Chapter 7 Chapter 6 Homecoming

The situation in the space capsule has become so sensitive and peculiar, but the Marshal of the Empire seems to turn a blind eye to everything outside him.He leaned his back against the bulkhead, looked down at Daisy's unconscious face, his eyes softened sharply - the surrounding guards were surprised to find that the marshal at this moment was completely different from any other time in his life! As if worried that moving around again would make the dying girl even more dangerous, Marshal Phidias stopped on the trestle, thought for a while, then suddenly raised his right hand, passed through the girl's messy red hair soundlessly, turned back and tore it off forcefully. The second gold buckle on the marshal's uniform.

"Marshal?" Because he was taken aback by the leader's sudden movement, Brigadier General Alex blurted out again. "You wanted this eight years ago, didn't you?" Bisha von Phidias whispered softly, while putting the button on the girl's cold palm, "Take it, Dai. " Daisy clenched her right hand subconsciously, but she seemed to understand what it was even though her mind was not clear, a smile appeared on her pale lips, a strange brilliance suddenly appeared on her lifeless face, and her eyelids trembled slightly , seemed to be struggling desperately, wanting to open his eyes to take a look.

At this time, the door of the space capsule opened again, and Dr. Muller and his assistants rushed over after receiving the order from Governor Hein.As soon as he entered the door and saw the miraculous luster on Daisy's face, he immediately took a deep breath and blurted out: "Oh, my God, is she actually regaining consciousness?" However, the doctor's surprise was only for a moment. He immediately went up to carefully inspect the girl's injuries, paused for a moment, finally raised his head with a somewhat complicated expression, and whispered to the Governor: "Your Excellency, this is the collapse of all the functions of the whole body. Premonition...the subordinates are powerless."

Dr. Muller, known as the number one person in the Galaxy medical field, shook his head helplessly, and began to pack up the medical equipment, preparing to give up this patient whose life was impossible to save.However, when he raised his head inadvertently, he was frightened by the governor's pale face at the moment, and took a step forward: "Governor, you, you must rest immediately! Your complexion is very..." Dr. Muller whispered to the top military officer, but Hein waved his hand to stop him before he could finish his sentence. "I'm fine...doctor," Governor Hein replied in a low voice, an extremely complicated expression flashed in his black eyes, and he suddenly raised his voice slightly, "If there is no other way, please give Moore another Miss uses the best medicine to prolong the patient's survival time as much as possible!"

He gestured to Muller, and the doctor nodded knowingly, and stepped forward to start the intravenous drip. The medicine was injected drop by drop into the wrist veins of the dying man, and there was a moment of silence in the space capsule.Time seemed to pass extremely quickly, and nearly an hour had passed since the meeting between the Marshal of the Empire and the Governor of the Alliance.However, although the surrounding subordinates showed a little anxious look, Marshal Phidias still had no intention of leaving.Brigadier General Alex, who was accompanying him, became a little uneasy and began to look at his watch frequently—the development of the situation was beyond his expectation.Originally, he expected that the Marshal would not stay in the space capsule for more than half an hour.

"Governor, the injection is complete." After a long time, Dr. Muller pulled out the needle and whispered, "This subordinate has injected a large dose of Sima ice body to give the patient's body a final stimulation—after another five minutes, the patient Maybe it will wake up for the last time, or it may simply die from exhaustion." "Okay." Governor Hein's face was pale, and his body shook slightly. However, the Imperial Marshal watched the doctor save his fiancée without saying a word, with a silent and complicated expression.After a long time, he stretched out his white-gloved hand, lightly pressed Daisy's finger on the button, and suddenly sighed softly: "Actually, Dai...although I didn't give it to you back then, but— —and never gave it to anyone. I've been keeping it for you."

Marshal Phidias said words that others could not understand, but his eyes were as soft as water, "I lied at that time. In order to rebel against uncle, I did not hesitate to hurt you... because of that damned pride..." Dr. Muller came over and wanted to check the recovery status of the dying man, but was coldly pushed aside by the Imperial Marshal: "Go away! Don't touch my fiancée again!... Dai is mine, and no one should bother her again !" Everyone stared at the Imperial Marshal dumbfounded.What the head of state said just now was shocking. It wasn’t until this time that those who accompanied them realized that the dying girl was actually the daughter of Admiral Moore who defected many years ago and the fiancée of the Marshal of the Empire—Adjutant Alec. Brigadier General Si groaned secretly in his heart, frowning at how to block this potentially sensational topic after returning home.

Marshal what happened today?Even if you have a lot to say to that girl, you don't have to say it in front of so many people in the space capsule, right?Why can't we go back to the flagship?Brigadier General Alex looked at the time and smiled wryly. However, at this moment, the girl in the marshal's arms suddenly moved slightly and opened her eyes. Everything was blurred on her retina, and she couldn't even see the face that was close at hand... She stared blankly in front of her, it was pitch black... What was in front of her eyes?Space, is it space?In the vast dead silence, there seems to be some kind of light slightly lit up—is that the Milky Way?

That line of bright spots seemed to be the starlight that guided her home fifteen years ago! At that time, she was alone and lost her way in the park, and because she came home late, she was whipped by her irritable father——from then on, she understood that she would never be able to keep up with Bi Xia's footsteps... He and herself, completely Not on the same level... They, finally, got separated. However, being lost and lonely frightened her, and the dying man suddenly uttered a raving: "Brother Bixia... take, take me... home..." Exhausting her last strength, she softly uttered these words , the sound is weak.

"Okay. Dai, let's go home." He heard the voice of the man in his ear, and he uttered a gentle answer—is it a hallucination?For many years, I have never heard such a gentle voice from him. She felt extremely happy, and wanted to struggle to get up, hold that illusory hand, and go back to the hut with verdant trees together.However, the body couldn't move, and a certain place was always cold and painful, as if something was embedded in the flesh and blood!In the dying silence, she even heard the slight beating of her heart and the sound of blood flowing more and more slowly.

