It was as if a star shot through the sky before my very eyes, while my mech was swift, the Forge Master’s was faster in every way as he charged the enemy’s main fleet. I heard one of the knights from Duke Bartholomew’s domain shout, “It’s a demon! It had claws for hands and horns extending from its head! Did the Viscount summon a demon!?” I replied back, not willing to let this spread any further, “Fear not! That mech is the Viscount’s new personal mech! I believe he has christened it with the name Satanael as we speak! All forces, keep up the charge, we won’t let the Viscount show us up, will we!?” A knight candidate, one originally from the domain that I brought with me on knight training replied, “If his mech is better than his first one, the Viscount has us beat lady Joan, but that doesn’t mean we can’t show him what his future knights can do!” I chuckled, I forgot he witnessed both the battle with Providence and his escapades with the City Killer Behemoth, but that only shows that he wants to put his tier six mech to good use. I drew my sword from my shield, “You heard him, let’s show the Viscount that he put his faith in the right people, charge!”

  Compared to what the soldiers had before, we knights had specially designed mechs to differentiate us from the regular soldiers, each seemed to resemble knights of Earth’s medieval times. My mech, despite the difference of womanly features, had two wings jutting off the top of my mech’s head, signifying my head knight status due to the trust the Forge Master has for me. I couldn’t dare be like those fools who betrayed him, one day karma will catch up to them, and I hoped I would be the one to bring about that karma. For now, as I approached the first line of mechs, I watched as the Forge Master took Satanael’s claws and tore through two mechs that bunched up in an attempt to kill him. In a brief moment, he shot over to a group of them and tore them to shreds, his voice clear over comms, “Claws effective, speed as intended, beginning disassembler and launcher test.” Satanael’s arms extended before the hands launched forward, cables made from an incredibly strong metal strand kept with the hands as they found their mark. After a pulse, the mechs broke apart roughly, the hands retracting and reconnecting to the wrists. The Forge Master seemed pleased, “Hands and disassembler test, successful.” After he said that, some mechs tried to shoot him as they approached, to which he began to dodge with ease, “Reaction time is superb as well, let’s test the beam attack.”

  I knew what he was about to do, my concerns for the men raised as we approached the battlefield, “Attention everyone in the sector, steer clear of the Viscount! He’s testing his new unit, and if you get in the way, I cannot guarantee your safety!” I cut my comms for a moment and spoke to Merlin, “Merlin, update our IFF so we know to avoid the Forge Master.” Merlin replied, “Understood, marking the Forge Master as such.” Those of us from the old era decided to not openly call Aurelian the Forge Master, considering the circumstances we found ourselves in, some may try to take him away for profit. Though, in private, we refer to him as the Forge Master, we call him Viscount in public to keep up appearances. Looking back to him, I realized there was an orange light forming in front of the mouth of the Satanael, the mouth open as it formed between the horns. I shouted, “Breath attack! Move away from the blast zone!” Merlin quickly alerted the attack radius and some knights who went to reinforce the Forge Master swiftly broke away. After bracing, Satanael fired the breath weapon, a beam of orange fire shot forth and engulfed one mech before it began to turn and hit their fellow pirates.

  As the beam ended, and the group the Forge Master fired at was no more, I chuckled, “Tier three mechs won’t stand a chance against us now. I floated up beside him, his voice continuing, “Beam attack successful, this marks the end of active weapons testing.” I asked, curious, “Are you going to use the other weapons? You know, the ones the mages and engineers worked so hard on?” The Forge Master replied, “As much as I want to, I want to save it for the planetary battle, depending on the fighting I may need more ammo then than now.” I nodded, “Duly noted, what’s your plan now?” I watched the mech of obsidian color, crimson red eyes, and orange and silver engravings look around, the emblem of the Flameheart domain proudly adorned the shoulders of this incredibly powerful mech. The Forge Master pointed to the enemy ships, “Our regular soldiers can handle the mechs, bring the knights with me and we’ll show these ships exactly what we can do.” As Satanael drew a rather large sword, I smiled, “Understood sir. I turned to the knights, “Attention knights! Prepare for anti-ship combat! Let’s make these pirates regret coming for our domain!” With a roar of excitement, we began the charge, our forces would be unstoppable now that we had the momentum.

  ~~~

  “What do you mean we’re losing! Even without communications, we should be crushing this Viscount! We have enough forces to make even a low level Count sweat, so why are we suffering major losses!?” I shouted from the command deck of my ship. The radio officer said, “The occasional chatter keeps bringing up a mech with orange engravings, they say a devil has climbed out of hell to fight us!” I slammed my fist, “Then get the comms back online, do anything to make it work!” The man replied, “I’m trying boss, but even Lidar is acting up… how in the world are they screwing up line of sight communications!? There’s nothing out here, how can’t I get in contact with the ships right in front of us!?” The battles we waged on the other domains were simple, enough to state only the weak were dying at that point if any of them chose to fight back, so why were we suffering losses here? Someone shouted, “The command ship of sector two was destroyed! The forces are trying to flee, but they can’t seem to do so!” Another voice spoke up, “Sector eleven’s forces were wiped out! I can’t get even mech communications from them anymore!”

  I shouted out, “Bunch any ships we can call upon together and take a fortress style formation! We won’t be beaten back by a noble who’s barely out of their diapers!” Despite the jamming, we could sometimes get communications through, likely due to the explosions causing a shift in whatever their jamming devices did. As we huddled together, a ship right in front of us had something smash into it, it shot several rounds in what I assumed was fear or a last attempt to hit something before the ship exploded from the engine room outwards. Even from here, I could make out a humanoid figure floating where the ship once was, static suddenly shot out from the comms, “Defense test complete, didn’t intend to do it, but that worked out in my favor.” I noticed the figure had red eyes as it turned to us, the voice of its pilot let me know it was the Viscount of the domain, “I think I can see what some ships were referring to when they said command ships, maybe we can disrupt them further if we crush them.” In an instant, I went from seeing a spec amongst stars and debris as the thing that shot right up to the ship held a sword nearly as long as it was tall. I spoke, fear in my voice, “It’s… a devil…” Before I could say anymore, the blade cut into the bridge, my vision going dark.

