Chapter 082. Traitor
It was only until the video on the screen completely finished playing that Ling Yu abruptly reacted—
He did not take notice of Rosen's approach, he even let Rosen hold his hand?
Ling Yu went stiff, an intimate distance like this made him feel thoroughly awkward from the bottom of his heart and he immediately pulled his hand back without batting an eyelid. He got up and went to the side of the dining table, his gaze made a full rotation sweeping across the food on the table. He found a small box of biscuits and ate it as soon as he tore the package open.
There is a lounge and a food reserve inside the S-Class mech. Rosen not only moved the bed and sofa out from the lounge and into the cave, but he also took both of the food and drinking water out. He would normally eat food freshly-made in the kitchen on the Glory Command Carrier, the food stored in Black Dragon's reserve hold was all vacuum-sealed biscuits and the like, the two of them could only eat for three days at most.
In other words, on this strange planet, they not only had to worry about the issue of Black Dragon's power source, but they also need to worry about the issue of their food. It would be too tragic if these two Generals had smoothly escaped from the battlefield only to end up being starved to death.
Ling Yu consumed a small box of biscuits, he evidently had not eaten his fill and so he opened another box.
—Just like Lin Yuan, this dad of his is also a big eater. However, unlike Lin Yuan who wore a smile on his face and looked satisfied as he ate something, when this dad of his ate something, his face was expressionless just as if he were swiftly and decisively marching into battle.
In just three short minutes, five empty biscuit bags appeared on the dining table.
General Ling Yu disposed of his food just as quickly as he disposed of his enemies, amazingly quick and violent.
Rosen couldn't help but once again think of the gluttonous Lin Yuan.
Sure enough, genetic inheritance is an awfully wonderful kind of thing. These two father and son undoubtedly look different and there is also an extremely great disparity in their personalities, but he can always find a few subtle commonalities between them at hand.
—Such as the same slowness and the same super large appetites. As Omegas, they both have the same bone-deep pride and desire for freedom.
Looking at Ling Yu and thinking of his son, that sense of kinship makes a trace of warmth and a feeling of happiness well up in Rosen's heart.
Ling Yu and Xiao Yuan, these two people are the ones that he wishes to protect and cherish in his lifetime. They survived without a hitch and even though they fell on this strange planet, Rosen believes that there will inevitably be a day for their whole family to reunite.
After Ling Yu had eaten his fill, he saw Rosen sitting on the couch looking at him from start to finish, he soon opened his mouth and asked: "Are you not hungry"
Right after he spoke he looked around for a box of biscuits on the table and threw it over, "Here you go."
Rosen accurately reached out to accept it. With a glance, he found they were vanilla-flavored compressed biscuits. He was surprised and couldn't help but ask: "Do you actually remember that this is my favorite flavor?"
"......" Ling Yu faintly said, "I took whatever was closest."
Rosen did not refute him, yet he couldn't help but slightly lift his lips up.
The Marshal who had always been cold, detached, and unyielding smiles in the presence of the person he loves almost as many times as he had in a year. If his subordinates in the Glory Legion caught sight of the way their Marshal's smiled, they would likely be terrified.
There is indeed nothing to be done, looking at the person he likes wearing a cold expression standing in front of him, Rosen cannot help but be in a cheery mood.
—Even remembering which biscuits he is fond of eating, does he still dare say that he is not in his heart?
Ling Yu's brain is pondering over various military strategies 60% of the time. The remaining 40% of the time it is either dreaming or inactive. Personal feelings take up less than 1% of the space in his brain. To him, his relationships with others are only a few simple varieties— strangers, enemies, loved ones, and comrades-in-arms. Rosen was apparently classified by him into the "comrades-in-arms" category.
—It is absolutely vital to properly talk over the status of the relationship between the two of them.
However, Rosen had not even had time to open his mouth to speak when Ling Yu abruptly spoke up: "It seems like we will be going to be staying on this planet for a very long time. If you are not there...... Will the Glory Legion be alright?"
Bringing up the subject of his Legion, Rosen can't help but be serious, "Everything will be fine. When I am not there, Lieutenant General Victor will temporarily take my place and manage the Legion, but on the Federation side......" Rosen paused and raised his head to look at Ling Yu as he spoke, "Although when we left the Greedy Wolf Legion and the Falcon Legion had retreated, it is nevertheless hard to say that Vladimir won't make a comeback."