There is a strange "click, click" sound, gently echoing in my mind... What a strange sound... She couldn't speak, and her body trembled slightly, not knowing whether it was because of fear or pain. In the dead silent stare, Marshal Phidias hugged the dying red-haired girl, seemingly inadvertently raised his head and took a last look outside the cabin, with an imperceptible smile on the corner of his mouth, then turned and walked out the door.All the entourage of the empire immediately followed behind the marshal, staring at their head of state with complicated eyes, preparing to leave. The marshal's footsteps reached the door, and suddenly a hand was raised, blocking the way. "Wait a minute." Governor Hein's eyes flickered, and he said calmly. Everyone was startled, and Phidias couldn't help but look up at him coldly.The Governor stepped forward and stopped only one step away from the Imperial Marshal.At that moment, Brigadier General Alex and all the other people accompanying the empire felt tight! However, Governor Hein just slowly raised his hand, put something into Daisy's palm silently, then turned around without saying a word, raised his hand towards the cabin door, and looked at Fei indifferently. Dias said, "Please." When he looked down and saw that thing, the Imperial Marshal's eyes suddenly lit up! He moved away from the girl who had been staring at the girl, and looked up at the sun—the supreme commander of the Galactic Alliance—but at this moment, Governor Hein turned his head intentionally or unintentionally, and the marshal's eyes had to stay on the other party's military uniform.The second button on the opponent's uniform was also missing. The astonishment could no longer be concealed on his face, and the Imperial Marshal stood there in a daze. "Heh. Dai... Look, the whole universe is in your palm now!" Suddenly, Marshal Phidias lowered his head and whispered in the ear of the red-haired girl, looking at the hole in the palm of her left hand. A silver clasp. However, the dying person could no longer answer a word.The two buttons, one gold and one silver, were subconsciously grasped tightly in his hands. At this moment, the unconscious person trembled slightly, only feeling that his body had frozen into ice—the strange "click, click" sound became more and more intense. It got louder and almost drove her crazy! What the hell is this... I remember that during the operation, I felt in a trance that there was a cold instrument protruding into the body, and something was buried.Then, I vaguely heard someone say: "When the brain waves stop radiating, the energy will be released in an instant..." It seemed to be the voice of Dr. Muller who had been treating her. Then, a certain part of her body was in constant pain, as if the god of death pressed her cold hand firmly on her chest! "Tap, tap, tap..." In the ear, this strange voice became louder and louder, as if something was violently beating in this body that was about to die.And every time the consciousness begins to blur, the frequency of the sound speeds up.As she was dying, she also knew that there was something wrong with her body, her body... But, she... didn't have the energy to think about it... She is going to die. As if he also knew that time had been delayed for too long, Marshal Phidias stopped staying and walked out of the space capsule with his fiancée in his arms.When he walked into the trestle bridge, he stopped suddenly, looked back at Governor Miguel Hein, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Oh, thank you this time, Hein—thank you for returning my fiancée." "However, you are at a disadvantage now, Hein!" The imperial marshal's eyes suddenly put away the warm gaze just now, flashed like cold electricity, and spit out sharp words: "If we continue to fight the war of attrition like this, we will not Within three months, your side will be defeated—do you believe it or not?" "You are outstanding. You are a once-in-a-century military genius, but you were born in an inappropriate camp." The marshal looked at Governor Hein and his subordinates with sharp eyes: "It's a pity... personal ability is not enough to fully Make up for the shortcomings of the entire army - Hein, you are going to lose!" The same lightning-like light flashed in the black eyes. The Governor remained calm and replied coldly: "No matter what, I will try my best to fight to the end. Phidias, don't let me bow my head to you!" "Okay, okay! It's great to see you have such fighting spirit." The Imperial Marshal laughed and turned around, "This is worthy of Hein! This is worthy of our war!" "See you on the battlefield!" Marshal Phidias said no more, strode out of the space capsule with the red-haired girl in his arms, stepped onto the trestle and walked towards the flagship "Silver Wing".The corner of Governor Hein's mouth twitched, and he raised his hand subconsciously, but he didn't say anything after all, he just watched them leave silently. The Silver Wing took off immediately, left the