It’s been three years since training began, and lucky for me, everything had been developing smoothly. Today was the last day of a free week we were given, one to relax and handle matters we needed to tend to, and I was making the most of it through a series of meetings that would eventually culminate in how much all the planets I had recovered. I spoke in the Duke’s private conference room, mostly since I upgraded the place to hopefully bypass any hacking attempts, “Tell me, how are your planets, leave my domain’s capital for last, I want it to be a surprise.” I decided to make the planet I was given my capital, mostly as the forge world was still a secret, but that one would never be fit to become a capital anyway. The first individual spoke, “The planet’s doing well, in fact, I think we were a little faster than scheduled, as we’re now working on your “after repair” plans, sir. So far, we’re about ten percent complete, and we’re doing what benefits the people and economy first, as instructed.” As I read the list before me, I nodded, “Good, considering the numbers, we can properly state the planet is fully functional again, your planet was worse off, so good work.”

  The reports were much the same from there with the other four planets that were recently freed from the pirates, their recovery was swift, and their futures have finally begun to seem bright. One of the planets actually had people who were able to step up and take the lead, trust was finally flowing within the domain to an extent, and it was a start for those of us scorned by Providence. Life on the forge world had been going smoothly, any area with old era parts still there were reacquired, those that lost it were being mined out for future development, and those in the cryostasis pods were taken to areas without modern humans living within them. It allowed them to begin striving for normalcy, preparing for the future where, inevitably, I could one day introduce them to the domain as a whole. But I knew it was safe, even with the initial attack from Providence, none have attempted a move on it due to it being my main production center. Thus, anyone going there would be one thing for the new tech, target practice.

  I looked to the representative of my capital, “Now, how’s the capital doing, it was still in a major recovery by the time I left for the five planets.” The representative spoke, “All civilian and industrial sectors have recovered properly, since things have finally begun to show normalcy, people are starting to show a little pep in their step too. The orbital ring and elevator were shown priority afterwards, they’re repaired as well. The defenses, however, are being… childish. Some of the damage was due to the traitors who left, they damaged cables, generators, anything that they could, so we’ve been delayed on that front. The good news is that the issues are being sorted out via the smaller robots, so we’ve been able to focus on the defenses themselves.” Once they finished reading they asked, “Sir… about the plans for the memorial… are you sure about this?” I nodded, “Of course, even though we’ve recovered to this degree, the people would likely prefer a place for the victims to be laid to rest. So many of us have lost someone that day, no better way than to send them off properly.”

  I looked to Merlin, he had been waiting patiently for this moment, “Merlin, how’s the ship production?” Merlin replied, “Better than expected, the materials aren’t sought after very much presently since they’re not building materials, so we managed to buy them in bulk in both refined and unrefined forms. With the proper instructions told to the engineers, we’ve begun mass production of the ships, not to mention proper training for their use. We should have proper ships installed on every planet, along with an attack force, in around four years’ time. As more facilities are being constructed, we may be able to do it faster, along with “that” device.” I nodded, “Very good, make sure it’s properly done, I’d rather work be done correctly rather than swiftly.” Tier six was the best I could do for the moment, even if I sought for more, mostly as tier seven and above required a hyperdrive, and the parameters for putting that onto a ship is essentially impossible with current technological limits. However, the project would assist us in replacement of that for the time being, and it would be something I had complete control over.

  I clapped my hands, “Everyone, I’m pleased to say this, but recovery for the people is over, and that is a cause for celebration. I’ve managed to put aside some money for everyone in the domain, make sure everyone gets their fair share and keep spirits up.” With a bow from everyone, all but Merlin left the call to resume their days. Merlin said, “Sir, we believe some of the assassins have located a strong pirate connection to Providence. There doesn’t seem to be many, but this one is a staging ground within the Empire. We believe that once we locate it, it’ll be the perfect place to gain the initial foothold on our war against them.” I nodded, “Good, keep it silent, we don’t want them knowing anything of us anymore.” Merlin replied, “Understood sir, I’ll get back to it then.” Once he disconnected, the lights turned back on, and I left the room. Duke Bartholomew asked me as I left, “Did everything turn out well?” I nodded, “Yes, around seven to eight years of recovery time was fantastic, even in my books. We may be able to take Providence on soon at this rate.” He knew my goal, in fact, my proclamation has finally begun to do its proper rounds, so everyone knows I’m going to stick it to them.

  The Duke replied, “I understand why, but do know that doing so out of rage may end up hurting you more than you understand. Take the time to sort out your feelings and use a calm head when making decisions, losing yourself to rage will only make you weaker.” Over the years, the Duke has managed to impart bits of wisdom every so often to me, and I wasn’t really sure why anymore. Some of them made sense, some I couldn’t understand why it was called wisdom, and others seemed akin to daily life, so I understood why he told me about a third of his wisdom. As we walked, he asked, “So, how are Sir Alexander and Lady Olivia treating you? They’re the only two people you converse with here, and I can only wish that you spoke to more people.” From that day, after fighting the King World Eater, I let them hang around me whenever they chose to. Though, since that day, I haven’t really… worked through anything. As if talking to that child in my dream and that look alike me helped me through my mess of feelings, but I just can’t seem to do it alone. I realized I forgot to reply to the Duke, “They’ve been respectful of my boundaries… and I’m struggling to process… this.” I motioned to myself, in a way, I almost felt like a certain king of vampires from a show I watched back on Earth.