Ling Yu lowered his head in thought and said: "Vladimir is naturally predisposed to be crafty and paranoid. Since he found out that Naomi Star has a mysterious base, he should not act without careful consideration. In fact, the Federation's resources from stars are many and the most precious energy stones that have also been extracted by him from Naomi Star are good enough. Giving up Naomi Star is not a big loss for him...... ......I actually think that he would lead his Legion straight back to the central starfield of the Federation "
Rosen was silent for a moment, "The mysterious base on Naomi Star that you're talking about is the armed forces that were surreptitiously helping me when I was fighting the Greedy Wolf Legion? Then the air-guided missiles that were fired at the rear of the Greedy Wolf Legion at that time were under your command?"
Ling Yu nodded and said: " Yes, that's right."
Rosen looked at him with a complex expression, after a good while he then asked in a low voice: "Ling Yu, you've been hidden away in the dark for all these years, what have you been doing after all? Is this all...... His Majesty's plan?"
Ling Yu lifted his head up and his clear black eyes seriously looked at Rosen, "If I spill every secret, will you be able to put enough trust in me? Will you stand on the side of His Majesty and me?"
Rosen earnestly looked at Ling Yu and said: "I believe in you and His Majesty. I am also willing to stand side by side with you two. If you and His Majesty are actually doing something that I am truly unable to tolerate, I would rather voluntarily resign myself from my post of Marshal than stand in opposition to the two of you......"
Rosen stood up from the sofa and walked in front of Ling Yu, lowering his head to fix his gaze upon him, his eyes were gentle and soft, yet his tone was contrarily exceptionally firm, "Ling Yu, you are the man I love the most. His Majesty is also someone who had the kindness to recognize my worth and place me in this position. I, Rosen, will never raise arms against the two of you."
Ling Yu: "........."
Ling Yu's heart suddenly trembled—
I would rather resign from my post of Marshal, I also wouldn't raise arms against the two of you either?
This is Rosen's devotion and trust in him and His Majesty?
Yet he and His Majesty, however, had not completely trusted this person.
If at that time he didn't want to avoid Rosen due to his pregnancy, if he had trusted Rosen enough to tell him the full truth, this man would not have suffered so much over these past years......
As soon as he thought of him going so far as to set up a tombstone at his home, Ling Yu then felt a grip tightening around his heart.
Looking up at Rosen's resolute gaze, there was well-deserved trustworthiness closely packed in there.
Ling Yu looked at him and spoke from his heart, "Rosen, thank you."
Rosen couldn't help but smile— the last time they chatted about military affairs was more than ten years ago. The night before the Ling Yu commanded the military to raid Naomi Star, Rosen went over it in the command headquarters on Planet Rennes. The two people sat in the courtyard and chatted casually as they admired the snowy scenery.
Planet Rennes snows all year round, but on that day, it was actually a rare sunny day. Rosen was never able to forget how the resplendent stars in the night sky shone in the clear eyes of the young General in front of him. They peacefully looked at each other face to face as if they were the only two people left in the entire world.
He smiled and saw Ling Yu off to the battle. Unexpectedly, Ling Yu ran into trouble on the battlefield. His identity as an Omega was exposed. When he returned to the Cigar Galaxy, he was already beaten black and blue. Within one short month, the military was riding amidst the winds of change and after that, they were then separated as long as 19 years.
After so many years had passed, today, the two actually stood together once more.
......Ling Yu, you have no idea at all what kind of happiness it brings Rosen to stand beside you.
Rosen spoke softly: "What have you been planning with His Majesty? Tell me clearly, okay?"
Ling Yu looked down to think it over for a moment before opening his mouth to speak: "His Majesty has always suspected that there are traitors in the military. He wishes to carry out a cleansing. Do you still remember the proposal from the Central Hospital's research team put forth pertaining to the reform of Omega Rights during those days?"
The motion proposed to utilize the method of in vitro fertilization for embryo transplantation to improve the fertility rate of Beta and resolve the issue of the decreasing population growth, thereby allowing Omegas to use medicine to control involuntary estrus and have the ability to receive the same freedoms and jobs as Alphas and Betas. All Omegas can choose their own schools before they turn 18 and they cannot involuntarily be forcibly designated a marriage after turning 18 years old either.
The scientists at Imperial Central Hospital stated that the only way to thoroughly resolve the lurking peril hidden in the negative population growth is to achieve true equality between the three ABO sexes. Just controlling Omegas will only cause adverse effects. Many Omegas suffer from clinical depression due to feeling repressed even though their fertility rates are high. There are Omegas everywhere whose physical conditions are getting worse and worse because of postpartum depression. There are even Omegas who commit suicide due to postpartum depression.
This proposal caused an uproar in the military. For those Alphas who are pure-blood elitists, they are used to treating Omegas like their own personal belongings. To allow Omegas to inject medicine to control estrus and to even have freedom, they certainly are unable to tolerate it.