  ~~~

  I watched as the ship began to drift, engines and guns going silent, I sighed, “The only issue with this kind of combat is the lack of a challenge. But then again, we are on the defensive, so I can’t complain.” As I turned to the observe the other ships, some of the IFFs came back as mixed, hostile, but they also claimed to be friendly. I asked, “Merlin, what’s up with these IFFs, I thought we couldn’t be spoofed yet.” Merlin replied, “Those ships were craft I lost track of during the battle with Providence, seems like all missing craft have returned to us in this battle.” I clicked my tongue, “They gave my ships to pirates? The audacity.” I shouted, “Attention everyone, if you see any of my ships that were stolen by traitors, I’ll reward you handsomely if you keep them intact and reclaim them for me! The data on those ships may contain valuable intel on Providence locations and other nobles who seek rebellion! More than that, I’d never let my ships remain in the possession of pirates, show me what you got everyone!” I heard some men from the other domains begin to cheer, maybe a reward was a proper incentive, so I decided to up the stakes, “If every ship that was once mine is recovered, I’ll send everyone present in the battle a nice reward! If you’re part of the reclamation of the ships, you get the bonus onto that! Bring them home ladies and gentlemen!”

  I heard Joan speak, she herself taking out a ship on her own, “Are you sure that’s wise sir? We just barely returned to normalcy, and you’re speaking of payment?” I replied, “Investments managed to make some powerful returns, I can make this work. Besides, I never forget to reward those who do a good job.” I heard someone call out, “I found one of the ships! I need a team to take it on me!” Another said, “I managed to disable the engines and guns on this one, where’s the infiltration teams!” A third called out, “Wait! Are we allowed to damage them!?” I sighed, “You can damage them, we likely aren’t returning these to service after we get the data.” Joan said, “Seems like they’re all over the place, don’t they understand these ships work better in unison than apart?” I shot one of my hands into an approaching mech, the claw ripping through the cockpit before it retracted, “They likely saw powerful ships and dispersed them equally, it’s why pirates usually don’t work out very well unless they have a strong leader and decent command.” Looking around, I realized we were taking them down faster than I expected, we’d likely be done within the week, which was uncharacteristic of battles of this size.

  “Hm, maybe the tech is too good, we’re crushing them.” I commented, Joan followed it up with, “It’s tier six against tier three sir, we’ve essentially brought a sword to a gun fight.” I forgot that Joan could kill anyone with a gun despite the fact she only used a sword, she was a powerful knight for a reason, defending against firearms with a blade only made it more so. I chuckled, “It’s sword to a gun fight, you’re just better than the average person… want to see who can get the most kills?” I could hear Joan smirk, “We’re both in new tech, that means we both have equal chances to win, are you sure about that?” I could feel my competitive side begin to ignite again, “Trust me, you won’t beat me Joan.” Joan’s mech shot forward, “Then you better keep up!” As she charged a ship, I shouted, “Hey! That head start was cheap and you know it!” I quickly launched myself towards a group of ships, sending the occasional hand out to wreck any mech that seemed to be giving any of the soldiers a hard time. As I got close enough to engage, I realized the enemy were aiming their main cannons at me.

  I smirked, “As if I’d let you hit me with one of those!” I made a push right for the ships in the rear, since if I destroyed them, the remaining ships would be stuck trying to maneuver around them. Lasers and kinetic rounds flew past me, some nearly hitting their allies due to the courses I took, my mech far faster than anything they shot at before. With a swift, mana infused strike, I cut one ship in half before sending my hand into the bridge of another, the area around the bridge breaking apart due to the pulse I sent out through my hand. I charged up another beam attack and sent it to the ship furthest from my end of their rearward line, within my range, and watched as the ship’s bridge became nothing more than superheated metal. I chuckled, “Most of these ships don’t even have a secondary command center, make sure fire is focused on the bridges if possible.” Joan replied, “I’ve noticed that too, is that not a common thing presently?” I shrugged, “I don’t know, I’ll have to check in on that later. Either way, I got a handful of mechs and three ships, you?” Joan replied, “Two ships and a few mech squadrons, so we’re roughly the same points wise.” I threw another hand into the side of a ship, most of it blasting out from within as the engine exploded, “Fourth one down, so not anymore.” Joan sighed, “Those hands are unfair, but let’s put that on hold, we still have a battle to win.” I nodded, “Understood, stay safe Joan.”

