allies, no need to stress it.” Alexander looked to me, as if he was ready for the fact that I’d speak, and I had plenty of time to think about the situation as a whole. If I were given the chance to fight back, and properly, would I take it? Aurelian was a golden ticket to fight against Providence, and I had a choice on whether or not I can fight back. After a moment, I considered what Providence would do, and none of it was going to be good for those of us who fought back. I couldn’t hold back anymore, if I hesitated, all would be lost.

  I looked to Aurelian, my resolve finally set in stone, I said, “I agree, I’ll ensure you can get some funding along with anything you may need. Providence won’t stop until they get what they want, and I won’t let them get away with it.” Though, when I looked to Aurelian, he didn’t seem surprised, rather, he seemed relieved. From a tense nervousness to a relaxed frame, his body language wasn’t nigh unreadable, but overly relaxed. After a long breath out, he said, “I… I thought this wouldn’t work… I can’t believe it actually worked.” I could see a single tear form in his scared eye, “I’m not alone.” In that moment, I understood him, he was alone, and this solitude had hardened him more than he expected. With everything that he’s went through, it made sense he lost his confidence, his best was spit back into his face with extreme losses, I doubt even he knew he lacked the confidence to trust anyone. Alexander spoke up, “You were never alone, you just didn’t know who to trust, but trust me, you made the right choice in asking us.”

  As Olivia returned, she said, after the door closed, “My parents are on board, they want to figure out who ordered Providence to come for us and properly put the one who did to justice. Though, they are curious about the tech part though, can you really reinforce a Baron, Viscount, and Duke?” Aurelian replied, “In a quick time, oh no, Duke Bartholomew has way to many ships for that.” I asked, confused, “You know my ship numbers?” He replied, “No, but based on income and whatnot, I can at least assume. For you two though, I can likely do Olivia’s in a year’s time, my factories can handle it since I’ve about finished my bolstering.” I asked, “Then do so, we have the numbers and time to wait, they may not be so lucky.” Aurelian nodded, “That I can do… wait a minute.” Aurelian began use a pad in a hurry, I asked, “Aurelian, what seems to be the issue?” Aurelian replied, “Some pirates we know that have an in with Providence seem to be doing their dirty work on the way to my domain, I just want to make sure none of your planets are in the path.” After a moment, he sighed in relief, “No, you three are clear, it’s only me.”

  Alexander, clearly surprised, asked, “Wait, the pirates are coming to attack your planet?” I added, “He’s right, if that’s the case, you need to worry on yourself for now.” Aurelian replied, “I’ve already taken the necessary precautions, I won’t let a repeat of what happened before.” On a hologram, I got to see his planet for the first time, “So the rumors were true, you do have a space elevator and orbital ring.” When I looked to Alexander and Olivia, they were both equally surprised, Aurelian spoke, “I do, surprised it’s still a rumor considering the fact I used it during the defense, but it works for me. But I can confirm my capital will be their main target, my other planets have adequate defenses since they may do an attack on all of them. But this planet needs to be secure no matter what since I have a… special device being constructed in orbit. It’ll be invaluable in our battle against Providence, it’ll be a surprise until its completion.” Alexander asked, clearly concerned, “Do you even have the funds to do so? You were in major recovery when we first met.” Aurelian replied, “We’ve recovered, defenses are about all back online from all the small issues, blasted traitors.”

  Another piece of his puzzle slipped into place, he had traitors, which means his trust was likely hard to gain. Olivia asked, “What did the traitors do?” Aurelian replied, “They had a lot of people who worked with the defenses disable and wreak havoc on the smaller, hard to reach locations. We have a work around, but it’s been tough finding every issue, though it’s luckily about over.” He put his fist on his open palm, “That’s what I forgot, make sure you chose people you trust to pilot the crafts you’ll order; we don’t want them going rogue if they’re compromised. Oh, don’t worry about training, I’ll send some people to assist in teaching your engineers how to maintain the ships, we can’t have inexperienced individuals repairing ships.” As Aurelian began to dig into details, I understood how much time he must’ve prepared for this, especially when it came to searching for those under Providence. His life goal had shifted from whatever he dreamed to sheer revenge, and I hated it. I decided to speak up, “I have a plan, let’s not enforce the alliance between domains until the attack comes.”