This proposal was quickly met with rejection and the President of the Omega Protection Association at the time who was acting in concert with the experts from Imperial Central Hospital to put forward this proposal had even been removed from office as a result.
Back then, Rosen was only a Colonel, this also remains fresh in his memory, "I remember afterward that the proposal was vetoed by the military."
Ling Yu spoke coldly: "Most of the elders who held power in the past were chauvinists of the highest pure-blood elitism. This proposal had assuredly been overruled. However, they probably did not expect that the supporter behind this proposal was, in fact, His Majesty, Trent.
Rosen said in astonishment: "It was His Majesty?"
Ling Yu nodded. "His Majesty asked people to raise this proposal, but he only wanted to test the waters of the military's position. In those days, after Queen Anna had given birth to the eldest prince, she had been having constant postpartum depression, plus the eldest prince is also an Omega. His Majesty wanted to fight for a few freedoms and rights for his wife and children and he also wishes to fight for Omegas in the whole Empire. He has always wanted to reform this kind of corrupt system ever since he succeeded the throne, but he can't directly set himself against the military. So he is cultivating his own power."
Ling Yu, as a Beta in those days, had always been a lowly Lieutenant Colonel even though he time and time again drew up outstanding military service. Just because of his identity as a Beta, the motion to confer him the rank of General had been repeatedly been met with opposition of the Alphas in the military. If it wasn't for His Majesty's insistence and the pressure of public opinion from the masses, the proposal to grant the rank of Major General to Ling Yu would have never gone through. In a similar fashion, Rosen too had a hard time getting promoted in the military due to the decline of his family's influence.
It can be said that he and Ling Yu are both officers who had been pulled up for promotion by His Majesty's hand.
Ling Yu carried on speaking: "Later, the influence of the Glory Legion and the Dark Night Legion grew to be more and more powerful. Several generalissimos of the military began to perceive this crisis. They wanted to get rid of me, but they could not find anything to use against me. Thus they used deplorable means......"
Recalling those days into his mind, Ling Yu's gaze immediately grew sharp, "No one knew that I was an Omega and I had always left it to Suzaku to hold my inhibitors in safekeeping. It was simply impossible for there to have been a mistake. The only explanation is that someone secretly drugged my food or drinking water, causing my inhibitor to suddenly fail and make me unexpectedly go into estrus......"
Ling Yu lightly tightened his hand into a fist, "Their real intentions were to have me die, but they didn't want to bring about such unexpected consequences. You later utilized my pregnancy to use as an excuse to save me from prison. Even when they attempted to assassinate me they weren't able to take my life. So, with the help of His Majesty, I secretly piloted the Black Dragon replica and left Cepheus. In addition, I also left behind a large number of mech fragments in the interstellar ruins in order to make those people think that I had died...... This was the only way that they would be put to rest I would be able to safely keep on living."
Listening to Ling Yu serenely bringing up that part of his past, Rosen couldn't help but feel a burst of heartache.
Ling Yu went through too many hardships and setbacks as an Omega.
In order to save his life at that time, Ling Yu did not tell anyone the truth, he even had reservations about Rosen to some extent...... Because he was already at the end of his rope, even if there was a 1/10,000 possibility of betrayal, he could not afford to take that gamble. Therefore he might as well just not tell anyone at all. This was simply due to his instinctual protection of himself.
He had already been completely let down by the military, he could no longer fully trust anyone in the military.
Seeing Ling Yu tightly clenching his fists, Rosen couldn't help but lightly place his hand on his shoulder and ask with a soft voice: "What happened afterward? Where did you escape to?"
Ling Yu took in a deep breath to stabilize his mood a bit. After skipping over the matter of his older brother Ling Feng, he briefly said: "...... afterward, I secretly landed on Naomi Star. At that time, Naomi Star was a starfield that was still on a common boundary line between the two sides and it wasn't occupied by the Greedy Wolf Legion. I took my most loyal subordinates of the fleet and quickly set up an underground military base in Naomi Star. His Majesty suspects that back when I attacked Naomi Star and was met with an ambush by the Greedy Wolf Legion, that someone in the military deliberately sent information out to the Federations side in advance. They wanted to eliminate me via the Federation's hand...... I secretly hid away in Naomi Star not only to preserve the strength of the Dark Night Legion but to also keep a close watch over the Greedy Wolf Legions movements."
The hand Rosen placed on his shoulder imperceptibly tightened, his gaze couldn't help but grow deep, "I take it that this time when the Glory Legion attacked Naomi Star and encountered an ambush from two of the Federation's Legions, someone also must have given the Federation information in advance...... Who do you think the traitor in the military is?"
