Interchapter I：Blight Chrysanthemum Candy

Author: 菁鸟

“You gave them candies?”

Shogun was sitting nearby, his legs fixed by some complicated mechanism. He was watching Hime, who had stepped into the door and repeatedly made sure it was locked. He also understood the complicated expression on Hime's face, and shook his head as if he had foreseen the result.

“The Blight Chrysanthemum flavor.” Hime said, “it’s her. The information was right.”

“I can’t believe that her highness Hime would do this as well.” Neni shook her hands and grabbed two pieces of random flavor candies, putting one of them into her mouth then said, “That sweet taste again.”

Hime sighed and looked at the other two people.

“There is no need to be humorous. All the information from Yigothu is correct.” She shook her head and said.

“That kid named Disar said it was Aries who gave them the medal. How do you explain to them?” Shogun held a medal.

“I told them that there was a trigger of a tiny person shield on the back, installed by Aries, and can operate when facing danger.”

Neni laughed a few times when she heard what Hime said, as if she found the remarks somewhat funny.

"If all the cadets had been treated like this, Sambar would not have been blown up to its left half in his first battle last year." Neni looked at the wall. "They’re just kids, after all."

“If my memory serves me right, Starless was with Aries on Ceres Major.” Shogun threw the medal to Hime, who raised her hand slightly to take it.

“Yes. It’s them.”

“The situation is much more complicated than we expected.” Shogun spoke with low voice.

"Are Aries and Starless on the side of 'that guy'?" Neni asked, opening her palms.

"I don't think so." Hime walked to the table, put down the medal, "It looks like they are just following the trend. Their action does not have the feeling of the 'predecessor', nor does it seem to maintain the plan. Aries is still observing the situation, or -- betting both sides."

Neni continued speaking instantly, “I thought they were conservative. At least Starless was.”

“No. They are partners. They must be on the same side.” Shogun shook his head. “But if even Aries is on the fence... Who among us Shipsians is supporting that plan?”

“Everything is getting interesting.” Neni picked up the medal.

“Yigothu has been working secretly for that old friend of mine. Except him, the standpoint of others has not been determined.” Shogun sighed.

"Leaving that aside, how about your recovery?"

Hime looked at them again.

“Well, I recovered quickly.” Neni moved her ankle and said. “Thanks god, that stun turret hadn’t learned to deal a blast damage. It only temporarily disabled my equipment, or I would be a part of that plan as well.”

Shogun stared at his own legs and said, “I was more affected than Neni. I just got my communications back on. Main weapon and Zen are fine, Aura is a little stuck, but leg thrusters are still offline. The drawbacks of my being an old hand are just as you see here. Well, maybe I can ask for an ‘update’ by the way.”

Suddenly, the three people laughed together with a low voice.

“This time we're going back to Zhey Auna for a meeting, a top secret meeting. You're both going to be there, and I signed a non-disclosure agreement.” Hime removes a device from between her wrists, which projects a holographic image.

“‘Top Secret Meeting. Subject: Solutions to New Turrets of the Void Army (Temporary Code VA78, VA79)’.” Neni read the letters on the image. “Attendees: Marshal Liss, Conway and Fujin as well as the witnesses Shogun, Neni and Banshee.”

“Except the witnesses, even Commanders are not allowed to attend. How obvious it is! They do not want to spread that information. If other guys know that, we are gonna lose the war much quicker than we can imagine.” Neni muttered, tossing the candy into the air and catching it.

Shogun looked to the side of the bed where a young woman lay asleep.

“Banshee. She’s not awake yet.”

The young girl who was called Banshee looked like she was in her early twenties and was about the same age as Hime. Long brown hair hung over the edge of the bed, and the fringe in front of her forehead was a bit messy, covering her right eye. There were quite a few lacerations on the dress, as if it had been through a bitter battle.

“I received the highest order to cover Banshee’s retreat a few hours ago. By the time I got around the place that coordinates showed, she was in a coma with all systems down.”

“I checked her warp gate records. Twenty-eight times. She tried to spread the alarm but failed 28 times. Even when I took her on board, her communication system was automatically rebooting repeatedly.” Hime explained.

Shogun looked at Banshee who was still not awake.

"I think the reason for letting her attend the conference goes beyond that," Neni spoke up. "Although human brains are as good as ours, those high-ranking officials are at least among the best of them. The human two marshals should have realized the origin of those technologies of the Void Army."

"The only one killed in action, and the only one whose remains were never found, among the most brilliant warriors of the 50," Hime said, her eyes reflecting sadness, as if recalling something.

Shogun slapped his thigh as if suddenly enlightened and muttered, "The former partner of Banshee. The Aura of that girl was the ion cannon and her the main weapon was a continuous rapid-fire type. I see now."

"They matched all the new turrets of the Void Forces, didn't they?"

A momentary silence fell among the three of them.

“Didn’t the Void Army meet other patrol soldiers?” Neni asked and frowned.

"You won't see those three Shipsian compatriots here who tried to intercept the Void Army. We only managed to rescue the lower half of Devout. Voyager had just a head left. Well, they were the lucky ones. Yaksta slammed directly into the muzzle of the doomsday laser, leaving not even ashes behind."

Hime clicked on the holographic projection screen in her hand, displaying three dim portraits that clashed with the pale blue background.

"The Void Army...those bastards..."

The candy still clutched in Neni's palm crunched as she squeezed it into crumbs in her hand.

Hime lowered her head, and Neni silently stuffed the crushed candy pieces haphazardly into her mouth. Some crumbs fell to the floor, which a small sweeping robot promptly cleaned up, bumping against Neni's feet a few times.

A faint sweetness lingered in her mouth.

"Blight Chrysanthemum flavor."