  I checked the engines, “Systems nominal, output is greater than my current usage, so let’s kick it up a notch.” I put my sword away, understanding that if I wanted to see if I could drain Satanael’s mana faster, I couldn’t rely on melee attacks. I took out a weapon that was strapped beneath my sheath, a rifle of sorts, one that resembled a railgun. I identified my threats, locking them into the system, then beginning the influx of mana to the weapon. Lines came from my rifle appeared on screen, their end goal being the locked on ship’s predicted engine locations, with each successful connection upping the mana consumption. The ships main guns began to fire, which took all my focus to avoid and not interrupt the charge, but it was already too late for the mechs that were launching to do anything. A magic circle appeared before the barrel’s exit, mana flashed inside as the round fired, and once it hit the magic circle, it multiplied into dozens of shots that flew towards the ships, penetrated their hulls, and caused critical damage to their engines. One by one the ships either completely stopped moving or exploded to the damage, this area’s main fleet had become no factor, and all I needed to do was mop up the rest before I returned for maintenance, food, and rest since we were out here for a solid few hours before the battle even began anyway. Holstering my rifle and drawing my sword, I shouted to the dozens, if not hundreds, of mechs charging me, “Come at me! Show me what you can do against me!”

  ~~~

  As I landed in the orbital ring, engineers were quick to rush in and check on Satanael, my desire was to eat a little, sleep, and get back out there once I woke up. Olivia, however, seemed to be waiting for me. As I approached her, she ran to me and hugged my tightly, before I could push her away, I realized she was shaking… crying. I looked to Joan, who had also returned as I did for a resupply before she returned to battle, and she was mouthing to me, ‘Hug her!’ While I didn’t know if that would help, I did as she wanted and hugged Olivia, “Are you alright?” I felt her shake as I asked, but she replied, muffled by my chest, “I can’t do this… it’s too much.” I didn’t need to inquire, she was a delicate soul, unable to fight and kill someone. I was like this too, wasn’t I? Afraid to kill someone when now I can kill without hesitation… it was as if this universe had wiped away who I was, but I knew that wasn’t the case. I patted her head, hoping that it eased her a little, “Not everyone is fit for the field of battle, just by being there you can inspire your people to fight harder.” Olivia looked up to me, her eyes were like a dam that burst, “I can’t even do that! I can’t order my people to go out and die by my orders! I just can’t!” Something about this… hurt. It hurt to see her cry, it hurt to see this pain wash over her, it hurt to not know how to help her.

  I tried to guide her out of the hanger, she wouldn’t budge, and I didn’t want to remain in the way of those trying to work or rejoin the fight. I sighed, “Sorry Olivia, but if you won’t move, I’ll have to move you myself.” I ducked down and swept her off her feet, carrying her in a bridal carry as shock suddenly spread through Olivia, “A-Aurelian! Put me d-down!” I replied back, “We’re in the way of heavy machinery and people, I can listen to what you want to say, but I won’t risk your safety by standing here.” As I walked out of the hanger, Olivia was hitting me with her fists, but much like how much she weighed to me, it felt like nothing at all. I made sure to bring her to a break room only I had access too, mostly to not let my presence force people to be stiff when they rested, and sat her down on a sofa and went to the minifridge. As I dug around for a water, Olivia asked, “Why did you… do that… carry me I mean.” As I found some water, I took two out and walked back to her, “You were crying in a public space, one that wasn’t the safest, I couldn’t just leave you there, could I?” I handed her the water, which she quickly downed half of before she stopped to breathe, “I mean more of why you carried me like that… the bridal carry.” I chuckled a little, “So, you wanted me to carry you like a sack of potatoes? Or maybe like one would carry a child? Trust me, I can carry you anyway you like.”

  After a moment, Olivia began to laugh a little, and it eased the pain I felt inside of me, though I wasn’t sure why I was feeling like this. She put the water down and curled up a little, “I just can’t do it, you know? When I followed up everyone into battle, seeing the dead flying through space like they were nothing more than debris, even those of my own domain… I just couldn’t do it.” Her face was back to sorrow, her voice spoke for her, but I let her keep talking, “When I went back, knowing I couldn’t fight, I tried to give commands like my Knight commanders would, but I couldn’t give the order knowing it would cause so much death. My people don’t hate me for it, but I can’t help but feel like I’m not enough for them.” In that moment, I understood her thoughts, because even now, I felt like I wasn’t enough for my own people despite the trust they must have in me. She didn’t continue, so I decided to tell her a story, “Once upon a time, a boy woke up after losing his memories, a world entirely unknown to him as people proclaimed him to be a young master, a child with noble birth and title. He was confused at first, but he soon found his place within the mansion of his father, slowly growing in the ways of nobility, swordsmanship, and combat, stunning technological wonders followed in his wake.”

  Olivia seemed to be interested, considering she didn’t seem as dreary anymore, maybe the story of my life was so intriguing to her, “He had it all, a loving family, a friend he cared about more than anything, and the trust of his people as he led them to a future where both himself and his people could live in peace, but the universe didn’t seem to agree. When foreign forces attacked, people betrayed him, his only friend killed before his very eyes, and places of safety that he designed had become the tombs of so many. The final straw of the day was the loss of his parents, lost to a battle that raged away from his own. When the boy woke up, he couldn’t see anyone looking at him with hope, rather content and hatred for the things he failed to protect them from. Even when he vowed to get revenge for the lost souls, he still couldn’t see anything but hatred in their eyes…” I looked to Olivia, my face likely neutral despite the fact I recounted, albeit quite shortly, the worst day of my lives, “To this day… I don’t know if my people trust me or are using me, and I’m too afraid to find out. I know failed, but that doesn’t mean you failed, you’re just more innocent than those of us who coat our blades in blood for the sake of people like you.”

  I hesitated for a moment, then patted her head again, “You can fight in other ways, no one needs you to be the one who commands others or draws their sword and kill for your survival. I can’t tell you how you’ll fight, but I can at least say that you’ll one day find your way to fight.” I took her water and handed it to her, “First, though, drink. You’re likely dehydrated from crying so much.” Olivia, after taking a drink of water, replied, “You’re somehow the most knowledgeable yet stupid person I know.” I sat on a chair, leaning into it fully as I looked to the ceiling, “Believe me… I know that better than anyone.” Sitting in a flight suit, speaking with someone about how they felt, all while unsure of the emotions I was feeling was… strange. It felt foreign talking like this to someone, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to figure this out. For the longest of times, until I met Lily, I never had conversations about feelings and what we could and couldn’t do, because I was alone in a hospital, and alone in my office or workshop, and now it was as if I was stuck in a mixture of both. I hid myself away to do noble work or projects, my emotions akin to sitting in that hospital bed as I went through day after day of potential treatments that always ended in failure. How was I any different now to the me I was thirty years ago or my old life on Earth? In what ways have I changed?

  When I looked back down, I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, because Olivia seemed to have fell asleep. I sighed, picked her up, and went to my room since her quarters would be on halfway around the orbital ring. As I put her in bed, tucking her in, I felt her hand reach out and tug on my flight suit, her voice barely audible, “Please… don’t go…” I knew she was going through a hard time; I couldn’t just leave her alone… right? I pulled up a chair, sat down, and said, “I’m here, Olivia. I’ll watch over your dreams.” I might’ve hallucinated a little since I saw her smile briefly, but as she eased off to sleep, I began to do the same. I was fighting more often than I was before, and sleep was a fickle mistress that sometimes didn’t let me do so. As I drifted, questions floated around my mind. Some were about the next steps, some were about what I did wrong, some were how to help Olivia and Alexander… but a few thoughts turned to mom, dad, and Lily. I missed them every day, and even now I can’t believe that I won’t ever see them again. It’s been over a decade now, and I can’t stop thinking about them, I just couldn’t move on despite the fact that life continues without me.