Ling Yu faintly creased his brows, "I'm not sure either. I only know that the man's influence in the military is very large. He has planted agents in my Dark Night Legion and also your Glory Legion. Even now I couldn't make a guess who the person who drugged me at that time was."
Rosen was silent for a moment, thinking of something, a thread of intuition suddenly flashed in his eyes—
"Perhaps, I might be able to guess who the person who betrayed you was."
Ling Yu was stunned. "Who is it?"
Rosen said: "Which ones out of your closest officers at you side back then could access your food"
Ling Yu thought it over and said, "Knox, Irene, Keriman, Zhou Yi, Fornt...... These people were all brought up for promotion by my hand and they have been by my side for so many years...... It can't be them."
Rosen said in a low voice: "After you were expelled from the military registry, Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Yi retired from the military, Knox and Irene left the army to go to St. Romia Military Academy as military instructors, and Fornt lives in seclusion on Planet Rennes, Keriman...... At my invitation, he came to the Glory Legion. "
Ling Yu said in shock:" You mean to say...... "
Rosen nodded his head, "After the dissolution of the Dark Night Legion, I issued an invitation to all of your subordinates, welcoming them to come to the Glory Legion and promising to give them the same rank they held in the Dark Night Legion. In the end, every reply I received was a rejection...... Because a great number of officers of the Dark Night Legion are only loyal to you, they would only recognize you as their General."
Ling Yu suddenly went silent.
The subordinates he brought up with his own hand were indeed very unwilling to go to other Legions to listen to and obey another General's commands. Moreover, after Rosen marked him in those days, many members of the Dark Night Legion were actually highly resentful towards Rosen. Yet Lieutenant Colonel Keriman was unexpectedly willing to work under Rosen?
Thinking about it carefully, before the accident, he really did drink the water that person gave to him. The bottle was sealed and he didn't think too much of it either.
Keriman was an officer who Ling Yu have personally selected for promotion. Like Ling Yu, he was also a Beta youth with no background and a poor family. His gentle character even resembled Ling Feng a little......
Ling Yu always felt very close and dear with him and trusted him very much.
Unexpectedly......
If it was really him, how could he smile as he handed that bottle of water over?!
Rosen continued: "Keriman is now one of the commanders in my Glory Legion. For the sake of your honor, I have always placed him in important positions in recent years. His rank has also risen to Major General along the way...... This time, there were not many people who knew the Glory Command Carriers space jump route for this raid on Naomi Star. You said that the sudden failure of the inhibitor back then was from adding toxins to your food or drinking water. With your cautiousness, if someone who you didn't highly trust gave you something, you'd never eat it. The person who had access to your food and drink was obviously a trusted aide at your side...... Obviously, there is a very high possibility that he is the traitor within our own ranks!"
Ling Yu frowned slightly, but he didn't know what the right thing to say was.
His most trusted subordinate actually stabbed him in the back with a knife, the feeling of loss and bitter disappointment is truly indescribable.
Rosen gently kept his hand on Ling Yu's shoulder and whispered: "Rest assured, no matter who it is, I will never let the person who betrayed us get away with it!"
Ling Yu silent for a moment, he nodded his head and said: "Whether it's him or not, let's put this discussion off until we find proof. The most crucial question now is, how do we get out of here?"
Whether cooperating with His Majesty's reforms or dealing with the traitor hidden in their Legions and traitors in the military department, all of which are based on the premise that they can successfully return to Naomi Star alive. Now being stranded on this remote Pavo Constellation of the Southern Hemisphere, they are completely beyond the reach of the Capital Star.
Ling Yu turned and walked to the boundary of the cave. He attentively looked at the ores on the wall, he held his hand out and stroked them. After a while, he said, "This type of ore...... seems like it is one type of energy stone that Berg once told me about. But this kind of energy stone is very uncommon in the Empire...... What about it Black Dragon? You can give it a try, see if you can extract energy from these ores. If you can, extracting energy from ores is much faster than simply converting light energy."
Rosen nodded and said in a low voice: "Black Dragon, come and give it a try."
Black Dragon calmly said: "Master, I have already absorbed all the energy that can be extracted from the cave, I was just about to report it to you."
Rosen: "......"
Ling Yu: "......"
No wonder the lighting in the cave seemed to suddenly darken. It turned out that Black Dragon was stealthily "foraging". Taking advantage of the time the two spent seriously chatting, Black Dragon had already quickly absorbed the energy of the ores in the cave.
This mech is sometimes even more decisive and blunt than its Master.