  The Duke asked, “Have you tried to talk with others about it?” I shook my head, “No, my circumstances are a little… unique. Because of it, talking about it to others is just… I can’t do it.” The Duke just nodded, “I understand, even I have secrets that I don’t wish to tell a soul about, but sometimes, consider what it would be like to get it off your chest. Now, I don’t mean technological, military, or economical secrets, but just consider it.” For once, I wasn’t sure what to do with this wisdom he spoke about, because my deepest secret was likely my reincarnation status. When I noticed Alexander and Olivia waiting for me, I questioned to myself if I’d even have the courage to state I was a reincarnate. Though, I should work through one problem at a time, working through my grief would likely be better than stating I reincarnated, no matter how much I might want to say it sooner rather than later. I sighed, “Maybe one day, but not today, not with what I have on my plate.” The Duke let me go on my way, but I could tell that some things were once again going my way… and it made me nervous.

  ~~~

  I was once again overseeing swordsmanship practice for the nobles, at least until Aurelian once again beat another noble without issue, proving to me he barely understood his own power. It saddened me to see him struggling with it, but there was nothing I could do, especially when he beat every instructor like they were nothing but children. However, today seemed different, Alexander came up and asked Aurelian to spar. Everyone backed away from their area, knowing full well what Aurelian could do, but I always felt like Alexander was holding back. It was something I picked up, almost like a parent holding back when they trained their kid, yet he wanted to spar with someone stronger than the other nobles, my eyes would be locked on this sparing match. As Alexander took his place, he spoke, “I hope you’re ready Aurelian, I’m not one to hold back unless I need to.” His short sword styled practice blade was similar to Aurelian’s, which was only slightly longer. Aurelian, seemingly dejected, replied, “Don’t get my hopes up Alexander, it’s hard enough to find the motivation to come here.”

  I held my hand on, “Ready, set, begin!” As I threw my hand down, both of them were already clashing blades, this was the first time I’ve seen Aurelian not already have his opponent half way to the ground. With a quick motion, Aurelian tilted his blade to send Alexander away from him as he prepared an attack, but just as he went for it, Alexander countered him with precision, stopping him in his tracks and even pushing him back. When Aurelian regained his footing, I watched as he put his hand to his heart, I was worried he was hurt, but I watched as he smiled for the first time since I met him, “Alexander, you’ve been holding out on me, maybe I can go harder!” Suddenly, I felt the mana around Aurelian spike, which didn’t make sense, but the same thing came from Alexander as they disappeared before they clashed where they met before. Somehow, they radiated mana, much more than the average noble did. While we had some control over it, mostly for fine control in mechs during combat, this was multiple times more than our basics.

  The two were launching a barrage of strikes, moving around the room as they tried to land a strike on the other, both failing to do so as their movements became ever faster. However, in a moment where their blades clashed and flew back, I noticed both of them had a fire in their eyes, a gleaming smile on their faces, and it was truly a sight to behold from them. Olivia seemed jittery, she drew her practice blade, a rapier, and said, “That’s it, I can’t hold back, I have to join in!” I went to reach out to her, to stop her from jumping in to that whirlwind of swordplay, but just like the two boys, her mana signature flared as she leapt into the fray. Somehow, despite both of them now knowing she was inbound, they were able to prepare and have her slip in to it like a choreographed fight. While Alexander and Olivia had competitive smiles, Aurelian looked like he was having the time of his life in there, his smile went from eye to eye, his eyes alight with a shine I never thought I’d see in anyone. Olivia, after a few moves, said, “Come on boys, is this all you got?!” Alexander shouted back, “Oh, it’s on! You better be able to back up your words, Olivia!”

  Aurelian’s reaction was vastly different, his words were as if a switch flipped, “Come on Lily, you haven’t beaten me yet, so where did you get the confidence to say that!?” I could tell that Olivia and Alexander were confused, but they didn’t back down, even after Aurelian lit his practice blade alight with fire… wait, fire!? I called out to those closer to the sparing match, “Everyone back away! Quickly!” Some took initiative, but others had to be pulled back by those closest to them as even I had to take a few steps back. I could already hear people wondering who Lily was, but only I truly knew, it was likely a nickname for his only friend, and he likely hallucinated seeing her or is actively seeing her in Olivia. When I considered stopping the fight, Alexander coated his blade in water while Olivia did the same, but with air. Somehow, these children have managed to use mana in combat, yet even we adults could only do that if we spent decades learning the skills to do so, and it wasn’t even in close combat like this.

  Aurelian’s fire burned with a passion, akin to a light that never seems to go out. Alexander’s water was calm, as if it were meant to calm the battlefields rage. Olivia’s wind let her move with grace, as if a helping hand to her style, making her as swift as a coursing river. Each clash sent a shockwave of force and mana around them, and I grew increasingly uncertain about the structural integrity of the training hall under this sort of pressure. However, my worries released when all three of them clashed blades, the practice weapons were no longer able to withstand their fight and broke all at once. This seemed to knock Aurelian out of his trance, the hilt of his blade still on fire, “Did I… do this?” It was almost like he didn’t understand what he did, Alexander letting out a sigh, “Ugh! I thought I had it!” Olivia was, to my surprise, breathing pretty heavily, “You two are beasts, if our blade didn’t break, I was likely going to have to bow out.” For a moment, the two seemed fine, but I could tell Aurelian wasn’t alright after all that.

  I walked over to the three, Aurelian’s eyes seemed to be quivering, “Aurelian, are you alright?” He looked to his hands, his eyes watering, “I… I didn’t mean to… Why did I call out to her?” Olivia, clearly confused, asked, “You mean Lily? Yeah, you did call out to someone… but who’s Lily?” I looked around, then took Aurelian’s hand, “Not here, come with me, we need to do this out of sight of the other nobles, it seems like he’s about to break down.” I made quick work to lead them to a private room, I sent an instructor to keep their training going, but I don’t think I could stop the fact he called Olivia “Lily” from circulating due to how many saw his blunder. I sat him down, requested some refreshments, and took a seat in front of him as Olivia and Alexander took to his sides. Once the refreshments arrived, and distributed, I asked, “Are you alright, Aurelian? Do you wish to talk about it?” He seemed confused, yet understanding of what he did. After he closed and opened his mouth a few times, he managed to finally speak.