  ~~~

  “This is why he should take the time to heal, to think, to breathe! Diving back into fighting Providence at every turn will only send him deeper into suffering!” A familiar, child like voice said. The voice of my look alike shouted back, “Then what about the people who suffer every day under their tyranny!? More people like us will be made all because we chose to be weak! We need to stamp them out now before they strike again!” As I stood before these two, they were once again bickering about my life and the things I did in it. While both sides were valid, I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to go. I know that, in the end, I’ll have to fight Providence, but I don’t know how I want it to play out. Before I could interject, they vanished, and Ghost spoke, “Let’s shelve these two for now, they’ve been like this for a while, and they likely won’t snap out of it before the second half of Operation Kickback.” He turned to me, he seemed… mixed. I couldn’t tell what emotion was dominant on his face, but I could tell he wanted to speak with me. With a snap of his fingers, two chairs appeared, letting us sit instead of stand. His voice seemed… normal, nothing in it to give away how he felt, “It’s strange, right? They do their best to cheer you up, yet they needed cheering up themselves, you haven’t had to do that very much, I can tell.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  I replied, unamused, “Are you here to make fun of me or talk to me?” Ghost chuckled, “Sorry, but you seemed a little uncomfortable, so I wanted to break the ice a little, guess it didn’t work. But yes, I want to speak with you, be something akin to a therapist for your thoughts.” When I blinked, I realized he wore some therapist like glasses and now held a clipboard, but I realized I was technically dreaming, so I wasn’t going to inquire. He said, eyes on me, “You don’t understand your lack of emotions, it’s the deciding factor for most people, yet you feel slight outbursts on occasion with strong emotions coming out uncontrollable. Do you know why?” I shook my head, “No… it almost feels like a closed off dam or pipe that suddenly bursts under times of extreme emotions. Sometimes some emotion slips through… but it doesn’t stick around long, like repairing a leak in said pipe.” When I paused, I realized something, “Though… I feel like it’s easier to feel emotions here, asleep in a dream. It might be whatever’s blocking me isn’t a strong in my dreams, or maybe I’m just closer to my dreams within my dreams… it’s a little goofy, isn’t it?” Ghost seemed surprised for a moment, then shook his head, “No, not really, I think it makes a lot of sense.”