military intermediary line, and flew to the base camp. "Tap, tap, tap..." Consciousness has become more and more blurred, and everything is gradually moving away, as if it is on the other side of the sky. However, this annoying click sound is more and more real. ear! What is... what is it? Daisy struggled with the last sliver of waking consciousness.He clenched his hand subconsciously, and the cold pain in his palm made him vaguely understand what it was.The pale fingers clenched convulsively, and the two buttons seemed to give her the strength to cheer up, and made her gather her weak sanity. "Dai... the whole universe is in your hands now..." At the last moment of her life, this ordinary and difficult woman suddenly obtained something that all women in the world could not imagine.But...she didn't even have the strength to laugh... She didn't even have the energy to laugh. "Swish!" In the blur, there were bursts of boots clashing and short salutes coming from my ears—that was rows of soldiers saluting the marshal, right?Is this... already in another place?Her consciousness drifted away again. Suddenly, a burst of high-frequency sound waves entered her eardrums. "Da", she heard a faint sound, as if something had been opened. "Lieutenant General Gordon Holman reports to the Marshal!" The resounding voice shocked even her dull hearing, "The Eleventh Fleet has successfully completed the four-dimensional jump according to your instructions!" Ah... Gordon, is it Gordon?she thought vaguely.The captain of the Satanic cavalry, the tall brown-haired man—is the one who treats himself the worst among Bisha's officer friends. "We have secretly arrived at the military intermediary line three minutes ago and completed the ambush for the space capsule. So far, Governor Hein has not retreated to the base camp—" the loud voice asked again, somewhat impatiently, "Marshal, what? Time to kill Hein? They are going to withdraw soon! Can I do it now?" What?Kill, kill Governor Hein? ...No, no!Bixia... Brother Bixia... Daisy was thinking eagerly, but still didn't understand what was going on with this terrible conspiracy.But at this moment, her mind suddenly became blank, and her whole body became lighter, as if she had floated into the air in an instant!No... no, she... she had to die, had to die... she had no time. "Good job," she heard Bixia's opponents applaud, "Gordon!" "Hehe..." The voice was still surprisingly loud when he was laughing, "It was also the marshal who dragged himself in the space capsule, and bought time for his subordinates to transfer! I want to stay with that boring guy, Hein, for more than one hour." Is it really difficult to be a marshal when you are young?" Indistinctly, she heard Bi Xia beside her smile, his voice was soft but cold, which made all the blood in her body freeze.Concentrating the last of her sanity, she vaguely understood what happened, but felt her whole body go cold.However, at this moment, Gordon exclaimed in a louder voice, as if he had noticed something: "Oh! This woman—is, is Daisy?! Why is she here? Bisha, where did you get her from?" Got it back?" The tone of the other party was full of hostility—she also knew that since he defected from Koppel, this soldier who was loyal to the marshal felt that the empire had been greatly insulted, and had repeatedly threatened to execute this soldier for the honor of the empire. Shameless defected woman.If he hadn't been blocked, he might have done it a long time ago. "Okay, Gordon, thanks to her, I have the opportunity to say a lot of nonsense over there, and delay the time." Bi Xia's voice sounded coldly, and in the blur, she felt the pain on her shoulders. He was lifted up by force, and leaned into a firm and cold embrace, "Leave her alone—go into battle immediately in a hundred seconds! We must cleanly deal with Hein while the opponent is still on the military middle line!" In the drowsy brain, suddenly lightning flashed! Bixia, Brother Bixia! That indifferent and seemingly inadvertent sentence sounded like a thunderbolt in the dying girl's mind, even overshadowing the death's "da, da" sound!What Bisha said was all lies...just to gain strategic time?He wants to take advantage of this secret meeting, take the opportunity to secretly sneak into Chen Cang, and let his army complete the ambush against Governor Hein! That moment of coldness almost froze her remaining willpower. That's right... Her brother Bixia had long since disappeared.A high-ranking person like the "Marshal of the Empire" really wouldn't do anything that has nothing to do with his own interests... He never changed, never slowed down and stopped to wait for her once, since the first time he met Now, always the same! So... what about Governor Hein?Does he also— In an instant, the aura flashed! Tap, tap, tap... this sound... this sound?yes--! "When the brain waves stop radiating, the energy will be released in an instant." The doctor's voice echoed again, echoing deafeningly in her gradually blurred mind, "The energy