When I Met Myself

Repercussions

The next few months saw me undergoing a drastic change in my life. My luxurious quarters in the Quentalorion were replaced with an entire Quentalorion, just for my use. I was given fifty aides who took care of all the useless stuff I used to have to take care of, and with my salary, I bought ten of the latest new pods. This, however, was only the other aspect of my life. On the military side, I was kept extremely busy, devising new tactics to counter any possible attacks the Machites could throw at us. Due to all of this, I was unable to meet my friends, who were anxiously awaiting any news of me. I, however, did not spare them a single thought, too caught up in all the responsibilities and rewards that my new way of life had brought me. I admit it was very selfish of me, but my new life was extremely interesting. The first time I gave them thought after that fateful meeting with Supreme Commander Vorbox was 6 months later- on Day 13, Half-Year Two, 540 TTL.

I was poring over the plans for a new battleship in my office, that was to be constructed when a voice filled my head.

Melsur?

I jumped, startled. I cautiously thought, Blemat?

MELSUR!

I jumped even more and fell on my backside. I got up, rubbing it ruefully and happily exclaimed out loud.

"Blemat!"

Suddenly, SCV (saying his whole name is so exhausting) peeked in, startled by the noises he'd heard. "You alright, General?"

"Aye, Supreme Commander."

He nodded, and walked away. 

I thought quietly, How are you, my friend?

That's not important right now. What matters more is- WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU ALRIGHT? HAS ANYONE TAKEN YOU HOSTAGE? OUR ENTIRE SQUAD HAS REFUSED TO TAKE ON ANY MORE MISSIONS UNTIL YOU'RE FOUND. By the way, Evgenomorfus wanted to apologise for what he did, he recognises his folly.

Uh... I'm somewhere confidential, I can't tell you. Yes, I'm alright. No, nobody's taken me hostage, so relax. It's really nice to know all of you did that for me, but you should really get back to your missions now. Also, tell Morfus that I forgive him, and I overreacted too.

What do you mean, Melsur? Why can't you tell us?

It's confidential. All you need to know is, I'm safe and preparing.

Preparing for what?

I can't tell you that.

Melsur-

I blocked his voice out using a tactic taught to me by the military, which was to be used against telepaths. I sighed, and concentrated once more on the plans.

_______________________________________________________________

"Supreme Commander, this battleship is going to be a waste of money."

"Why do you say that, General?"

"Just look at the plans. The materials alone would deplete a month of all the revenue collected by the government of Magna, and the portion allocated to defence and military is 1/5th of that, so it's actually 5 months of revenue!"

"5 months of revenue in exchange for a weapon that is vastly superior to any other in the world at this point doesn't seem like such a bad trade to me."

"It wouldn't, if it was actually that superior. If you look here," I pointed to a part of it, "It is exceptionally vulnerable in this area. If we were to cover this, we'd blow a lot more money and compromise on the deadliness of the ship overall. Therefore, it is a bad investment and I would advice you against it."

I know, I know, even I was shocked by this sudden shift in my temperament from physical prowess to mental ability. Still, what had happened, had happened. Even the Supreme Commander was impressed by this particular example, and said as much.

"It is good to see that the army has honed your mental abilities, General. I am sure that someday, after I retire, you will take upon my mantle."

I smiled gratefully to him, and saluted before walking out of the room.

"Shigran!"