  He stood up walking as he spoke, “When we dream, we see things that our mind and heart wish to see. Things that could be impossible or what we wish were true, thus, our emotions likely play a large part in some of these dreams. Dreams are even ways we can recall our past sometimes, some are embarrassing, but on others, we truly wish we could live through again, be they nightmares or blissful dreams.” After he said that, the dream began to flash red, which confused me. Ghost sighed, “Seems like there’s no rest for the weary, so I’ll leave you with this.” He walked over and whispered into my ear, “Don’t let your emotions control you, for an entity from times past has returned to see your downfall.” I looked to him, “What do you mean by that?” Ghost said, “Can’t, that’s not a wake up call, you’re needed Mr. Flameheart.” With a snap of his fingers, I awoke to the sound of alerts going off. As I stood up, forgoing the need to shower, I felt Olivia grab my sleeve, “Please… come back safely.” I didn’t want to say no promises, but I couldn’t leave her in this state, “I’ll do my best, and that’ll have to do.” As I left, Merlin’s body was here, handing me an MRE, “Do be sure to eat on the way, we can’t have you fight on an empty stomach.” I didn’t reply as I ate, time was apparently of the essence.

  ~~~

  When I boarded my mech, deciding a pitstop to the command deck wouldn’t be viable, I asked, “Sitrep, quickly.” Joan spoke up quicky, still going since it was only a few hours since I fell asleep, “The enemies managed to target the jammers, comms are still on the frits outside the domain, but they managed to rally within, we need our combined forces to bring down theirs.” As Satanael’s engines roared to life, the maintenance giving it new life, I replied, “Understood, have everyone gather up while I assess the situation.” I attached myself to the hull of a ship before opening the enemy formation, one of which was a strange one, they took the shape of a sphere, “Ugh, if we don’t surround them, then some could escape out the rear. Not to mention their supply ships took the interior, along with their chain of command. Better tech or not, trying to fly into that would be nigh suicidal.” Sighing, I decided to give my command, “All ships, form a blockade around them outside their maximum distance. Flameheart ships can take the front and shoot them from beyond their range, but I want all other craft behind them so we can take the brunt of the damage.” Ships began to navigate, and I was unsure how to end this considering the circumstances.

  After a time, even when we seemed to be within range of the enemy, we never stopped moving, so I asked, “Are they on the move?” Joan replied, “Yes, but we’re not so sure where they’re going, there’s nothing of value in this direction.” When I pulled up the pathing, I came to the same conclusion, nothing would be gained heading in this direction. Before I could consider anything, Olivia spoke, “They’re heading for this device! Stop them!” When she sent a picture, I realized it was the warp gate. I asked, “Olivia, I need you to be serious here, are you sure they’re heading to there?” Olivia replied, serious and concerned, “Yes! I can tell that’s their destination; you need to stop them!” The warp gate was something the enemy should have no information about, not even the reason for its construction, so I asked, “Merlin, did the spies learn of the warp gate?” Merlin, unsure, replied, “Unknown, while we did dangle the location of the warp gate, we never said its purpose. While lady Olivia’s mention seems correct, I cannot understand why they’d target it over the factory or orbital ring.” We had dangled former weak spots of the orbital ring and the lone ship factory, but despite the easy targets, yet they chose the warp gate? Something was fishy, far more than meets the eye, but I had no time to deal with that now.

  “I need spare ships to fly ahead of us and set up a defensive line around the device marked on your IFF, defend it with your lives, it’s vital to Operation Kickback.” I was clear with what we needed, and someone managed to understand the purpose, “Understood sir, I’ll take those of us stationed near the ring to protect it.” Knowing it was secure, I moved some ships around to concentrate fire so we were shooting back at them, ensuring our shots were more effective. I slipped our best ships behind them, making it seem like we were weaker, when we were likely stronger than the ships in the front. I spoke on the comms, knowing full well they could hear me now, “Attention pirates, this is your final chance to surrender, turn of radar, weapons and engine systems and power down your ships. If you do that, we’re willing to let you live. If you don’t we’ll be forced to engage.” I wasn’t saying this because I was against killing them, I just didn’t want to waste unnecessary resources before the second half of Operation Kickback. The very same pirate who spoke to me before said, “Go to hell! We’ll never surrender to a brat like you!” I sighed, “All forces, open fire, if any ship surrenders, make sure to hear them out so we don’t waste resources.” Joan shouted, “You heard the Viscount, open fire!”