  ~~~

  “I… I saw my only friend in Olivia… her fighting style was much like the one I taught her, and you nailed it to the most minute details.” I said, my voice quivering, “I haven’t had a sparring match like this in years since she was the only one who could keep up with me, and when you leapt in and fought like her, I swore I saw her in your stead. It was as if I saw a ghost appear before me, and maybe I just wanted to keep seeing that ghost for just a little while longer.” I clutched my heart, the void she left felt even larger than before, “I just… I just can’t forget her, and I can’t forgive the bastards that killed her.” I felt Alexander’s hand begin to pat my back, “It’s ok, it isn’t easy to deal with a loss like that, if you need to let it out, go ahead and do so.” It was as if the floodgates opened, my emotions, for the first time since the battle, finally seemed to flow as I wanted it too. As tears streamed from my eyes, my voice wailing in the loss that came from losing her and my parents, the only people I could see like a true family. Somewhere among my tears, I felt Olivia pull me close and patted my head, and it only let me cry harder, unleashing more tears than I ever expected I could. By the time my tears dried, I believe I fell unconscious, as I was before the child again.

  “Do you miss them?” The child asked. I nodded, wiping the metaphorical tears that were leaking from my dreamlike state, “Of course I do, they were what made me whole, and now, a large part of me feels empty without them.” The child seemed to smile, “A very human emotion, and you need not prove to me your feelings, because I already know.” The child approached me, “What is it you wish for those that killed them? Both your parents, and for Lily?” In all honesty, I never really thought about that, all I sought was revenge, but never what kind. If possible, I’d like them to pay for their crimes in a way that is the proper punishment. But… I know that many may not stop fighting, but I’m unsure on if I should just kill them… would that make me any better than them?” A voice, one much like my own, spoke from behind me, “You understand that won’t teach people like them a lesson, right?” When I turned to look, it was my look alike again, and they seemed neutral in looks for once, though what they spoke wasn’t, “People like them kill for a living, some do it for fun, they won’t change locked in a cell or doing community service.”

  He walked up and poked my chest, “You need to put them down, so they don’t break out of prison or wherever they end up just to go on killing again.” The child spoke next, “By succumbing to killing someone like this, it only makes it easier to commit this sin over again later on. While it’s understandable to kill someone in self-defense and in defense of others, killing shouldn’t be the first answer on what to do.” My look alike shouted at the child, “People like them don’t learn from their mistakes, they merely lie so they can be released early so they can go on killing again! Do you think these people would give up the power they have all because the law says so? They won’t! The people need a savior who’ll get their hands dirty and do the things they themselves won’t do! We need to become vengeance for the weak, not someone who lets the law take over and risk their freedom!” The child and my look alike basically entered a shouting match, each held something within me that I felt, a path I had yet to take.

  “Hey, let’s chat, one on one.” A voice said, the child and look alike vanished and was replaced by… someone oddly familiar. If anything, it looked like a version of me that had my father’s genes, yet his eyes were like mine in one, yet a crimson red in the other, a trait of heterochromia. I asked, “Who… who are you?” The person shook his head, “No one you need to know… more like a ghost who wanted to ensure something was better off. But I can tell you one thing, we’re the same, you and I.” As he approached, his voice seemed to be… dead. His face was weak, filled with pain, yet somehow one of hope as he looked to me. “Trust me, loss isn’t easy to overcome, especially for us. We have a hard time looking inside ourselves, seeing how we can overcome our pain, and our emotions sometimes burst from the bubble within us as we wonder how our lives would be if we didn’t lose those we cared about.” He extended his hand, one that was nothing but bones, he said, “Oh, right, sorry, but I’m of a past time long gone, I’ve been dead for quite some time now.” I was curious, so I took his hand, his smile seemed kind, “Thank you for letting me help you, it may help me pass on as I work through my issues too.”