will be released in an instant...it will be released in an instant..." Tap... tap... tap! right!This voice...is a bomb! ——In her body, a time bomb connected to the cranial nerve was implanted! Hein, Governor Hein... that young leader with black eyes!It was him...it was him!It turns out that he and Bi Xia are exactly the same person... The two buttons in the palm of my hand suddenly seemed to be burning coals!The whole body of the unconscious person trembled, and he let go subconsciously, with two "pops, snaps", the buttons fell on the deck. Marshal Phidias was turning off the private communication circuit he carried with him, and ended the call with his subordinates. When he heard the two voices, his body suddenly shook. He looked down at the dying girl in his arms, and the corners of his mouth moved, as if he wanted to say something. But he stopped again, his eyes flickering. "Ah, is she finally dead?" Brigadier General Alex felt relieved at the words and actions of the marshal just now in the space capsule, leaned over to pick up the button that fell on the ground, and smiled wryly: "However, this woman is also very blessed It's—I was able to hear such a lie from you, Marshal, before I died!" "A lie? Is it a lie?... Brother Bixia?" Suddenly, a voice spoke out weakly—in the Silver Wing, Daisy's eyes miraculously opened, but she just stared blankly ahead, with a strange smile of sadness and relief. she woke up? ... She, actually woke up before the time? !The marshal and brigadier general were stunned at the same time.In an instant, an extremely complicated look flashed across Phidias' face, but he didn't answer. "Tap, tap, tap..." Her eyes could no longer see anything formed, but the sound of death became more urgent, as if a death knell was ringing in her ears—she was going to die. "You, you lied... didn't you?" There was a strange wave of blood on her pale face—when the blood in her body was almost drained, a faint blush appeared on her face, which was even more shocking! "Is...is it?" She stared hard at the blurred figure on her retina, and persisted in asking with the last bit of strength, but she didn't know if her weak voice could be heard by the other party, "Is it?" The Imperial Marshal raised his eyebrows slightly, but still didn't say anything. "Marshal, Lieutenant General Kenan requests you to go to the command room immediately!" During the stalemate, the voice of the personal guard Albert suddenly sounded behind him, "There is an urgent military report." "Come right now." Phidias turned around without hesitation, and walked towards the flagship's command room with the man in his arms. "Marshal, leave it to the guards!" Brigadier General Alex couldn't stand it and suggested.But the Imperial Marshal didn't seem to hear, and walked forward, leaving the adjutant aside.He vigorously protected the dying woman in his arms with both hands, letting the blood ooze from her stain his uniform red. She didn't wait for Bixia's answer, but her mind was once again pulled away.She knew that she no longer had time to wait... She no longer had time to wait for the answer she had been waiting for all her life.Fragments of the past were scattered like snow in his blank mind, and the figure of the proud and indifferent boy in his memory gradually became blurred.She knew that death would take everything away— "Bi Xia, Brother Bi Xia!" She cried out suddenly, stretched out her hand convulsively, and fumbled to grab the collar of his military uniform. The Marshal stopped walking towards the door of the command room.Indoors, the large holographic screen has been automatically turned on, showing the situation of the battle ahead. Lieutenant General Kenan is anxiously waiting for the head of state. "Quick, throw me...throw me out!" The weak voice suddenly became louder for some reason, and the pale, bloody hand grabbed his collar vigorously, and his face was reflected in the gradually expanding blue pupils, so frightened and anxious: "Take me Throw it out!... I, my body was planted with a bomb by the governor! It's... almost unbearable. "Brother Bixia, please...please do it quickly...quick!" With that trembling voice, what leaked out was an astonishing secret! In an instant, the Marshal of the Empire stopped, with an incredulous expression on his face, and looked down at the girl in his arms who suddenly shone.The guards beside him rushed over at the same time, ready to pull Daisy away immediately, but the marshal stopped him with his gaze.Phidias hugged her tightly, his white gloves were stained with blood, trembling violently, but he had no intention of letting go. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds... The dying woman in his arms grabbed his neckline, murmured and urged with all her strength, her breath gradually became short of breath, and the light in her eyes was fading. "Tap! Tap! Tap!" The voice became more and more urgent.No way... This time, no matter what, I can't hold on anymore... The bomb is going to explode! "Please... Please do it quickly!" She wanted to say anxiously, but she had no strength at all. "Marshal! It's dangerous!" Brigadier General Alex exclaimed, and rushed forward with a stride, ready to push the body bomb away from the Marshal, but he saw the Marshal suddenly lowered his head and deeply touched his face. Buried in the girl's red hair, it seems to have muttered something in a low voice. "I did not lie." Suddenly, a word came from far away in her ear, like an echo from the sky——then her whole body lightened, as if she had ascended into the kingdom of heaven in an instant. "Marshal!" Witnessing Phidias decisively pressing the exhaust switch and throwing the dying Daisy out of the cabin, Brigadier General Alex couldn't help but exclaimed—in case...in case this woman said Is it not true?Did the marshal just make such a decisive and cold decision in this instant? The brigadier general only had time to turn around at that moment, and saw the red-haired woman falling and falling into the dark space at high speed along the jet of airflow...in an instant, it turned into a small spot that could not be seen by the eyes. However, before the words fell, the flagship shook violently! Everyone staggered unsteadily, only the Marshal, who was holding on to the side of the cabin and watching out, did not move. Obviously, he had already prepared enough for this wave of violent explosions in his heart. "Report! Report! A violent explosion occurred 50 light seconds below the flagship, and the bottom cabin was severely damaged!" Soon, the voice of the equipment maintenance personnel came through the loop.Brigadier General Alex couldn't help being surprised—the bomb was so powerful at such a long distance, if it exploded in the cabin, the consequences would be unimaginable! Marshal Phidias didn't turn his head, he quietly stared at the dark and vast space outside the cabin, without saying a word. At that moment just now, he only saw a streak of white light passing by—like a falling meteor, passing across the vast space.Is it the trace of the red-haired girl's life? "Dai, Dai..." The marshal suddenly murmured, facing the direction where the meteor fell, he slowly raised his hand to the brim of his hat.The atmosphere in the cabin seemed to freeze, Brigadier General Alex firmly clenched the two buttons with his left hand, followed by raising his right hand in salute—then, one by one, all the soldiers in the cabin raised their hands in silent salute, the whole There was a dead silence inside the flagship. If the last sentence of the girl's life is said a little later, maybe the history of the entire galaxy will be completely rewritten, right?However, while slipping into the abyss of death, she did everything in her power to push another person out of the death zone! Such a weak and helpless woman has been drifting in the torrent of politics and war all her life, unable to control herself.However, at the end of her life, she exploded with astonishing power and saved another extremely powerful man—her performance in the face of death at the end of her life can make all the experienced soldiers stand in awe! "This girl...is this the way to die?" Suddenly, a voice broke the silence, full of emotions.Everyone turned their heads and saw Lieutenant General Kenan in the command room slowly lowering his saluting hands. Still only the marshal did not look back, he kept looking at the dark and cold space, walked quickly to the holographic screen to connect the circuit, and ordered word by word in a colder voice: "Lieutenant General Holman, listen to me Let's go!—Concentrate all firepower on the opponent's flagship 'Sun Soul'!" "At all costs - I want Hein to die!" "Yes!" Lieutenant General Holman was surprised by the rare murderous intent in the marshal's voice, but he stood up excitedly and accepted the order gladly. Son of God, shoot down!" Far away from the middle line, the flagship "Silver Wing" of the Imperial Army was quietly suspended in space, looking down at the center of the entire battle group from a high position.Holding on to the armrest of the decompression chamber, the Imperial Marshal's slender fingers firmly gripped the railing, his knuckles turned white from the force, and whispered word by word: "Hein, I want your life!" "Bi Xia..." Suddenly someone behind him sighed and patted his shoulder with one hand. "Kenan?" Marshal Phidias asked lightly without turning his head.Lieutenant General Kenan came over and leaned side by side with him on the side of the ship, looking at the profile of the marshal reflected in the synthetic glass opposite. "Are you really angry, Bisha? Your complexion is very bad." This colleague who chose to fight alongside Phidias before he became the ruler looked at the Imperial Marshal Tie Qing with some concern. face, murmured, "I haven't seen your expression like this for many years." Marshal Phidias did not answer, the corners of his mouth were pursed tightly, and the lines of his face were stiff. "In the final analysis, Bixia, why do you suddenly hate Governor Hein so much? Haven't you always respected this opponent?" Lieutenant General Kenan was a careful and gentle person, calmly persuading the irritated The Reichsmarshal, trying to calm him down, "was it because he was using tricks?