  I watched the volley of shots fly into the sphere of ships; many were outright destroyed as many allied ships made sure to target the same ship in different areas. I turned to the forces behind me, my knights in training, “Listen up! We’re going to break through their outer line and target their supply ships and command craft! We’ll charge forward now, and once you see an opening, take it! If we end this battle swiftly, this’ll be the shortest battle the Avalon Empire has ever seen, as well as preparing us to begin the second stage of Operation kickback sooner! The second stage will likely be longer, so the sooner we end this, the better! Make sure no one escapes, and if they do, make sure it isn’t alive, we can’t let even a single word of this make it back to their planet! Let’s move!” As we leapt off the ships, the fire from both sides was pretty daunting, but it also felt exciting in some way. Dodging ship fire that could kill you in an instant was something I never thought I’d experience, much less get used to, but it came with it’s own experiences, each of them would help me in the future.

  Another volley of shots flew past us, the ships before us struggled to keep form when the first volley hit, but now there was a large gap before us. I pointed to it, “There! Full speed until we break through! Once we’re in, engage at will!” While I could easily make it through at full speed, everyone else was marginally slower than me, so I trailed with them to ensure they could make it through at all costs. Mechs began to swarm us, so I charged ahead, “Just keep going, I can handle this!” Drawing my sword, the number of mechs ahead would scare any soldier, but I didn’t care, I could take them. I identified the best slash that could take out the most enemies and imbued mana into my sword, once I had enough, I unleashed my fury. I swung my blade, and pirates laughing echoed around my cockpit… but only for a moment. I watched as mechs from the beginning to the end of my swing drop off radar, followed by explosions that rocked the enemy line. One pirate shouted, “That’s impossible! He used a sword, how did he hit us!” In that moment, I realized these idiots were broadcasting over an open channel, maybe they couldn’t hold their regular communications and chose open comms, but all that did was let me know what they were doing. I soon identified something on a few pirate mechs that seemed to differentiate them, so I put my sword away and began a series of hand shots, grabbing the heads of the mechs and sending the pulse through them, destroying them in an instant.

  One pirate shouted, “Protect the commanders! That devil’s wiping them out!” As they bunched up, I decided to just end their mechanized defense and pulled out my rifle, “Hm, maybe an airburst type would work here.” After swapping out the spells on the shell, which was akin to switching magazines, I aimed at the bunched up mechs as they charged me, “These pirates are child’s play, maybe the ones we’ll fight later are stronger.” With a single pull, the round shot out, split, and flew to each group. One pirate said, “He can’t get us all, keep pushing!” Though, the moment he said that, the round exploded, sending high speed shrapnel into each mech, some managed to go through them and into their commander’s mechs, ending their mech resistance. Joan shouted, “Sir! We’re in! You’re the last one!” I holstered my rifle and flew full speed to catch up to them, “Good, then begin fighting, show no mercy until they surrender.” I trusted Joan to lead the forces, even at this level, it was nothing for her expertise, though, she did leave me a present, “Understood sir, the command ships are yours, consider it a means for the men to see your skills in action.”

  I chuckled lightly, while I wasn’t one to show off, I should do so for the sake of my reputation among the alliance, “Alright, then let me show you how I fight.” I flew past everyone, something akin to a buzzing a tower, and took to the first commanding ship I could see. The fire from nearby ships lit up my vision like a Christmas tree, but I wasn’t afraid to fly directly into their line of fire. Since I was still a ways away, I made sure to target some of the supply ships with my blade, the ones closest to me so I wasn’t thrown too far off course. I could hear a pirate from the command ship scream as I pulled my sword back to plunge it into the bridge, “What are you!? What the hell are you!?” I spoke back, “Revenge for the people slain by Providence.” My blade slid into the bridge like a hot knife through butter, and as I pulled it out, the bridge exploded. From here, I flew around and began to pick off as many of the commanding craft and supply ships as I could, the enemy too preoccupied with the forces now moving in for the kill to turn in and fight us.

  That’s when I heard it, “We surrender! Stop shooting!” I noticed ships all along the sphere begin to shift to neutral, their systems powering down as the white flag began to be raised. As more began to rise up, I looked to the last commanding ship, “Tell them all to stand down, this fight is over.” The very same pirate to threatened to take my people earlier today spoke back, “Damn it… everyone, power your ships down, we’re surrendering.” Watching IFFs all around me begin to turn neutral was a sight to behold, I threw my sword up and shouted, “Today is won! Arrest these pirates and take their ships and mechs! This is a victory for those who stand against Providence!” Cheers began to erupt from the ships, though we did suffer casualties, it wasn’t like the loss of life from Providences initial attack. I heard someone say, “Remember your after combat duties! Ally body retrieval on me!” A soldier spoke up, “How many men do we need to capture this many!? It’ll take days to do if we don’t get more hands!” I sighed, I forgot battles had cleanup, and both battles I was a part of, I was emotionally too unstable to take part and very much unconscious. I decided to get hands on this time, “Everyone who’s running security, on me! Let’s make this as smooth as possible for everyone!” Today was a victory, and we’d be doing the same to their main planet soon.