  Aurelian said, “Well… sure, but it may be longer than that until it comes to light if none of them escape.” I was confused, none escaping was a large prospect, “How would they not escape?” Aurelian replied, “A series of jammers, preventing them from returning form where they came from and ensuring complete radio silence between crafts that don’t have the proper code. It’s an original of mine.” I couldn’t even question if that was true, but knowing him, it may as well be. I haven’t seen anyone so confident in their technological capacity aside Providence, and they actually used their tech to prove that point. I asked, “So, you have faith that your technology can actually beat Providence?” I watched a grin cross Aurelian’s face, “Faith? Please, I used weaker tech to push back Providence, and I upped the game a little for the sake of fighting what I can currently believe is their best.” His grin somehow got even larger, “I’m even preparing the groundwork for a… treat to engage their little surprise. I doubt they’ll use it to defend pirates, but I know they’ll use it on me soon.” Alexander, confused, asked, “What was the surprise?”

  Aurelian looked entirely serious as he spoke, “A dreadnaught.” Each of us exclaimed, at once, “A dreadnaught!?” Alexander seemed to ponder what was going on with his statements, but Aurelian continued to speak, “I have proof, and by overclocking my mech, I was able to damage the thing too… but it wasn’t enough.” His sudden boost of excitement died, the loss of what he failed to stop must’ve hit hard, but the mood swings were something I didn’t expect, especially so suddenly. I decided to get his mind off of it, “Let’s get back to the topic at hand, Alexander, Olivia, you two take care of your fleets with Aurelian, I’ll make sure we’re ready to function when the time comes.” Alexander seemed focused, but Aurelian replied, “Understood, I’ll send the codes I mentioned before when I get more concise information on the attack… and I may need return home before training is done, they’re getting closer with more than I expected.” I about shifted to look back when he mentioned the codes, but it wasn’t my place. All I knew was I needed to prepare the men, and I knew a lot of them would be willing to prepare for a defense, I may go as well just to prove my point to them that I won’t take anything from Providence, gifts or harassment.

  ~~~

  As I pushed in a part and began to weld, I heard someone speak through the headset I wore during my work, “Young Aurelian, you know I said to not miss training, right?” I sat up, turned to the Duke, and replied, “As I said, the pirates are getting closer, I planned for the fight to be my test drive.” I turned back and resumed welding, “If I slow down, even a little, from my current timeline, I’ll be without a mech for the fight.” Duke Bartholomew asked, “Didn’t you put your mech into repairs?” I replied, “Turns out a lot of the parts for it broke, not ones that I have on hand, and I plan to return days before the assault even commences anyway.” Duke Bartholomew was clearly confused, “But… if you do that, won’t you miss the battle anyway?” I got up and shifted to a different section, “In usual cases, yes, but I have a means to get there on time.” Duke Bartholomew asked, “Why not use the parts from this project to repair it?” I sighed, “Well, mostly the fact that these parts can’t be used, since their make and model just aren’t meant for it. It’s like trying to load a caliber of bullet into a gun that can’t take it, if you do, it could break the gun. For me, it could break the mech and part, being more expensive overall.”

  I cracked my neck, then began to connect all the cables coming into this part of the machine, “Besides, why use that older model when this new model will likely be the strongest mech of the current era? Well, strongest mech presently, I can make it better with time.” After a few minutes passed, and I assumed he left, he commented as I put a cable in, “You have more parts here than I expected for a mech… especially the-.” I cut him off, “I nearly put that cable in the wrong slot, but yes, those parts are needed.” After I put the rest of the cables in, I went to the testing device and began to run the connection tests just in case I made an error. As the test ran, Duke Bartholomew asked, “When will the pirates make it to your domain? Have a rough estimate at the bare minimum?” I shrugged, “I have the numbers running, but it’s within the ballpark of five years, likely faster since they seem to be doing what they need far faster than previous predictions said they would. I’d say make sure they’re ready to move on command, and make sure they’re here, I’ll take them with me when I head home.”

  Duke Bartholomew sighed, “This isn’t going to be pretty, nor without casualties, what do you plan to do?” I replied, “My ships are… more advanced than what I plan to make for you, Alexander, and Olivia. I’ll likely use them as shields for physical attacks if their ships have significantly weaker weapon calibers.” I could tell he was confused by that, so I clarified, “I don’t plan for people to die, I have a system in place to ensure a proper change out for repairs and whatnot.” As I looked to the mech, near complete, I wasn’t sure what to feel. Was I forgoing my old wishes for the sake of revenge, or was this a climb against evil in the sake of justice? Much like the child and look alike I sometimes dream of, I’m not sure which I’m fighting for anymore. As the screen slowly shown the areas that were coming back properly secured, I sighed, this is what I get for making a machine I used to make for those who sought revenge. I walked up to it once the final green light was confirmed, wondering if the machine had a soul as I spoke to it, “You were born for revenge, but I truly hoped this wouldn’t be the circumstances I brought a mech into this universe.”

  It didn’t respond, nor did I expect it to, I began back to where I was before, beginning to put the rest of that part of the mech together, Duke Bartholomew asked, “You don’t have to seek revenge, you aren’t a slave to the past.” I chuckled as I worked, “Even if I deny it, I’ll be fighting Providence no matter what, and I can’t even understand if this is revenge or justice. I hate them, they took everything from me, yet I can’t even tell myself if I’d even let them surrender if they begged me for it.” Duke Bartholomew spoke again, “You may not be able to see it now, but I know you’ll be able to make the right choice when it matters most. And do know that if you take the wrong path, there will always be those who will try to bring you back to the right one, and if you can’t, there will always be a hero who’ll rise up to make sure you don’t hurt anyone.” As I worked, I didn’t respond, and the Duke didn’t speak to me again. The man I’m just going to call Ghost from now on appeared beside me, “He’s right, you have people who’ll make sure you don’t dive, don’t expect them to let you fall without an attempt to stop you.” I replied, the weight I felt only getting heavier, “Let’s just hope you’re right, because I might not be stopped if I do.”