—but you didn't lay hands either?" After a pause, seeing that Bixia didn't respond, Kenan's voice said again: "Or, is it because of Miss Moore's death? ——But in all fairness, both you and Hein are responsible for her death, right?" The Marshal of the Empire looked back suddenly!The bi-color eyes almost burst into flames, staring coldly at this subordinate who dared to disobey him at this moment.But Lieutenant General Kenan was not intimidated, and asked further gently: "Then, why do you hate Hein so much, Bixia? Could it be because—" "Shut up!" Marshal Phidias suddenly yelled angrily. "It's because you subconsciously don't want to admit that you killed Miss Moore, and you want to put all the responsibility on Governor Hein?" Regardless of the marshal's anger, the lieutenant general finished the rest of his sentence, "Is that so?" As if he had been stabbed fatally, the Marshal gradually let go of his hand from the railing, pressed it against the opposite synthetic glass, lowered his head deeply, put his forehead against the window frame, and stopped talking.Apparently, these few gentle words from his friend had cut open his heart like a knife. Suddenly, Kenan regretted his too blunt words. "I, I'm just not reconciled, Kenan." Watching the battle situation, seeing the Eleventh Fleet destroying the opponent's warships one after another, approaching the flagship "Sun Soul", a bleak smile appeared on the corner of the marshal's mouth, muttering , "I remember when she was very young, she was bullied by a group of older children. At that time, I told her not to be afraid, and I would protect her-but now, I threw her out with my own hands, and watched her in space. She was blown to powder! Dai... she can never, never go home again..." Marshal Phidias almost used all his willpower to barely suppress the overwhelming pain and sorrow in his heart at this moment.The natural arrogance and acquired self-esteem played a decisive role, so that he would not lose his composure in front of his subordinates.But the marshal's voice could no longer be choked up, and the soldier who had been keeping calm put his hands against the opposite bulkhead, and his whole body began to tremble slightly. No one knows, no one knows, what the meaning of that girl who just died is in his life!Not even the red-haired girl herself could have imagined it! Suddenly, a sharp light like a saber flashed in his bi-color eyes again, and he said coldly, "Even if there is any conspiracy, it shouldn't be at the cost of her life! Such an ordinary girl—this war has nothing to do with her!" What does it matter? But that fellow Hein actually got her involved! He actually forced me to kill her with my own hands!" "No, she's not ordinary—because you love her!" Suddenly, Lieutenant General Kenan stopped the marshal again and sighed, "Although you keep denying it, I think... Bixia, you have always loved her." Hers?" Marshal Phidias was startled, his face livid and silent. "Otherwise, you would have killed her when she eloped with someone—" Lieutenant General Kenan sighed, "Bixia, you are such a proud person—she made you suffer such a great insult, and you And let her leave safely. If you don't love this person deeply, you can't do this no matter what. " "Yes... yes." After a long time, as if looking at the situation on the battlefield, the words were almost inaudible before reaching the lieutenant general's ears, low and sad, "I love Daisy. It started when we were both very young..." "Since this is the case, then why—" Although he had already guessed the answer, Kenan couldn't help asking in shock when he heard Phidias admit it with his own ears, "Why didn't you keep her at that time?" "Keep her?" Marshal Phidias sneered, "Let me ask a woman who eloped with a corrupt criminal to stay? Let me ask an ugly girl who abandoned me like a shoe?——Why don't you Just give me a shot directly!" "Then you can go find her later!" Kenan still felt incredible, "Did you let her run away in the flames of war all these years?" "Do you think I haven't looked for her!" The marshal yelled angrily in a low voice, "Do you think I'm not paying attention to her safety? What do you know!