  ~~~

  About a full week passed, and we finally moved all functional enemy ships to a location for information retrieval and eventual disposal. Considering I ran security for most of the week, I didn’t want to waste any additional time in preparation for the stage two, but I did want to pass of what I knew to Alexander too. I spoke to Merlin, “Begin a consolidation on what intel we can scrub from their ships and mechs, I need to speak with Alexander… and maybe Duke Bartholomew as well.” Merlin asked, “Is this about lady Olivia, sir?” I nodded, “Yes, I don’t think she’s cut out for fighting, and I don’t want to force her to do so.” Merlin thought for a moment, then said, “Then why train in swordsmanship? Why would one learn swordsmanship if they didn’t seek to use it?” It made sense, Merlin didn’t know the intricacies of the human mind, we did things that seemed against what we truly sought. I replied, “Simple, self-defense. While we may be against taking blood, we still need to defend ourselves. Some people just aren’t capable of killing another for any reason, even if the reason is just.”

  Merlin’s eyes seemed to shift, “Humans are truly fascinating beings, your mentalities are all so different, yet, so much alike.” Merlin seemed to realize he was distracted, then said, “You should go to Alexander, I’ll handle your order swiftly.” From there, I made my way through the orbital ring, Alexander and the Duke had shifted their things to their respective ships since the battle for the planet would likely be longer than the fight by far. Presently, they took temporary residence with Olivia in a particular hotel set to house them and important figures for the time being. Entering the hotel, the receptionist stood and bowed, “Viscount, what brings you here today?” I asked, “Are Alexander and the Duke in? There was something I wanted to discuss with them.” The receptionist sat down, quickly checking for them, “Viscount Lancaster and Duke Bartholomew are both in, they seem to be in the recreational sector playing “golf” sir.” I nodded, “Thank you, do inform me immediately if anyone comes for me.” As I walked, I made sure to send her a good tip and made my way to the recreational sector.

  To my surprise, Alexander and the Duke had taken quiet an intrigue into golfing, since the sport seemed to have died out before humanity of the known era reached the space age. While I did have other sports and whatnot in this nobility focused hotel, golf seemed to grip both of them, despite what I believed they would enjoy. As I stepped into the zone, I could hear many individuals speaking about the rules of the game, which clubs were for what kind of distance, and some who had the thought to plan ahead a little for the planetary siege. For once, the concern was warranted, Avalon hasn’t saw the need to take a planet for any reason, mostly as the last war was long before I was born. Avalon lost a lot of men, and while there were plenty here, the ratio we had meant we needed a large increase of children with hopes to regrow the male population. But I ignored everything else and went to where the Duke and Alexander seemed to be doing a rather silent game away from everyone. The Duke was quick to notice me, “Ah, young Aurelian, you seem to be doing well.” I managed a small smile, “Yeah, we managed to beat back Providence, and now we’ll finally commit to a wish we had over a decade in the making. We’re too deep to back off now, and we won’t stop for anything.”

  I shook my head, I wasn’t here to discuss the operation, I spoke, “Actually… I’m here to talk about Olivia, she isn’t for combat, so I think we should ensure she remains here for the second half of the operation.” Alexander seemed surprised, “Why? She seemed ready to go when I saw her last.” Shaking my head again, I said, “She saw people die and realized she couldn’t do it, I don’t know the full reason, but she I know how she feels. I once felt like her, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to kill like I do now for any reason, but she’s made her choice, she can’t kill anyone.” The Duke asked, “Can she at least lead in a commanding position?” I once again shook my head, and that was all they needed. Alexander sighed, “I… I should’ve expected that, she was always such an innocent soul, it’s on me.” The Duke shook his head, “No, we don’t figure things out sometimes until it happens, and young Olivia was no different. Though, she needs to come with us, she’s the representative of the Silverlights, if she isn’t there, then we risk the alliance being seen as weak.” I sighed, “If we must, but she won’t come out to battle or lead unless she specifically asks to do so. If this comes around, I’ll have Joan protect her, I won’t lose her because I messed up… not again.”

  I watched their faces begin to turn to sadness, they knew what I meant, and the memory of it was akin to the very day I witnessed it. Every time I saw it, it hurt, her very memory hurt me as I yearned for her to be by my side, but I knew I was just yearning into the wind. Before I could say anything more, Merlin stepped into the room, “Sirs, I have some information pertaining to a particular force that we managed to scrub from the enemy systems.” With a device, to pretend he wasn’t an AI, a hologram projected a hand holding a human skull, “These are mercenaries, this particular group seems to be called “Death’s Hand”, one of the notable individuals seems to be “Reaper”.” I felt my anger rise, Alexander seemed to noticed, “Aurelian, calm down, now’s not the time to get angry.” I shouted, “You tell me to calm down then the one who killed Lily is closer than ever!? I swear, if I see him, I’ll tear his black heart out myself!” I could tell the two of them were surprised, even as I was seeing red at the mere mention of Reaper. Merlin spoke, which calmed me down a little, “Reaper isn’t among the current hired help of the pirates, he’s currently working with Providence elsewhere.”