  ~~~

  As I walked to get lunch, considering the fact I hadn’t even eaten breakfast this morning, I noticed that a lot of people were staring at me, and it was mostly those from the presumed Providence group. I was confused, obviously, while I didn’t associate with them, I never really tried to anger them either. As I began to wolf down the food, Alexander sat beside me, as if he knew I’d be here, “Slow down, no one’s going to take it from you.” After swallowing my food, I replied, “I haven’t had breakfast, I’m famished. Either way, why are people glaring at me constantly? I didn’t do anything to anger anyone… I think.” As I continued eating, he seemed to pick up on it too, “I’ve noticed that, I even asked around out of curiosity, but even the ones closest to them don’t know either. Maybe it was something that was done without you understanding the effects.” I replied, “Was it because I skipped a few days of training? You and Olivia were out one of those days, I wasn’t going to spar with them.” Alexander chuckled, “No, not that, they skip more often than you do.”

  I wasn’t sure what to think, even with the food flooding my system as I began to feel better, then a thought, “Was it due to our group continuously beating everyone else’s? I mean, they were pretty cocky before, not much now.” Alexander shrugged, “It’s a start, by the way, how is Olivia’s ships coming along, she’s not in contact much with home since she’s not running the planet.” I nodded, “Good, my fleet’s finally done, so all factories are on her ships. The boys in the workshops are grateful for the change of pace, I had them working hard for the past few years.” Alexander asked, worried, “Does that mean they’re rushing it?” I shook my head, “No, I think they do it faster because hers will be less complex than my current fleet. We made a lot of her craft before Providence came, so they had more time to understand them inside and out… literally.” After a brief chuckle from Alexander, he smiled, “Good, she’s going to need the support more than my planet, we managed to buy some ships from you before the whole Providence issue.” I looked to him, confused, “I don’t recall that, I took the orders myself.” Merlin spoke into my ear, “You did agree to it, maybe it was a busy day.”

  I thought back, then shrugged, “Hm, maybe I was busy. Either way, just make sure your men stay behind mine, we prepared for as much as possible.” Alexander asked, “Should you… speak of any plans here? People eavesdrop more than you expect.” When I looked around, I noticed people were looking, but I returned to my meal, “I said nothing of value to them, but I may start discussing something about thermodynamics if it intrigues them.” I heard a snicker before a slight amount of laughter, “Everyone listening looked away, they must hate thermodynamics.” He then asked, “So, how’s the project? Coming well?” I nodded, “I’m close to done, the head is nearly complete, the engines are secure, arms are about fully done, then all I got is the cockpit. It should be ready when the time comes.” I couldn’t believe how many times I had to state the progress of everything I was doing, if I somehow gained more allies in the future, I’d have to develop some sort of system for questions like this. I sighed, “Is this how royalty feels when they form allegiances in foreign empires for control over the throne?” Alexander shrugged, “You’d have to ask, if ever given the chance that is.”