—God knows how many times I have sent people to try Go and bring her back!" Lieutenant General Kenan was dumbfounded for a moment, not knowing how to answer when he saw such strange eyes from the other party. "Okay...now is not the time to settle these old scores, Kenan!" The almost out-of-control emotions were suddenly restrained again, and a sneer suddenly appeared on the corner of the Imperial Marshal's mouth, and he regained his calm, "Even if you want to teach me, you can't do it. Do you want to wait until after I kill Hein?" The lieutenant general did not speak. Seeing the good situation, Kenan spoke again: "Bixia, don't be disturbed by a woman. Just treat her as hundreds of millions of civilians who died in the war. Because her surname is Moore, because She was born in such a turbulent galaxy—so she, like everyone else, is doomed to escape the war..." "Stop making excuses for that guy Hein!" The marshal replied in an impatient voice, gritted his teeth, "For public and private purposes, I must kill that person today!" Lieutenant General Kenan was startled, and looked up at his colleagues for many years—to say such words with strong personal feelings!What was it that blinded the always sharp and clear eyes of the Marshal! Hein is not an ordinary person... Bixia, you who are so impulsive will never be his opponent. "Dess..." At the other end of the dark space, another general watched the "shooting star" suddenly falling in the Milky Way, and whispered as if sighing, and pressed his hand on his heart convulsively. "It seems that the operation was not successful. I'm sorry, Your Excellency Governor." Dr. Muller looked ashamed—according to the plan, during the period from Daisy's coma to brain death, she should have been in an unconscious state. right.But today, this patient has repeatedly woken up several times, and he is still able to speak! As the first-class surgical expert in the galaxy, Dr. Muller could not believe that a person who had lost all organ functions to such an extent could recover consciousness for such a long time! "Doctor, you must know that technology is not absolute. No matter how advanced the technology is, it can't control the powerful power of the human heart..." Governor Hein turned around again, watching the sudden battle situation on the screen, but his voice remained the same. Staying in the deep sigh just now, "She has a strong desire in her heart to save the life of her lover, even if one foot has already stepped into the Styx, she still has to struggle to get back." Dr. Muller was speechless.But during the silence, he saw the governor's pale face under his coffee-colored hair, and he couldn't help blurting out again: "You must rest, Your Excellency the Governor!—Your physical condition is already very bad, and you are no longer allowed to work without sleep Already!" Governor Hein was noncommittal, with an expression of indifference and indifference on his frighteningly pale face, staring at the holographic display screen, and suddenly his whole body was shaken, and he rushed to the command seat. "Not good...quickly withdraw all the frigates, and gather around the flagship immediately!" He had no time to talk to the doctor—at this moment, the entire eleventh fleet of the Military Empire had gone through a difficult four-dimensional space jump, and suddenly appeared in space舱和旗舰“日魂”号附近，并猛烈地发起了攻击！ 虽然对于这一次非正式的会晤双方都早已留了伏手，也有各自的打算，但由于技术的限制，太阳－银河联盟还未能组建可以进行高难度四维空间跳跃的舰队，所以海因无法象斐迪亚斯一样做到奇兵突袭——此刻他的援兵正在离军事中界线最近的星云里整装待命，快速反应部队的艾斯博格·克拉克提督在三分钟后才能赶到。 “所有兵力回集到旗舰附近！迅速回集！”海因总督一手扶着指令台，看着屏幕上攻势凌厉的“撒旦骑兵”，看着己方已被击毁或击中的护卫舰，虽然蹙眉，声音却依然冷静，一条条指令发出得有条不紊。 然而，话音未落，舱外一道刺目的红光闪过，指令台上全部仪器一齐闪出了红光！ “报告！情况危急！”控制室里的人员在汇报，声音却有些反常地发抖起来，“约有八十多艘敌舰集中火力猛攻旗舰！旗舰的左舷已经被击中！” “难道连三分钟也等不了么？”看着对方压倒性优势的兵力和不容喘息的进攻，海因身边的随行将领，联邦四位提督之一的亥姆·霍兹不由喃喃说了一句——这个擅长近身搏击、在军队中有“狂狮”之称的勇敢军人，在如此悬殊的敌我对比下也不由失色。 在撒旦骑兵疯狂的进攻下，近半数的护卫舰来不及撤回旗舰附近便纷纷坠毁，在“日魂”号的附近，只零落地剩下了十艘左右。然而，由于此刻旗舰正处于对方火力的焦点中，即使是成功撤回的护卫舰，反而受到了更加猛烈的攻击！ “很好……这样就对了。”蓦然，霍兹提督听到寡言的总督吐出了一句令人费解的话来。他来不及表示疑问，却看见海因用双臂支撑起身子，微微冲话筒倾过身，断然下了最后一个命令—— “引入自动控制程序，旗舰上所有剩余人员立刻作好弃舰脱离的准备！” “报告将军，击中日魂！击中日魂！” 看着屏幕上闪出的爆炸的火光，听到通讯回路里传来的清晰的汇报，高登·霍尔曼中将兴奋得用力敲了一下指挥席—— “好样的！”他喜气洋洋地夸奖了麾下得军队，随即下了进一步的指令，“K1739～K1761号，继续呈半月型攒射日魂号！此刻起，凡是从中冲出的太空梭与飞碟，一律击毁，一个敌人也不准逃离！” 一想到完成了元帅下达的任务、歼灭了帝国最强的对手米格尔·海因，霍尔曼就兴奋得不能自已。然而，话音未落，他身后指挥室的门轰然打开—— “谁叫你们进来的？快去战斗！”霍尔曼中将头也不回地呵斥着进来的士兵，眼睛还是盯在屏幕上，“不是说过了吗？在战斗中不要打扰我！” “休息吧，霍尔曼中将！你不觉得很累了吗？”忽然间，一个冷冷的声音讥诮地在他身后响起。霍尔曼中将大惊回首。 一回头，就看见一把雪亮的离子光束枪对准了他的眉心！ 枪执在一个身穿深蓝色联盟军服的军人手里。亥姆·霍兹提督全身血迹斑斑，身边的士兵也是全部挂彩，显然是经过了惨烈的肉搏战才杀进指挥室的，军靴上积满了鲜血，每一步踩过，都是一个带血的脚印！ 在他身后，还站着一位高个子咖啡色头发的年轻军人，脸色苍白而疲倦，目光却亮得象一把带血的军刀。 “海因……总督？”霍尔曼中将几乎不敢置信地看着似乎从天而降的敌军，又回头看看屏幕上正在炸开的旗舰“日魂”号——旁边的通讯回路中，还传来前线战舰不断的汇报：“报告，日魂号炸毁！无一人逃离！” “哈、哈……”霍尔曼浅棕色的脸上忽然漾满了苦笑，恍然，“是金蚕脱壳的战术吗？原来，在看见我军围攻上来时，阁下早已经迅速弃舰了！——把护卫舰招回旗舰附近，不是为了防守，而是为了趁机撤离到不显眼的护卫舰上、直捣我军后方吧？” 面对着近在咫尺的死亡，撒旦骑兵的队长却只在考虑自己在战术上的失败。 “很对。”海因只是简短地应了一句，脸色灰败。 “报告！附近有大批敌方舰队出现！请求指示，请求指示！” 陡然间，通讯回路里传来了己方舰只惊恐的汇报，在屏幕上，可以看见有几千艘联盟军舰呈“V”字型的编队正快速地从十一舰队的右肋打入！因为大部分兵力正围歼完旗舰日魂号，一时来不及回头抗击，防守薄弱的右肋很快被猝急不防出击的联盟舰队撕开了一个大口子。 “立即进行——”眼看着己方情势迅速恶劣，霍尔曼中将忘了自己还处在枪口之下，脱口命令，但下面的“四维空间竖向跳跃”尚未出口，他的身体猛然一震！ “好好休息吧，撒旦骑兵队长！”亥姆·霍兹提督的声音仿佛是浸在了冰水里，“这也不失为一个军人的光荣死法呢！” 光束刺穿了中将的心脏部位，并在体内迅速炸开来。霍尔曼扶着指挥席，坚持着站了起来，高大的身躯上有一个可怖的巨洞，血如同喷泉一般从伤口涌了出来。 “比夏……看来，我是第、第二个离开你的兄弟呢……”霍尔曼灰色的眼中漾满了苦涩的笑意，艰难地转过身，看了一下东南角上遥远的科培尔星球，便无力地倒下，一头暗褐色的头发浸在流出的血里。 “敌军开火！……敌军已突入中腹！是否迎战？还是返回？请求指示！请求立即指示！”在霍尔曼中将已经阵亡的时刻，旁边的通讯回路里却不停地传来了前方激战人员声嘶力竭的询问——看得出，遭受突然袭击的军队急切需要队长的指令。 “请立即下达指示！请——” “啪。”海因总督走到指挥席前，抬手冷冷地切断了通讯回路，把对方的话语毫不留情地截断。咖啡色头发下的脸苍白得可怕，黑色的眼睛里仿佛有火焰在燃烧。 “让他们去乱吧……没了指挥官的撒旦骑兵，将会成为什么样子呢？”霍兹提督冷笑着看着屏幕，“看着吧！” 外面的情势在急遽恶化——十一舰队在没有接到指令前无法擅自行动，已经在前来增援的联盟第九军团的冲击下，被拦腰一分为二！ “高登怎么搞的？三分钟就能结束返航的事，居然拖了那么久？”远离战场的帝国旗舰银翼号内，与元帅一齐注视着屏幕的凯南中将不由皱眉脱口道。 