  After I took a moment to breathe, I asked, “Are any of Death’s Hand with the pirates?” Merlin replied, “Yes, we assume there is someone by the moniker “Anubis”, seems like Death’s Hand has a thing for names revolving around death.” Alexander asked, “What, or who, is Anubis?” Merlin replied, “A known being in the old era, they were a long forgotten god of the afterlife, death, and rebirth. Though, we’re unsure of the reliability of their divinity.” I asked, “Is there anything else about this Anubis we need to know, like mech type and whatnot?” Merlin shook his head, “No, the information we found is barely useful, most of it isn’t even of the planet, just regular ship functions and old orders they forgot to delete. I doubt we’ll find much more, even on the IFF systems.” I sighed, “Well, then we better get ready to commence the operation, the pirates have been silent for over a week, that’s going to cause concern, so let’s move now.” As I stood up, a devious plan entered my head, and I could tell even Ghost liked this… wherever he was in my head. I turned to them, “Gentlemen, I have an idea.” As I explained the plan, the Duke seemed apprehensive, but Alexander seemed to like the plan. It would work, especially since I haven’t revealed all there is about Satanael yet.

  ~~~

  Pirates sat within the fortress, the boss of the pirates was getting annoyed, “No messages from the assault team yet? It’s just one noble, why haven’t they responded yet?” One of the pirates replied, “We’re unsure boss, it’s almost like they completely fell off the radar. A woman spoke, her voice stern, “There might be a problem, a week long silence is never a good thing.” The pirate leader turned to the woman, “Anubis, we don’t tell you what to do, so why try to tell us what to do?” Anubis, a woman with pale white skin, bleach white hair, and eyes as dark as the void approached the pirate leader, “Because when this happens, they’re all dead or being jammed, either or isn’t good. I’m a mercenary, not an idiot Goldtooth.” Goldtooth, clearly angry, flashed his golden teeth as he barked back, “Then why not use that magic of yours to get into contact with them then? You’re being paid to work for me, not the other way around.” Anubis sighed, “It’s not magic, and it won’t work from this distance, you took a job too far away for me to be of use.”

  One pirate seemed confused, “Boss, we have reports of an anomaly in space, strange signatures we haven’t gotten before.” Both Goldtooth and Anubis stopped their bickering, Goldtooth replying, “Then get them to turn a camera on, let’s see what they can.” As the readings popped up, a feed of the location was visible, and it seemed like lighting was emanating from a point in space, yet there was no visible reason for this to be. Anubis said, “Is it a storm? I heard some regions of space get them a lot, but I’ve never seen one.” Goldtooth shook his head, “No, even the start of such a storm can span systems, something this small doesn’t make sense. Suddenly, readings spiked, “Boss, gravitational readings are spiking from the area, not to mention disturbances in spacetime are on the frits!” Goldtooth shouted, “Tell them to get out of the danger zone, and don’t stop the camera, we need to see what’s going on!” Lighting from the source ceased, but a small swirl replaced it, the size of this swirl got larger as it expanded. The larger it got, the more something within the center began to take shape. Eventually, Anubis asked, “Is that a… planet?”

  Soon, the size of the vortex was massive, larger than even a dreadnaught several times over. Soon, a mech appeared on camera as ships began to follow behind it, a pirate said, “It’s… it’s a demon…” The shape of the mech was one thing, but the black with silver and orange coloring made it seem like a demon or devil ripped right of out hell. A voice rippled through the comms, “This is message to the pirates currently residing on one of the Avalon Empires planets, you are hereby ordered to throw down your arms and surrender immediately, if not, you will be engaged in accordance with imperial law.” After a moment, the voice spoke again, “To the Viscount who let this happen, any interference will be considered a crime under said imperial law, to which you will be prosecuted for. Any forces of the Viscount who can hear me and understand this, report back.” Silence filled the air for a moment, until a voice replied, “Copy.” Goldtooth slammed his fist into the chair, “That damned betrayer! Providence will hear about this!” Anubis said, “You did force them, he’s taking this chance to be free from you.”

  The head of the devil seemed focused on the camera now, its eyes shined with a crimson glow, one that seemed to stare into the souls of all who looked to it, “Pirates, this is your last warning, surrender at once. Failure to comply will mean we shall exact our just revenge upon you for joining Providence in the siege upon our home.” Goldtooth, being arrogant, said, “Fire on the thing, no noble can dare beat us.” One pirate confirmed, “Understood b-b-boss, giving the order.” As the shot closed in on the devil, it seemed to miss, despite it not moving. The eyes of the devil shined brighter. As it’s hands came out, it seemed to somehow triple in amount, as four additional arms folded out from behind the now six armed devil, “You spit upon the mercy I was willing to give, and now, you and your band of pirates shall experience no mercy from me.” As a large sword was drawn and aimed at the ship before it, the voice spoke, “This is Viscount Flameheart, enemy is hostile and ignored orders to stand down, engage at will! Kill these pirates, and show them the rage of our domain!” As if awaiting the order, mechs and ships began to spill out of the vortex as the devil charged the ship, and with one slash, destroyed it.”

  A pirate shouted, “Boss, ships near the vortex are all down! Hundreds, no, thousands of ships are pouring through the vortex, their insignia is of Viscount Flameheart! Wait, there’s more, there’s also Viscount Lancaster, Baron Silverlight, and… Duke Bartholomew!?” Goldtooth seemed surprised, but Anubis sighed, “You really stepped in it this time, you better be ready to fight, because our mechs are under repairs right now.” Goldtooth cursed, “Shit! All forces, get in there and bring them down! These fools will regret the day they attacked us!” Every pirate knew they had to fight, surrender seemed like a lost concept, and Anubis seemed to laugh at this. She said, “Well, if the Flameheart boy is identified when my mech is repaired, I’ll take him on, of course, he'll be extra.” Goldtooth sighed, “I understand, just don’t make me wait too long.” Goldtooth was franticly trying to gain control over the situation, but in Anubis’ eyes, that seemed impossible under the might that was still streaming through the vortex like a wave of monsters.