  I pondered, then asked, “Should I get a mech customized for you three?” Alexander, confused, asked in return, “I’m not sure I follow, what do you mean by “getting a mech customized”?” I replied, “Most mechs made are mass produced, even the one’s I’m suppling to the three of you. If I make one customized to you three, it’ll produce better results in response to your fighting styles. All my men would need is your style of combat to make a mech specifically for you, that and any desires on its look if you seek to stand out.” I motioned to a portrait of the Duke, “The Duke prefers claymore like weapons, which he did disclose, so I can easily get a mech customized to fit his style of combat. Olivia… uses nearly the same style as Lily did, I can easily make her a mech… as much as it would hurt me.” The thought of making a mech that would be nearly the one Lily rode in was like a blade to my heart, it would be like saying I was replacing her, and I don’t want to do that. Alexander put his hand on my shoulder, “It may hurt, but I can guess what you’re thinking, you’re thinking it’ll be like replacing her if you made a mech so similar to what she used, right?

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  I asked, surprised, “How did you know?” Alexander had a solemn look on his face, “I’ve… seen a lot of lives abruptly end in my life, their stories cut short by another, and those who feared they’d be replacing them if they moved on. Some understood that their loved ones would want them to move on, but there were those like you who need a little push to understand that. For now, just think about it, and if you need help, I’ll listen.” I felt like someone understood what I was going through in that moment, but I couldn’t do that now with the operation coming closer. I patted his shoulder, “I’ll consider it at a later date, the operation comes first, I won’t let a soul from their side touch even a grain of dirt on my domain.” Alexander smirked, “That’s the spirit, just don’t ignore your mental state, there may be cracks even you don’t know of.” I shrugged, “I can’t promise anything, mostly since I’ve been hopping around trains of thought for a while now, but I can at least state I’ll try my best.” Alexander nodded, “That’s all I ask.” As we wrapped up our conversation, Olivia called out to us as she joined us in eating lunch. Life was weirdly normal now, but I knew that it could be upended at any moment.

  ~~~

  As I worked, mostly on finalizing the combat plan to be sent out to the other noble forces, Merlin and some of the other heads were contacting me, along with Edward. I believed it to be important, so I made my way to the conference room and got to work immediately, “What’s the issue for this call?” Merlin spoke, “Several issues have come up at once, but we shall handle the most pressing matters first.” Edward spoke first, “The spies have located the enemy fleet and base of operations. It seems the fleet is roughly a year or two out, we’re uncertain to the timeframe. However, the planet they’re on seems to be within a Viscount’s domain. We’re currently inquiring to how much the Viscount knows, but so far evidence points to them letting the pirates take complete control over the planet.” I sighed, “Then gather the evidence so we can decide what to do with them after we crush their support, also, prepare a message stating that if they interfere, I’ll have to resort to taking them down as well. On that note, figure out their planet count and combat strength, I want to be prepared for everything.” Edward nodded, “Understood sir.”

  Elen spoke up, “Sir, the men are claiming the technological jump is too much, we may not be fully capable when the time comes.” I sighed, “I should’ve expected that, Merlin, we should have easy to understand guides to this tech, can you send it to those who require it?” Merlin nodded, “That I can do sir.” A man spoke up, “Sir… that new tech, it should be ready in six months’ time. We’re running the final tests before it’s worthy to be used in the field, results are… mixed.” I nodded, “As expected, this machine is incredibly difficult to stabilize, but once completed, we should have an increased range of movement. Keep at it, we’re close.” An engineer spoke up next, “Sir, we’re confused, why not make stronger craft for your friends? We can handle their creation, but we’re just sure you meant tier three.” I replied, “Yes, tier three, if we try to do tier six, it may end up bankrupting them since they’re in recovery. We may also not be quick enough if we did tier six.”

  More matters were brought up, they weren’t as important as the previously mentioned, but it was enough to be brought to my attention presently. However, when the last topic remained, each of the people before me, even Elen and Edward, seemed unable speak of the matter. I sighed, preparing a cup of tea, “At this point, just say it already, it’s not like I’m supposed to be doing my training at the moment.” As I drank from the tea, Merlin said, “The people are concerned about you conceiving an heir sir.” I felt my throat tighten around the tea as I spit it back up, coughing as I realized some pretty warm tea went down the wrong way. After recovering, and getting the mess cleaned up, I spoke, “Is this a true concern of the people, or just those who are confused about the current line of succession in the Flameheart domain.” Edward replied, “We’re not sure sir, regular and military channels seem to have their own semblance, and we’re not sure where this is coming from.” I sighed, “It could be the work of spies trying to disrupt our operations, investigate this, and if this is a true concern… I’ll consider future steps.” I didn’t like hearing those words, not after the person I loved had their life cut short.

  I stood up, my face neutral, “Let’s end it here, I… I need to recuperate before I return to training. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, though. Just… don’t bring it to me before the operation again, I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle it when something so similar will occur again.” Merlin replied, “Understood sir, we’ll begin at once, see you soon.” The screens all disconnected, and I left the room. Two things I had no desire to commit to right now, the next head of the family and the means for my line to continue, each things that I wanted no current thought towards. I don’t care for who becomes the next family head, only that they treat the people well, but I have no desire to have an heir with someone I hold no love for, and I may never gain that love back again. I gripped my heart as I stepped out into the hall, “I’ll figure out who ordered her to be killed and give them the treatment they deserve. One who cut her life short should have no reason to keep living!” I could feel Ghost judging me, but I don’t care, I’ll find who did this to her and make them pay.