  The scene faded away, and I realized I was sitting in the conference room with Duke Bartholomew, Alexander, and Olivia. I wasn’t sure what to take of it, but it let me understand the mess within me, was I to take to vengeance, my original goal to avenge those we all lost, or do I strive for justice and not seep into my emotions? I put a pin on that for now, I bowed to everyone, “Thank you for this, I… I’m trying my best to understand the turmoil within me, especially why my emotions are… a wreak. Still, this has been enough to know my feelings can eventually burst to the surface in moments of extreme feeling, so I’ll be sure to watch myself.” While I didn’t really feel anything right now, I knew it could happen again, and I’d need to be careful on how to handle it. The Duke chuckled, “It’s fine Aurelian, this is something many of us have gone through at one point in our lives. You’re allowed to rest, I never said you couldn’t after all.” Olivia pulled me towards her, a smile on her face, “You can use my shoulder to cry on whenever you need, just say the word.” Alexander took her off me, “He’s likely still a little confused, just be courteous to him, alright?” Olivia nodded, saluting as well, “Roger that sir!” It was, to my surprise, a little funny. Maybe I am working things out, just slowly and in my own way, and that was all I needed.

  ~~~

  Molding the King World Eater core had taken plenty of time, and now, both cores were finished in their molding process. Now, all I needed was to inscribe the runes, and I had the best ones to instill on them. As I began the process, a cloaked individual with two obsidian horns poking out of the hood spoke, “Forge Master, I have a report.” I nodded, focusing on the rune inscriptions while keeping my ears open, “Go ahead.” The oni spoke, “We found a lot of individuals in bed with Providence, it was enough to state that the criminals without proper affiliation were delt with, but we’re not sure how to handle those higher up the chain.” I thought for a moment, then said, “Inform the Duke, though ensure it’s done discretely to ensure they can be caught unaware.” The oni nodded, “Of course, also, over the past few months, we discovered some agents within the domain, they aren’t ours.” I asked, curious, “Do you know their affiliation?” The oni replied, “We believe it to be your eldest brother, sir. Some of them were seen before the battle, but this time, they’re more on task than they were before, so they may be here with purpose this time.”

  Forces from my eldest brother? We don’t even know each other, yet he has men secretly in my domain. I asked, needing a sitrep on his planet, “How’s his planet, and try to recall the state it was in after the attack by Providence.” The oni thought, then said, “From sources, it seemed to be left alone, it wasn’t very important to them it seems.” This was new, I thought all of the Flameheart domain was under siege then, but he wasn’t? I asked, “What about Ruby and the triplets?” The oni replied, “The triplets seemed to be in a strange space with hit and runs, likely to prevent them from reinforcing the others, Ruby was able to cause significant damage to the invading force, but areas vital to her trade were hit pretty badly by inside forces. Since you asked about the others, your father’s domain was essentially cut off pre-attack, so they couldn’t coordinate anything properly, thus having the military and security forces fighting for their lives.” I don’t know what happened for such a disconnected series of attacks, but maybe I was onto something, “Spy on the spies, lay some traps like false blueprints and whatnot, lets see if they act. Also, inform Ruby, she may need the heads up.” The oni nodded, “Understood, though I want to update you on the pirate situation as well.”

  I raised a brow, stopping my work, “The situation’s already progressing? But we barely even spent half a year looking into them.” The oni replied, “It seems they have a main fleet going around and hitting places they wish to keep down, stealing items, money, and people. We have a feeling that, based on their current course, they may target the domain within the decade.” I clicked my tongue, resuming my work, “Have we discovered their base of operations? If we hold until their fleet arrives, wipe them out, then strike while the irons hot, we can essentially hit two objectives with one operation.” The oni shook their head, “No, but we believe we’re close, it may come to pass.” I nodded, “Alright, I’ll try and get my new mech finished by then, so employ some jammers. We’ll use the operation as its first fight, just make sure my weapons are ready.” The oni bowed, “Understood sir, I’ll take my leave and relay your wishes, farewell.” When I looked back up, they were gone, and I resumed work. I spoke, clearly not trusting my own thoughts, “There’s no way anyone in our family is working with Providence, it just can’t be.” We suffered so much at their hands, yet my eldest brother might be in league with them. I only hoped this wasn’t the case, I may not know him, but he’s still my father’s son, the thought alone left a bad taste in my mouth.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  ~~~

  As I sat in my chair, I let out a sigh, “Those kids are tiring, if I have to keep separating them from fights, I’m going to break something.” I’m getting old, and seeing kids spar with their hearts on fire only reminded me of that fact. For once, Aurelian was sparing with something to keep him grounded to himself, and Olivia and Alexander seemed to be excelling as they learned more from Aurelian as much as he was learning from them. As I reached for a drink, someone handed me a filled glass of a favored mixture of mine, “Thank you… wait.” When I looked up, I realized someone… no, something, was staring at me. Their mask seemed to point to them being human, but I could tell from this distance that the horns jutting from their head were real. Before I reached for my sword, the being spoke, “I come with news, under orders of the Forge Master, to relay matters regarding Providence.” I was confused, “Is this “Forge Master” an ally?” The being nodded, “Yes, Duke Bartholomew, we wouldn’t be coming to you otherwise.”

  I wanted to air on the side of caution, but information was information, and I could work with some against Providence, “Explain.” The being passed me a drive, “This has information regarding those in positions we didn’t wish to attack within your ranks, any individuals who were criminals were easily delt with out of sight.” When I took it and hesitated, the being said, “The drive is clean, we don’t like dealing with viruses, it’s risky business.” I took their word for it and plugged it in, names, locations, videos, everything we could ever need to arrest these men and more were within the drive. My jaw dropped, I couldn’t believe it got this bad, when I looked to them I asked, “What do you want for the information? This is too much for me to take freely.” The being shook their head, “The Forge Master requested no money for it, it is purely to ensure Providence is eliminated from your ranks, as it makes his position safer. In a way, all we request is the upmost secrecy about us and the methods you use to… do as you wish with them.”

  I wondered what this being got out of it, especially their so called “Forge Master”, so, I asked, “Why? Why do this? Why go after Providence?” The being remained silent, but soon spoke, “The Forge Master was originally from a time long gone, and we believe fate has smiled upon us for letting us reunite with the one we watched perish before our eyes. However, when we returned to consciousness from our sleep, he had lost what he had finally found in this new life.” I could feel their eyes on me, stern, “We have already lost everything once, we cannot lose everything all over again.” The being began to fade before my very eyes, “Do what is right, Duke Bartholomew, I do not wish to return for you if you choose incorrectly.” Somehow, despite them not moving before whatever they did, I could no longer sense or perceive them. I reached for where they were, but nothing was there, it was as if they vanished entirely. Whoever this Forge Master was, Providence got on the wrong side of them. Though… something about that being, the name “Forge Master”, it reminded me of a story I recall hearing some time ago, “I need to investigate this… quietly.” I was going to apprehend the ones on this list, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t see what this all meant.