Rosen couldn't help but lightly chuckle and say: "Well done. There should be many such caves in the forest. After dawn breaks, I will take you out scouting again. Like this, our hope of leaving Pavo will be one step closer."
Black Dragon said: "That's right, Master."
Ling Yu's expression also slightly loosened up— these ores are really energy stones, this is actually a pleasant surprise.
If Black Dragon can extract a bit more energy from these ores and he can think of a way to find a space jump route, perhaps he can leave Pavo before the arrival of his estrus.
When Ling Yu thought of this, he walked to an open space in the cave and picked up a stone to draw onto the ground.
Rosen saw him earnestly drawing a picture on the ground, he couldn't help but walk up to him and ask in confusion: "What are you drawing?"
Ling Yu said: "Simulated star atlas."
Rosen carefully looked and sure enough, he saw that multiple little dots were drawn on the ground to represent planets. There were tangled and intricate lines connecting between the dots. After a while, the analog star atlas was tentatively completed. A peacock with its head raised high with its tail spread appeared on the ground. The position of the two of them had been marked off— it was a minor planet situated at the head of Pavo.
(TN: The head of the peacock-shaped design of Pavo. )
Rosen said in awe: "You even understand this?"
Ling Yu faintly hummed in acknowledgment.
Ling Yu truly is a representative of the academics. He is an erudite intellectual. He used to spend almost every day in the library when he was in school. He not only read military books, but he was also very interested in astronomy, history and as well as all kinds of myths and legends. It can be said that he feasted his eyes upon hoards of books.
Unexpectedly, he was able to use the position of stars in the sky to assess the coordinates of the whole Pavo constellation.
Rosen is immediately full of admiration for his extraordinary Omega.
After Ling Yu finished drawing the star atlas, he stood up and looked at all of the positions on the ground. He thoughtfully said: "Pavo is situated between Indus and Apus. If we have Black Dragon pass through galaxies with space jumps to return to the Empire's territory, the nearest route is to go to Apus first and then to Triangulum Australe. We can then return to Naomi Star by passing through Triangulum Australe to the Isville Cosmic Wormhole."
(TN: All of these are real constellations too. Indus is Latin for Indian, Apus comes from the Greek word apous which means "footless", but it is meant to represent the bird of paradise which were thought to not have feet, and Triangulum Australe means the southern triangle.)
Rosen said calmly: "Triangulum Australe is the encampment of the Federation's Falcon Legion. If we space jump to the Federation's land and are by any chance intercepted, we will be in a lot of danger."
"True." Ling Yu was silent for a moment, "I'll think about it again then, maybe there are other routes."
Rosen saw him bow down seriously conscientiously lower his head and reflect on it, he can't help but say: "Aren't you tired?"
Ling Yu turned his head around and said: "What?"
Rosen smiled, "Your personality is the same as before. If you come across a problem, you must think of a solution before you're willing to rest. However, it already more than four in the morning at the moment. Are you going to continue thinking about it? It would be better to sleep for a bit first to raise your spirits, It won't be too late to think about it again tomorrow."
When Rosen says it like that, Ling Yu indeed feels an onset of extreme drowsiness.
When he was piloting his mech in the wormhole, he was originally mentally overloaded. Later, he was continuously plagued by nightmares during the time he lost consciousness. After waking up, he forced himself to think over all kinds of things on his last bit of energy, not paying attention to the issue of time in the slightest
It was surprisingly already four o'clock in the morning......
Ling Yu massaged his aching and throbbing temples and went to one side of the sofa to sit down and quietly said: "Then I will rest for a bit first, there's no rush anyways. I'll think of another way tomorrow......"
He spoke as he closed his eyes, he turned his head askew and rested it against the sofa. His breaths quickly evened out and he fell asleep.
Rosen broke into laughter.
Ling Yu's character was truly straightforward. If you say to rest, he won't take a minute to fall straight asleep.
Looking at the way he closed his eyes peacefully fast asleep, Rosen's heart felt soft and he walked forward to gently lift him from the sofa. He carefully took off his boots, his military uniform coat, and then put him down on the bed. He gave him a comfortable pillow to cushion his head with and then carefully covered him with a warm quilt.
Rosen couldn't help but sigh: Personally taking care of his own Omega, this kind of feeling is truly nice.
(TN: Thanks to everyone for being patient. I am very tired, but who cares since I got it done! I can't tell if this really was a long chapter or my tired brain is distorting my sense of what is considered long, but it felt like it took a longer time to translate then usual... Seems like we got a possible traitor on board, gotta catch them all though! Keriman... Keeping an eye on you!—K.)