  ~~~

  Another year had passed me by, and one year ahead of me would be us graduating from training and moving on to schooling. As I practiced my swordsmanship, I recalled the fact I didn’t go to school much, if at all. Ghost appeared before me, moving his arms as if he were practicing swordsmanship as well, “Have you never gone to school?” I shrugged for a moment before returning to my practice, “I can’t remember, I fell ill pretty young, but maybe I went to preschool… but that’s more of a haze. In terms of higher education, I never really cared since I knew I was going to die, so I pushed it off way before I actually died.” Ghost sighed, “Your past life really was a wreck…” After I looked at him, he said, “Oh, right, I technically reside in your head, so I may be seeing how your life has been. It helps me whenever you begin to struggle with certain things.” He scratched his head, “So… you know school is where you can make friends, right? Maybe this is the time to do the one thing you wanted back in your childhood… try to make friends.” I stopped swinging for a moment, guilt began to fill my being as I couldn’t handle more people close to me dying just for befriending me, “I… I can’t.”

  Ghost replied, “I know what you’re thinking, but do you can’t keep this up. We humans are social creatures, and if you keep shutting people out, you’ll be hurting yourself in ways that you never expected.” I replied, harshly, “What haven’t I already experienced in that hospital room?! Day in, day out, people who cared not about my well-being, but of the thing that was slowly killing me! My current position is no different now, they care about what I can do, not who I am!” I glared at him, “Why should I make friends with people who are more likely to die, leaving their families in turmoil over their desire to befriend the enemy or Providence! Count Drakon had to bury his daughter, and he couldn’t even bury her properly! I won’t let a similar fate befall another, and it starts without letting a single soul get close to me again!” Ghost didn’t seem angered by my reaction, but saddened, and it threw me off more than I expected. As he began to vanish, he said, “I know how it feels to believe you’re cursed by fate, but pushing people away will only make it more so. Let others in, and you’ll suddenly feel blessed by fate, I guarantee it.”