  ~~~

  “The Forge Master is dead.” A man spoke through the chaos of the conference room, silence slowly spread like a cloud of gas. I stood up, “How was he killed?! If he was assassinated, then there’s time to catch the one responsible!” The wise, old elf shook his head, “There was none, Sir Arthur informed me that his time had come, and the illness he spoke of has claimed his life.” This made my legs give out, we had lost the Forge Master right before the most important time in our lives, a battle not only he prepared for, but we had as well. I asked, “Did… did he at least finish his project?” The elf nodded, “Yes, the mech was handed to Sir Arthur, he’s ready to fight the enemy. Though, we need to be smart, we need to prepare the people.” Merlin spoke, “That is already being done, we have ships ready to begin evacuations into deep space, androids will maintain the cryostasis pods and ensure as many of you can survive. I’ve also taken the liberty to build cryostasis centers underground, made of material that should render them undetectable. Though… the people have spoken, they wish for our futures to be secure by having those with the skills to live to be put into stasis. This means leaders, soldiers, knights, assassins, engineers… everyone in this room are to be put into stasis.”

  I slammed my fist into the table, clearly the only one choosing to ask questions today, “No! We need to protect this planet, we put our hearts and souls into it, I won’t let it fall just because we were scared to fight back!” The elf shouted, “I’m stating this because we’re losing!” This silenced even the quiet murmurs, the elf continued, “The war for the universe began a few days ago, and those on the outer ring of our known territories are being destroyed. Their fleets are too powerful, even with the supplies we’re sending. We need to worry about who will carry on the mission, who will be evacuated, and which of us can truly carry on our legacies.” A dwarf spoke, “We’re already getting the engineers on our end ready for stasis, some will leave on the ships, and some volunteered to risk their lives in the bunkers. Though, at the rate the enemy is moving, we’re not going to be able to evacuate everyone, and they know that.” I stood up, my armor clanking against itself, “Then I’ll stay and protect everyone until the end, I’m a knight of the Forge Master, I will not let our people suffer alone.”

  I suddenly felt something stick into my arm, when I looked, it seemed to be a syringe, Merlin spoke, “I’m sorry, Joan, but you’re the only one who can lead the military, we need you in the future.” I pulled the syringe out, but it was too late, I was already losing consciousness, “This is for the sake of everyone’s future, be sure to protect the future, because we need you.” When I opened my eyes, I looked to the ceiling of my room in the barracks. As I sat up, I realized my second in command was bringing me some water, “That dream again?” I nodded, “Yeah, I guess I’m just worried about the others… was I the only one among us notable leaders within that bunker?” My second in command nodded, “It seems so ma’am, Merlin and the excavation teams are working as fast as possible to find the other bunkers and the bunker with the recall beacon. Those of us that survived will be made whole again soon, I know we will.” As we left the room, one of the instructors came to me, “Trainee Joan, we have information for you, straight from your domain.” They passed me a drive, our usual way to deliver information, and it was untampered with as usual. I saluted, “Thank you instructor.” The instructor walked off waving, “You’re teaching me somethings, I should be thanking you, just do what you need to.”