斐迪亚斯元帅也没有出声，看着战场上明显占着上风的局势，却心里有一种莫名的不祥预感——按事先拟订的计划，第十一舰队应该在五分钟内击毁日魂号，并在对方援军未形成包围的情况下进行竖向跳跃返回的。而如今，虽说已经接到了前方发回的“日魂已击毁”的报告，但完成任务的霍尔曼却没有如期返回！ “啪！”水晶酒杯被用力地搁到了指挥席上，杯中的红酒剧烈地荡漾着——帝国元帅霍然回身，吩咐周围的侍卫官。 “呼叫霍尔曼中将！启动一切设备，紧急呼叫！” “报告，对方旗舰上的通讯回路已经关闭，无法接通！无法建立对话！”片刻，通讯兵回答，回路里清晰地传来了断线的“嘀、嘀”声！ “什么！”斐迪亚斯元帅目光刹间大变，霍然长身而起！ 他厉声吩咐：“把刚才的战场实况重播一遍！” 情况很不对——连凯南也感觉出来了。然而，在重播实况录影，看到日魂召回护航舰队的时候，斐迪亚斯嘴里终于吐出了一句话—— “金蝉脱壳！” “立刻联接第十一舰队副指挥官谢里夫少将的通讯器！”他扑到了指挥席前，声色俱厉地开口，“谢里夫少将！我命令你立即率队返回！不要恋战，也不要试图解救陷入包围的战舰！甚至连霍尔曼的旗舰也不要管！立刻竖向跳跃返回！” “是！”对方断然领命。 下达了这样不近人情的命令后，帝国元帅长长吐了一口气，往后重重仰靠在了指挥椅内，微闭上了眼睛——眉宇间居然有明显的痛苦的神色。 “比夏！真的不管霍尔曼了吗？”因为有着兄弟一般的情谊，凯南终于忍不住开口质疑最高统帅的战术，“当然，解救出他是要付一定的代价，但是……” “现在能做的，只是去把他的遗体要回来……”忽然，斐迪亚斯苦涩地笑了，“海因一定已经在他的旗舰上了——以高登的脾气，你以为他会活着投降吗？而且海因他事急用奇兵，行事一定决断干脆，也绝对不会容那家伙反抗的。” 他极其疲倦地喃喃：“我不想看见撒旦骑兵全军覆没……能撤回多少就是多少吧。” 凯南全身僵住——高登、高登阵亡了？那个不到一天前，还和自己一起喝啤酒的家伙！那个和他们一起并肩从军队基层走到现在地步的同伴，难道，已经阵亡了么？ “是我的错吧？因为痛恨海因，才给他下达了那么偏激的作战指令！”斐迪亚斯喃喃。虽然紧闭着眼睛，但还是有泪水无声地从帝国元帅的眼角滑落。 ——把那个红发少女亲手推出太空舱时，他不动声色；然而对于战友的牺牲，他却毫不掩饰地流下了热泪。 “总督！您……您还活着？！太好了，太好了！！” 五十分钟后，看见全息屏幕里出现的最高指挥官的脸，前来增援的第四集团军指挥艾思博格·克拉克提督惊喜得有些失措——要知道，在他率军赶来时，看见的是爆炸中的己方旗舰“银翼”号！ 那时候，所有军士都以为总督已经殉国。如果守护战士都阵亡了，那么还有谁能拦得住来势汹汹的帝国军队？还有谁能有信心继续为太阳而战？ 看见下属惊喜过分的脸，海因总督嘴角露出了一丝有些苦涩的笑意，然而，他只是微微点了点头，替他开口回答的却是站在他身后的霍兹提督：“克拉克，我们现在在帝国军第十一舰队的旗舰内，伤亡很重，请立刻派人来接！” 惊喜过后，克拉克提督的目光停在屏幕对面总督的脸上——忽然发现海因的脸色是雪一样的惨白。那种带着死亡气息的苍白让下属都凛然心惊：这样长时间的劳心劳力，过于繁重的工作，一定对总督本来健康的身体造成了严重的损害吧？ “好！属下立刻派克劳迪娅中校过来！”提督不敢怠慢，然后，终于还是忍不住担心地补充了一句，“总督，请您保重身体！” 回路中传来了一个女子清朗而急切的声音：“第九军团第七快速反应护卫舰队队长玛嘉烈·克劳迪娅少校、奉克拉克提督之命即刻前来支援！” “克劳迪娅少校，辛苦你了。”看到那张熟悉的美丽的脸，联盟总督用一贯淡然的语气回答，一边下令打开舰艇的减压舱，准备与来支援的军舰对接。然而屏幕另一边的年轻少校看着总督，却欣慰的笑了，眼里甚至含着泪光：“啊，总督您还活着，真是让人高兴啊！在您的旗舰被击中时，我们都以为您会阵亡或被俘呢。” “阵亡或被俘？以后这种情况下，你只要确定前一个可能性就足够了。”海因总督脸上掠过不易觉察的微笑，疲惫不堪“虽然如果被斐迪亚斯元帅那样的人击败、怎么说也不算丢脸的事——但是，你以为我会被俘么？” 阖上了眼睛，不再看屏幕里玛嘉烈吃惊的脸，总督心里忽然有说不出的无力感。 在屏幕关闭的一刹那，海因总督终于支持不住地向后跌入了椅中。 “总督！”军医穆勒立刻上前视察。 “医生，请、请给我注射西玛冰体……”陡然间，总督嘴里吐出了一句话，微弱得仿佛是在哀求，“我……无法支持下去了。” “什么？！”穆勒大夫呆住了，然后用激烈的语气反驳，“不行！绝对不行！——已经是在三天内连续注射第4支西玛冰体了！阁下是想慢性自杀吗？！” 西玛冰体，神经刺激性药品，也是军方严格控制的军用药，多用于濒死士兵的拯救和丧失作战能力士兵在非常时期的短时性恢复——然而其自身副作用极大，容易产生精神分裂和肌体官能衰竭的后遗症，而且频繁注射极易成瘾，因此也被列入一级限制使用药物名单。 似乎是积攒着力气反驳属下大胆的抗议，海因沉默了一小会儿，终于吃力地开口：“医生……现在不是顾惜个人身体的时候！帝国军队随时可能再次进攻……如果、如果作为总督的我是这种状态，又怎么指挥……” “阁下！”虽然明白总督强烈的责任心，然而医生的职业道德使他无法对自己的领导人作出这样事——就在不久前，他还生平第一次昧着良心，用自己的医术葬送过一个无辜的少女。难道，作为军医，他所能做的就是和救死扶伤完全相反的事吗？ ! “霍兹。”看见军医不听自己的命令，总督用眼睛示意旁边的提督。 “请立刻执行总督的命令！否则，以违抗军令处死！”锃亮的离子枪顶住了医生的后脑，霍兹提督冷冷地重复了一遍——虽然明白医生的好心，但是同样是职业军人的他更加明白和尊重总督的决定。 无色的固体药品，在和空气接触后立刻化成了液体，然后被吸入了针管。 看着药品静静注入总督的血管，穆勒医生的脸不由抽搐了一下——作为一名专家，他清楚地知道，这一针下去，恐怕药已经成瘾了！那可怕的毒瘾将会如同附骨之蛆一样跟随着这个太阳之子，汲取着他的精力，直到他的生命之泉完全枯竭。 从什么时候起，总督居然不把自己的生命当一回事了吗？ “啊……好舒服……让我先睡一会儿吧。”注射完毕后，海因忽然低低叹息了一声，疲惫地闭上了眼睛，“听说……睡是死的兄弟。” 也许是由于体力的严重不足，连他一向钢铁般的意志都有些软弱——脱口而出的，居然是这样令人震惊的话！ 然而，生命已经和一个国家的命运挂上了钩，肩负着如此重大责任的他，恐怕是欲死不能吧？就是连求死的念头，都是不能够有的——因为付出的，绝对不可能只是他一个人的生命而已！ 在海因陷入因药力发挥的半昏迷中时，旁边的属下却不由面面相觑！在相互交递的目光里，霍兹和穆勒都意识到了领袖内心更加严重的伤势。 “嘀——”带上船的通讯器忽然又尖锐地响了起来，霍兹提督想了一下，自己动手打开全息屏幕，“什么事？” “总督！军事帝国的斐迪亚斯元帅刚刚发来了照会，请求和阁下建立对话！对方说无法接通和您旗舰上的回路，所以要属下代为转达！” “总督需要休息，让那家伙等一下再说。”霍兹提督想了一下，对下属道。 “不，把回路接进来……”陡然间，一直闭目养神的总督发出了低低的回话，在说完这句话的短短几秒时间内，海因苍白的脸上居然泛出了血色——应该是西玛冰体的效果，总督的脸色奇迹般地好转了，黑色的眼睛里闪烁这平日严肃冷锐的光芒，他动作敏捷地从转椅上站起，回头对站在一旁的下属道：“你们都出去一下。” 在退出指挥室前，穆勒医生不由担心地看了一眼刹间恢复活力的总督，目中有痛心之色——毒药，正在一分分的蚀去这个杰出战士的生命。 “嘀——”在全息通讯接通后的几秒钟内，回路两端居然是同样的一片沉默。金发的帝国元帅和黑眸的联盟总督隔着屏幕默默对视，居然没有一个人率先出声说话。 “阁下的气色不大好。”注视着斐迪亚斯苍白得几近透明的脸色，海因总督轻轻抬手碰了一下帽檐，淡然不带感情地率先开口。虽然由于药力的逐步发作，他体内全部的血液都仿佛在燃烧，但他的话语仍然是冷漠的，情绪也极端稳定。 “别装腔作势了，海因！”帝国元帅冷冷地回答，脸上带着一种冷笑和痛苦交织的表情，“请按照战争惯例，把高登·霍尔曼中将的遗体送还我方！顺便把这个东西给我带回去！” 忽然，他用力将一件东西对着屏幕掷了过来。 “嗒”地一声轻响，那东西又反弹到了屏幕中元帅面前的指挥席上，转了一圈停下来，在各种按钮和仪表中泛着金属的冷光。只看得一眼，米格尔·海因总督的身子一下子僵住了，死死盯着屏幕中那一粒扣子，脸上一连换了好几种表情！ “原来还在吗？”低低自语似地说了一句，随即又立刻收住了声音。 “黛在太空中被炸成了灰烬——但是它掉落在了我的旗舰里。”帝国元帅隔着屏幕看了过来，目光复杂，忽然似乎有些感慨地说了一句—— “海因，你好狠的心肠……跟我一模一样呢！” 看着屏幕中那一粒扣子，总督的手不知不觉地握紧了，身体在颤栗，那种颤栗仿佛是从心底发出的，令每一次的呼吸都带着剧烈的灼伤和刺痛——她死了……是的，她死了！ 一刹间，有几幅略微泛黄的画面闪过他的脑海： 绯红色的天空。 亮丽的红色短发。 风中腼腆地低下头的少女。 还有庭院里那一片青青的飞燕草…… 这一切已经再也不会回来了。这一切已经在他的手里灰飞烟灭。就在略微的一出神的时候，海因总督忽然觉得有什么冷冷的东西溅落在自己手上——他低下头，看到了一种他几乎从未想到过的东西。连他自己，在一刹间也不由怔住了。 那，是……泪水？竟然是落下的泪水？ 在泪水溅落在手上时，屏幕那边帝国元帅冷淡的微笑忽然冻结了。斐迪亚斯的表情在几秒钟内是空白的，而对面的总督也一模一样。 在这刹那间，两个人都不知道脸上应该有什么样的表情。 两个人之间的交情，应该开始于十一年前奥瓦鲁小行星带的一次遭遇战，那个时候，斐迪亚斯是少将，而海因只是一个准将——那一次，两个人彼此都第一次在对方身上尝到了苦头，那以后的十年里，他们就是在不停的交锋与对峙中度过的。 作为彼此最强的对手，他们对于对方的了解也超乎了任何人的想象——所以这一刹间，斐迪亚斯才会被海因此刻脸上的表情镇住！ 就算是整个星球忽然在他面前毁灭，也不能让帝国元帅更加惊讶！ “原来……是这样的吗？”斐迪亚斯的声音过了许久才缓缓吃力地响起，仿佛仍旧很难理解眼前的事实，喃喃，“海因，你害人害己啊……” “我也不知道会是这样。”总督始终低着头看着自己手背上那一滴水迹，不曾抬头，似乎也仍旧不相信那居然会落自于自己的眼中，“这一切只是一场战争和谋略——这是一个意外。” “是的，”斐迪亚斯元帅冷冷道，“令人意外。” 海因总督没有回答，他似乎为自己在别人面前表示出过多的感情而感到悔意，立刻控制住了面部的表情——该死的西玛冰体！如果不是药力腐蚀了他的意志，无论如何也不会象现在这样失态的吧？竟然会在斐迪亚斯面前落泪！ 但只过了片刻，他的声音转瞬平定，抬起头来：“阁下，这个东西就不用还了，随便扔了吧——至于高登·霍尔曼将军的遗体，我也会派人送还。” 帝国元帅沉默了一下，终于还是开口：“海因，你是怎么击溃高登部队的？” “撒旦骑兵很强，的确是银河系里无敌的舰队。”海因提督叹了口气，坦然回答：“他自己战术上有失误——他过于关注我的旗舰，反而忽略了身边迫近的威胁。事急用奇。如果不是用一艘旗舰作为代价引开他的注意，恐怕此刻我已经无法站在这里和阁下对话了。” “是吗？……说到底，还是我的错啊。”斐迪亚斯元帅不置可否地应了一声，嘴角又泛起了复杂的笑意，叹息，“海因，看来对你是一点也大意不得的啊——这一生能遇上阁下这样的对手，实在也是我的幸运。” “过奖了。”海因提督冷冷地回答。 斐迪亚斯元帅似乎有了结束这场过长谈话的意思——与对面米格尔·海因总督极佳的气色比起来，帝国元帅脸色苍白得就象一张纸，上面写满了“疲惫”两个字。 他微微抬手碰了一下帽檐，点头告退。海因总督也沉默着致礼告别。 临走，帝国元帅忽然想起什么似地，转身用力摁住了“暂停关闭”的按钮，身子微微前倾，注视着对方，一字一句地说了如下一番话： “海因阁下，由于今日你所做的一切，使我以后不会再单纯地视你为战场上对等的、令我尊敬的敌手。我将会记住你我之间的私怨并将百倍地回报给你——就如同五十年前的卡尔·狄士雷利所做的一样！” “请你也记住我今天说的话！”