  Once he vanished, Duke Bartholomew spoke up as he approached, “I received an emergency transmission, the pirates are a month away from your domain, but I fear there won’t be enough time to get there.” I replied, calmly, “Just get the army ready, Olivia and Alexander are already on the way, but we can get there before them. How long will it take to organize the forces you plan to send?” Duke Bartholomew replied, “A week, they’re close enough to do so.” I nodded, “Understood, move them to where I end up putting my ship, tell them to prepare to prepare sick bags.” I could tell he was confused, but he didn’t inquire, “I’ll do so, but I must inquire, is your project complete?” I nodded, “Yes, I finished it yesterday, I’ll be working the rest of the week to work out the kinks in the system. Be swift, Duke Bartholomew.” He nodded, “That I shall, also, I’ll consider this your final exam for training, so show me your best.” I nodded, beginning to make way for my ship, “Understood sir, I shall see you in a week.” The pirates were finally hear, and I was glad they took so long, everything was ready, and I planned to brief everyone in leadership positions once they all arrived. This operation would be what makes or breaks our rebellion against Providence, and I wasn’t failing here.

  ~~~

  I sat on the bridge of my ship, not a soul in sight that ran the usual systems, considering this wasn’t really a normal ship. Duke Bartholomew appeared on screen, “The fleet is here, but why remain here when there are only three weeks before the pirates reach your domain?” I replied, “Hang tight, you’ll see soon.” I muted my end of the call and spoke to Merlin, “Merlin, activate the device, let’s surprise the Duke and his men.” Merlin replied, “Understood sir, activating the warp gate now.” As Merlin disconnected and I unmuted myself, I watched as the space before us began to distort and crackle before it began to open. Within the gate, my planet was visible, the orbital ring observable even from the distance we currently were at. Duke Bartholomew, shocked, said, “What is that!? It’s as if space opened up before us!” I smirked, the first people to use this in an official manner, “This is a warp gate, the main machine opens the space in its location and a location specified, creating a gate between the locations. With this, we’ll arrive at my domain within the day, now, prepare the sick bags and let’s move.”

  As my ship went through the gate, I felt the effects, but I managed to hold back from throwing up since I felt far worse on my hospital bed. However, I watched the Duke’s face shift as he lifted a barf bag to his mouth, the sounds of others puking up their most recent meal audible through the connection. I struggled to hold in my laughter, but the thought of an entire fleet of well prepared men and women all puking up their food was too much, and I began to laugh uncontrollably. I felt like I could hear several voices laughing, one of Ghost, the child, and my look alike, but maybe it was just me as I laughed until I couldn’t laugh anymore. Once the Duke, and his men, recovered, I said, “Alright, with the orbital ring, we can keep the ships maintained as we await the meeting time. Just follow the instructions from the control towers and you’ll be led to your bays, you’ll be then assigned any off ship housing if you wish to have some. Also, to all commanding officers, we’ll be holding a leadership meeting on where our forces will be assigned during the operation once the other fleets arrive, so check your messages for the time. Stay strong everyone, we’ll win.” I had to prepare for the battle, and luckily, Joan and her knights were coming for the fight, victory was assured, and we just had to materialize it.

  ~~~

  As the chamber filled with the leaders and representatives of the four domains, I made sure all were accounted for, including my own chain of command. Once we were ready, I put on my best game face… despite my neutrality, and walked out to the podium. As everyone spoke, I made sure the mic was on and said, “Alright, settle down everyone, we have a lot to go through, so let’s make sure we have time for questions and preparations, got it?” The chamber began to quiet down, the conversations slowly going silent. I nodded, “Good, let’s begin.” I put up a map, one that zoomed in on a sector of space where the pirate fleet was slowly approaching, “As you all know from what I informed you about before, but a pirate fleet seems to be working for Providence, being the boot that keeps the planets in line if they show disrespect or signs of rebellion. From what we found out, their forces seemed to be reinforced by additional ships, all of which are those beyond the tech that the universe was stuck in.”

  This got some hushed murmurs going, but I didn’t stop, “However, thanks to the might of our engineers, we made ships that can combat these forces, those of which the ships present are of equal capacity to what they can do. So, we’ll begin the two step operation, Operation Kickback, as such.” I changed the image to the planet, our fleet, and the devices key to our success, “Once the pirate fleet passes the outer scrambler line, we will engage a series of jammers that’ll prevent their communications from going out, but with the single use code I’ll send every ship, our communications will remain perfectly intact. The jammers will also interfere with their radar, lidar, and other tech for navigation, preventing them from finding their way out, leaving them easy pickings for everyone here today. At first, we’ll preform a defense around the planet as such, ensuring we’re all within range of the defenses of the orbital ring, we’ll assign the craft at the end of the briefing based on their specified weapons types.”

  The screen began to shift, one showing the enemy fleet wiped out, “Once the first stage of Operation Kickback is complete, we will use the warp gate to open a path to the enemy base, which is under a Viscount’s domain. We will inform them that any movement to defend the pirates will be akin to admitting they were working together, and for them to remain out of the fight. From this stage, expect any nearby Providence forces to arrive, or any backup left there to ensure they aren’t at risk while their main forces are out to attack. If such forces are located, report them so we can send a force prepared for Providence’s ships due to their tech being better than the pirates off of our own confirmed, firsthand reports. Also, this is part is mandatory, if any of you spot the dreadnaught that we had spotted, engaged, and managed to push back from our domain, do not engage and fall back immediately. Even those of us in the Flameheart domain would find the task daunting, your ships won’t stand a chance. Outside of that, the planet is seemingly separated into several districts. One is a farming district, one we confirmed to be plenty of slave labor being used, so make sure those on this district watch their fire.”