  I made sure to look into the information immediately with all the knights here present, once we convened, I projected the information. I spoke, “It seems like our first retaliatory operation against Providence is coming, details aren’t complete yet, but we need to be ready at a moment’s notice since this’ll be a big one.” After a little more reading, I added, “Also, it seems like our mechs and ships will be a six at best, it’s not a good upgrade for what we have.” I lied; I knew this place was tapped. So I wanted to instill a false set of confidence in any who dared to listen in. I took the drive and crushed it, we all got what we needed, “Everyone, make sure the instructors know we’ll need some time away to handle the threat, so get it ahead of time!” As everyone stood up, they saluted, “Yes, commander!” I knew this was going to hurt us, more so than anything we partook in before, but we weren’t going to lose, not this time.

  ~~~

  As I walked with Olivia and Alexander, I questioned aloud, “Why do we need to do a team battle assessment? It doesn’t seem like a smart idea considering the circumstances.” Alexander spoke, “Well, it’s to see how well separate domains can work together in a coalition of sorts. We are the first lines of defense in wartime scenarios after all.” It made sense, but that wasn’t what I was referring to, “It’s the fact that there are members of Providence among us Alexander, if we show off, they’ll just incorporate a counter to our tactics.” Olivia said, “Then we run half decent plans and beat them anyway, it’s not the tech that decides outcomes in this universe anyway considering we’ve been stuck with it since before our parents were born.” I chuckled, “Yeah, except Providence has so much new tech that we have to break free. Trust me, this comes from someone who knows a thing or two.” I mean, I understood the lack of tech on other ends, but every ship Providence brought against me was up three and four tiers from what they had, tech made all the difference.

  When we entered the room, we were instructed on what to do, including the numbers and specs of our craft being restricted to what we had on hand, be it now or in the past. I lied and pretended I had what I had pre-battle with Providence, as if I only got back to what I had as of recently, and I made sure to plug in the stats too since they no longer mattered. Once everything was set up, we were put against a group of three, one with the two counts from before. The leader of the group, originally the one I considered to be the leader of the two counts from before, came to me with a smirk, “You may have bested us a few years ago, but here, we hold the cards. What I’m saying is prepare to be humbled, Flameheart.” While I wasn’t lacking energy like before, this time, I didn’t even bother trying to pester him, “If that’s what you think, alright, just go back to your side.” I could tell this struck a nerve since he walked back to his group in a huff, as we went to choose seats, I was sat in the leading chair. I asked, “Why me?” Alexander replied, “You’re a pro at this, I want to see what you can do against ships, not just beasts.”

  Being in this position felt… wrong. Even in a simulation, I couldn’t lead more people to their deaths, not again. I felt a hand on my shoulder, the person from my dreams, “Calm down, these are just ones and zeros, besides, aren’t you trying to fool them?” When I looked to my left, I noticed them, he smirked, “If they have the connection we seek, let them see a pretty horrible plan, if the enemy uses a counter to it, crush them. It’s a simple form of deception, use it.” I wondered if this was considered a horrible thing to do, but he seemed to hear my thoughts, “No, it's not wrong, its preparation for self-defense. We’re outnumbered and outgunned, we need every advantage we can get, you got this.” The screen lit up, the Duke spoke, “Each side has three planets, between you and these core planets are nine planets, making fifteen in total. Your goal is to use the available means to take your opponent’s core planets. There are no rules, just show me what you can do, begin.” I got to work immediately, “Begin pushing to the planets ahead of us, we need to grab them for the advantage swiftly.”

  Pushing forward was easy, something our opponents seemed to understand as I pushed past the first planets and split my fleet to take the middle row of planets. I could tell they were panicking, but it wasn’t all that concerning, their ships seemed slower than the forces I fought on the home front. I spoke, “I think their ships are weaker than the ones I faced, they’re slower than my fastest, but only slightly slower than my regulars, my enemies were faster all round.” Alexander spoke as his forces began to claim the two planets his fleet was tasked with, “Then that’s good, we can use that to our advantage.” I shook my head, “Not exactly, tactics and whatnot are different in that matter, we can’t be risky.” I watched as our territory expanded into the middle row, my ships reaching the planets and establishing defensive lines as we worked to secure them. Olivia asked, “Why are you building a defensive line before securing the planet, isn’t that foolish?” I replied, “Even in poor plans, establishing a basic defensive line is a must. Doing so before planetary take over buys time for defenses to be made, which is an overall plus.” Using scans, I understood they were being bold, a large force in the middle with smaller forces heading to the sides, a valid move in this situation, however, it seemed to be most of their forces.

  I spoke, “Olivia, Alexander, keep some at the rear planets for security and bolster our side planets in the middle, I can handle the middle with my spare forces.” As my strike squad went to back up the middle planet, comms opened up with the enemy, “You’re a fool, Flameheart, you pushed your hand too hard, and now you’ll suffer for it.” As my forces began to approach, my opponent began to fire on me, but I wasn’t really sure which of them were launching this attack. I went through my mental list of formations and took one that I’d never actually use in combat, but against them, it would seem like a well-crafted plan. As their forces came towards me, I felt my fact contort into one of sheer confusion, these people were charging me head on without any regard to their own safety. I spoke in question, “Alexander, Olivia, are they charging the other two planets like this?” I sent them what I had, needing to understand just what was going on. Olivia spoke first, “Yes, since I expected that, I’ve been shooting them with long range first.” Alexander replied, “Good work Olivia, you learned ship combat well, but yes Aurelian seems like all three of them are preforming a charge.”

  I spoke, clearly dumbfounded, “You know how rarely feel emotion? Well, these guys have managed to awaken my confusion. Have any of you seen this from anyone but pirates?” Both replied, as if knowing what I was asking, “No, never seen it.” I sighed, “Just take out as many from range as possible, once we secure the planets, we’ll push in for the next three.” I was curious, as much as I wanted to know, did these members of Providence even learn basic noble information? No, more than that, were these kids even aware of Providence at all? Even if I were in a strong position, I would ensure that position is reinforced properly with the information to back it up, not be so… foolish with my next of kin. Even dad managed to incorporate proper fleet command into my education, stating even if I were to be outside of leading the domain that it was always a safe option to know combat for emergency situations. Though, he did mention one thing, never to be complacent in combat. “You two be careful, I won’t be complacent like before, even in a simulation.” I kept my strike squad back, mostly since I doubt even Providence knew I had it, and to ensure I had it read for rapid response.

  Moving the ships for maximum efficiency, which wasn’t all too different, I took out as many of the long range ships as possible before our closer ranged ships reached effective combat range. However, once they hit half capacity, they began to retreat, “I’m going to move in, I want to test their reaction.” I sent enough forces to make it worth while and reinforced the forces I had with the strike squad, Alexander reported, “We’re still fighting, this may be their plan, we can handle our fights, see what they have.” From what I can tell, these ships were likely tier two, likely why they were able to hold them off with barley any reinforcement from me. Though, the machine running the simulation couldn’t accurately put any information for my ships or theirs through, insinuating they were beyond what the Empire knew of. I rubbed my forehead as the planet came into view, “What in the world is Providence doing? Are they letting anyone in?” When the scan reported back on the amount of ships they had, along with defenses, I was shocked that they managed to pull this off in such a short time, even I was taking my time in replacements and whatnot. But that’s when I realized the smaller aspect of the game came into play, they were bleeding their people dry for the money.

  I reported as I began to pull back, “They’re using the smaller system to bleed their people dry, their numbers are more than tech and planning can properly combat, so I’m pulling back.” Olivia asked, “Then what do we do? If they have that much, it’s only a matter of time before they charge you again.” I looked between the planets, then said, “Don’t bolster the planets aside the middle ones, pump all their revenue in making the planets more profitable, ensure the rest of the money goes into defensive measures on the front three planets, make a blockade, don’t let anything through.” Alexander asked, “Is this going to work? It’s not a tactic I’ve ever seen.” I didn’t know what to say here, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. I decided to bank on it, even if we lost since it was our best chance of victory, “Yes, all we need to do is focus on defense, I’ll use my forces as the defenders, you guys use your forces to increase building speed.” Olivia and Alexander replied, “Understood.” I wasn’t sure why they were listening to me, but this was no longer me using the weakest tactic, it was a genuine desire to win, even if only to prove a point.

  The occasional skirmish broke out, ones easily quelled by a few rapid response squads, but never a full on engagement. Even when we managed to reach a level able to fight them, I held back, Olivia asked, “Why are we holding back? We can easily make a push now if we wanted.” I replied, “Simple, they’re likely using the same tactic as before, since their military now requires the method to function. I’ll send some spies in to try and cause civil unrest, it’ll buy us more time if their planets are rebelling.” The smaller system essentially meant it ran according to values from reality, we could invest in planet for better future returns on the high end or bleed them dry for an explosion to our current coffers on the low end, I wanted to bank on their continuous use of the low end. Some money went to bolstering our numbers and the planetary defenses, but I was making sure that once we shifted to war efforts, we continued to gain money, not lose it. I made sure the two of them were on other matters, mostly ensuring things were done in a rapid succession, since it continued to give our forces an advantage. I could only wonder what our enemies were doing.