  Slaves, something many people in the room didn’t expect to hear, since Avalon had banned the use of slaves nigh a millennia ago. The chatter was immense, enough to the point I had to slam the table, “Everyone, focus, we can work on figuring out this slavery issue after the operation concludes, we need to liberate the planet before we discuss hypotheticals.” Once everyone quieted down again, I continued, “Another area seems to be factories, refineries, and maintenance bays for ships, this location will be vital to be struck first to ensure repairs are impossible once we blockade the planet. Something of note, there is one, inefficient location where a majority of the population of the planet resides, however, this place is mostly populated by pirates, as anyone who isn’t one usually remains at their jobs, even for sleep. Check your fire, but do know this district could be have pirates anywhere, so remain on your toes.” For the final district of note, a large, intimidating fortress stood where a noble’s mansion once stood, “This district seems to be the main location for the pirate’s top brass, I’ll be leading the charge here since the dangers are higher here than all else.” I zoomed out to the two parts of the operation, my voice remaining stern, “That is the overall brief, any questions to Operation Kickback?”

  One knight asked, “What are the chances the dreadnaught will appear?” I replied, “We believe ten to twenty percent, not high, but the chances are there. However, we haven’t detected it nearby, so we assume they deployed it elsewhere and likely won’t make it once we begin the second phase.” Joan, to my surprise, asked, “What do we do about any captives?” I replied, “Fair question, we’ll detain them under the assumption of potential traitors to our domains or the domains of others, we’ll then check their identities and consider where to go from there. Just make sure to check them in the moment, they could be suicide bombers if they get desperate enough.” I noticed some faces get grim, but I wasn’t going to let that go away, “I want to state for those who haven’t heard a lot of the stories that occurred here, we had people go traitor, some carrying explosives into our bunkers. If Providence sent in those people to die, then expect pirates to be even worse, I might not warn everyone again the day of.” Duke Bartholomew asked, “What about the leader of the pirates? Do we kill them or capture them for a fair trial?”

  This was a difficult topic to get through, mostly as combat could change on a dime, and we may fail to take anyone alive. I thought for a moment, then said, “We’ll see how it goes day of, if we can take them alive, sure, but if we can’t make sure they don’t make it out alive. Letting even a small group of them escape could lead to more lives being lost, and I won’t let that happen.” With that, I looked around, “Anyone else have questions? We have plenty of time, I’d rather them be asked now than day of.” As no one spoke up, I clapped my hands, “Alright, with that, you’re dismissed. I’ll send everyone their positions and attack targets for the operation within the week, so make sure you’re well rested and ready for combat.” Everyone began to shuffle out, Alexander came up to me and patted my shoulder, “Nice work on the brief, you never cease to amaze me on things like this.” I shrugged, “I played a lot of games with briefs, it was easy to get everything in like that.” Olivia asked, “Are we going to join you on the fortress attack? I mean Alexander, Duke Batholomew and I.” I nodded, “Yes, I have knight candidates I trust keeping command over the other regions, it would put everyone at ease if we were apart of the fortress battle.”

  Duke Bartholomew chuckled, “So, does that mean we get to see your project in action?” I replied, “Indeed, it’s been cleared for the test flight, which will be active combat. I ran enough tests for the past week and a half to ensure it won’t break mid combat. However, we’ll be in separate locations during the planetary defense, moral won’t be good if we’re concentrated in one location.” Alexander nodded, “That’s logical, so, who’s making the plans?” Merlin, in his body, approached, “I am.” He seemed to have donned a military outfit of sorts, though it seemed to be outdated by a few decades, “My name is Merlin, I should have the fleet plan ready by the end of the week, as seven days should be adequate time to organize everyone.” He also bowed, “Also, let me thank you for befriending lord Aurelian, we’ve been hoping someone would befriend him.” I wacked his head, “Merlin, you know how I-.” Before I could finish, I felt Alexander wrap his arms around my neck in a joking chokehold, “You’re very much welcome, Merlin. We’ll watch his back, that’s what friends do after all.”