  ~~~

  “My lord, the only two teams left on the battlefield, I’m not sure why the game hasn’t ended yet.” One of my instructors asked, to which I put the match on screen. When I did, I felt a grin appear on my face, “Because it’s Aurelian’s team, he must have a plan, pull up what the systems look like.” When they did, I understood immediately based on the game records, “It seems the three counts bleed their people to an extent to build a massive military, which Aurelian found out and retreated, using the front planets akin to fortresses, the center one especially so. He’s playing the long game to ensure he can come out on top in the end, even if it seems weak and cowardly.” Once again, I was surprised by the very tactics he put into play, and the instructor was confused, “Then why are lady Olivia and lord Alexander going along with it? Wouldn’t they strive to end the battle asap as the others have?” I spoke, “Pull up their records of communications.” When they did, I was astonished, they effectively made Aurelian their leader, as if they held complete trust in his decisions. I chuckled, “Even like this, he managed to gain their respect and trust, surprising.”

  I heard Aurelian’s voice speak up, “Alright, I’ve begun causing chaos in their lead planets, the spies have reached their rear line, so let’s get ready for the push.” I felt a chill spread through me, I said, “Pull up the other side’s planet data, quickly!” When the instructor did, he gasped, “They never stopped bleeding their people dry, it’s backfiring on them!” When I checked the backlog of Aurelian’s team, I felt my surprise turn into a grin, “He knew they were still bleeding them dry, long before we even expected it based on their military numbers! This is incredible!” I’ve never seen anyone prepare like this, especially in a simulation. When we checked Aurelian’s opponents, they were freaking out, chatter about their planets rebelling was all they could speak about. Aurelian spoke, “Their planets on the front line are in disarray, they even have swaths of the military failing, leave some ships for defense and push in, we’re taking the next line.” Alexander and Olivia replied, “Understood, moving in.” This was unlike them both, they seemed more confident than they usually did, and it was all because of Aurelian.

  The instructor shifted to the map screen, ships were beginning to meet on the battlefield, “Young lords Aurelian, Alexander, and lady Olivia have managed to reach the planets, they’ve taken the rebellion under their protection and united with them! The three counts are on a weakened defensive!” This level of tactical knowhow was not what I taught to the students, this was Aurelian using skills he himself took to learning at home, and it was on the level of top knight commanders in the military… at least in my opinion. The three planets were quick to fall, quickly being reinforced and bolstered as Aurelian’s team prepared the final push. Aurelian spoke, “We bolster before going in, we don’t know what’s in there, even with the spies. I’ll get the rebellions rolling in the meantime, so get ready to push!” I didn’t even need to tell him to be wary, he was already doing so, I asked, “Is there any way for the three counts to win this?” The instructor shook his head, “No, we can see both sides fleet power, they won’t be able to make a fleet to defend against a three-way assault in the time frame it takes for the rebellion to kick off. It's over.”

  As I watched their planning, bolstering, and action, it told me they were ready for every possible situation, including the use of just cause for the chance to free the people. He likely didn’t even expect that this was what he was doing, yet he did, almost as if something within him was still upholding the values I knew he had before he lost everything. I watched as he began the final push, the enemy planets were rebelling, and the forces were weakened once again, “Maybe he isn’t as weak as he believed he was.” The instructor said, “As I’ve been telling him, yet he doesn’t seem to listen… or maybe understand. Either way, this match is over, what should we do about the results?” I sighed, “Aurelian, Alexander, and Olivia win again, they shown the best teamwork, not to mention results, out of everyone, including less casualties overall, including rebellion losses.” The instructor sighed, “I’m getting parents who are… upset, with the results. They don’t like some Viscount from the boonies showing up their children, you know the ones.” Providence was really prodding to see how far they could go; I waved him off, “Everyone has equal opportunities here, they can deal with it.” I could only wonder what they’ll do, but for now, they couldn’t do anything about it.

  ~~~

  “We want you to take the Flameheart Viscount down a few notches.” A representative of some Count asked me. I chuckled, “Which one, they have two counts there now.” The representative replied, “Aurelian, seems like he’s gotten on the bad side of the members of Providence in Duke Bartholomew’s training camp. I smiled, “Ah, him, he really showed those who wronged me a few decades ago a good time. Not only that, but I also killed his parents too, good times.” The representative put a device on my desk, I plugged it in and whistled, the money and resources were nothing to scoff at, “Deal him some damage, we know he can’t be killed since we want to know what he does about those monuments of his, but that doesn’t mean we can’t rough him up. Do it and you get the other half of the resources promised, we already brought the first half as the upfront payment.” My grin was wide, “Oh ho, such a reward for putting a brat in their place, I can do that, besides, it’s about time I return there anyway since he hasn’t learned his earlier lesson.”

  I stood up, needing to prepare the force that’ll head there, “It’ll be a few years since we’re handling some other business too, but it won’t be too much of an issue, yes?” The representative stood up as well, “No, we expected this, just make sure it’s handled and you’ll get the rest of the reward.” I clasped his hand, “Then it’s a deal, just know we pirates are always willing to be of helping hand to Providence, they truly understand the need for folks like us.” The representative nodded and began to leave, “I hope we put our trust in the right person, Providence awaits the good news.” Once they left, I walked over to the device that took my voice to everyone under my command, even the ships out on business, “Attention boys, we just got paid a rather large sum to put the boy Reaper calls kindling back in his place, so don’t mess it up! The sum is big enough for us to finally expand, and you know how much we want that!” I could hear some of the cheers from my office, and I was excited as I turned the device off, “Little Flameheart, you messed with the wrong people, and now you’ll be the one to get burned.”