  Olivia, after covering my mouth, said, “Exactly, we’re his friends, isn’t this what friends do?” Duke Bartholomew, after a small chuckle, said, “As his mentor for the past six years, I hope I can live up to being his mentor in this engagement, even if my technology is inferior to his.” I began to tap both Alexander and Olivia, both actions had blocked my means to breath, which they understood quickly and let me go as Merlin stood up, “Don’t worry, I plan to ensure your faith in us isn’t misguided. I only hope your friendship with lord Aurelian continues into the future as well.” Merlin, after checking on me as I regained my breath, said, “We should get you ready for the battle my lord, the final checks won’t do themselves.” I forgot, since we were down and out in several locations before now, I had to quickly approve everything, “Understood, I’ll see you guys later.” Alexander smiled, “Huh, that’s the first time I heard you say that without any hint of disdain, I like it. See you later, Aurelian.” Olivia smiled, “See you later! Stay safe!” As I left, I realized that seemed to be the case. Merlin asked, “Enjoying the presence of your friends, sir?” I replied, taking my pad out for the checks, “I… I don’t know.” While I wanted to push them away, I didn’t have the desire to do so, but I didn’t want to pull them close either. It was strange, but I had no time to dwell on it, I had to get ready for the operation.

  ~~~

  Sitting in my cockpit, I floated in space with the engines on minimal function, awaiting the pirates who were coming straight for me. I took this position, along with a majority of my forces, knowing full well they’d likely not spread out much due to a lack of military training. I took to communications, the one thing I had to do to ensure I wasn’t breaking international law, “Attention unidentified force, you are currently within the Flameheart domain, identify yourselves or turn around, failure to comply will result in classifying you as hostile.” I, for some reason, got a reply, “Well, seems like the brat decided to mount a defense, despite the futility.” A member of the radar team spoke up, “Enemies on radar! Their numbers are a little bigger than expected, they brought their whole predicted force!” I spoke back, calmly, clearly, and precise, “This changes nothing, we prepared for this, keep calm and keep your resolve.” I let them get closer, some were within range, but others might be able to escape if we began now, so I made sure to hold the start of the operation.

  The pirate spoke up, “Look, just surrender, hand over some valuables and people, and we won’t have to resort to violence. Though, we may have to choose what places you keep, because you’ve recovered a little too much.” I heard some on my end proclaim the audacity, though I knew the ones calling that out were my own forces who were angered by the current events. I spoke calmly, despite my own anger beginning to bubble up, “Remain calm, I need everyone level headed, understood?” While there wasn’t a response, everyone quieted down, our time being bided until they reached the best position for the trap. However, that’s when I saw it, the whole time I never saw any emblem stating who they were, but there it was as I zoomed in on it. A knife in the eye socket of a skull, these were the same people who tested our defenses, along with joining in the raid our home, and they were back yet again to take more from us. I kept my own rage within me as the pirates continued to goad us, and once they crossed the line, I began the trap, “All forces, input the code, begin Operation Kickback.” I put my code in as the option appeared, the very pirate who tried to push us said, “Wait, what code? No, I didn’t do that, we don’t have one, idiot.”

  I chuckled, finally connecting my comms to theirs, “It’s not for you, it’s for us, morons.” The pirate replied, “What do you mean it’s for you? Why have it ask us if it is?” I smirked, “We have other domains within this defensive coalition, and I can’t knock out their comms along with yours, it would make communication unbearable.” In that moment, the connection between me and the pirate were gone, static was all that remained. I shouted, “We won’t let Providence crush us! Operation Kickback is officially a go, show them what you’re made of!” I could tell all the roars were from my own men, fired up to finally be going on the offensive against Providence. I gripped the controls, the mana engines began to fire up, the sound roared through the cockpit as clawed hands of black with orange and silver engravings emerged from below. The sound of two powerful mana engines was like music to my ears, the lifeblood of the mech began to surge as if ready to feast upon the metal of my enemies. I leapt from my position the thrusters sending me faster than I ever flew before, and only now did I have a name that seemed to fit this unit, “Awaken, Satanael! Let’s show these pirates who they’re trying to kick down!” It was almost as if Satanael had come alive, because the engines gave a roar as I prepared my claws for combat.