Kira will always shout "Surprise!" when attacking. ”

Cain guesses that Kira may have deliberately released the water out of respect, or maybe it could be remnants of code from his ancient preset process.

This warning roar was unnecessary, and it wasn't interesting at all after all this time. And a three-quarter-ton battle mech with a fifty-centimeter-long titanium halberd with a hook grip pounces on you, even if it shouts "Surprise!" "It's still a three-quarter-ton battle mech, and it's coming at you with a fifty-centimeter-long titanium halberd with a hook grip.

"Don't make a fuss," Kai Yin sighed.

"But I did surprise you," Kira said, dejected. He looked down to see Cain's onyx desk, now neatly cut into two pieces. Then he looked at Siddha Cain himself, who was still sitting in his chair, reading an official bulletin.

Not split in half at all.

Kira focused his optics suspiciously, swinging a steel claw across Cain's form. There were fluctuations in the imagery. "Holographic projection bait?"

"Yes," Cain said from the other corner of the cabin. "Holographic projection decoy."

"You're playing tricks?"

"Uh-huh."

"You're playing tricks on me."

"I heard you from four decks," Cain replied. He sat in a window seat. Outside the thick colored portholes, the light in the flying space is like neon. Cain was intently reading the document, his posture and movements accurately represented in the hologram of the chair.

Kira's gaze jumps between the real person and the image.

"The bait is a clever trick," he said. "But how did you hear me? I turned on stealth mode. ”

Cain's eyes were still on the job at hand. "Figures of speech. I relied on the tracker that was put on you last week. I've been tracking your movements," he said absent-mindedly.

The battle mech paused, then looked at itself at an eerie angle, trying to find the tracker, like a puppy scratching at its own tail.

"It's kind of unfair," he complained.

"Soldiers don't get tired of cheating," Cain said, standing up. He was tall, lean and lithe, wearing the black uniform of an imperial governor. But there were no insignia or logos on the uniforms – one color black, which symbolized the highest rank. His long hair is only shaved short on the sides, which is the aristocratic model of the Central Planet. A delicate, shiny gold interactive panel obscured his left eye and left side of his face. He looked at the battle mech. "That's what you taught me. Lesson 1. ”

Kira shrugged. "yes."

"So, the bait is completely fair."

"But," said Kira, "how can you learn by playing tricks?" Human learning is through motor reflexes. If you knew I was coming, you-"

Kai Cain looked directly into the eyes of the battle mech.

"Kira," he said, "my old friend, Kira...... Do you really think there's anything I haven't learned? ”

Kira's massive body was covered in scars and heavily colored green and orange bulletproof shields, making him a little shorter. "I don't think so. I feel that you are the great lord of the empire and have also proven yourself in battle. I think you are one of the cardinal generals appointed by the emperor himself. I don't think there's much left to teach you about an old, rusty battle mech. I think I should go to the scrap metal recycling yard, or go to the madhouse mine. ”

Kira ......

"I thought maybe I should melt down my automatic feedback system for transuranic, or maybe they could donate my parts to a young battle mech."

"Kira!" Cain walked over to the big machine. "Don't say it. Don't feel inferior, okay? I still need to keep it up. I need you to keep me in a sense of urgency. Every now and then comes a surprise and a sneak attack, as always. ”

Kira's optics rotated a few degrees hopefully. "yes?"

"Yes. How would the cardinal general remain at his peak without the test of his faithful battle mech? ”

"So...... Do you win this round? Kira asked.

"Well, after all, you cut my table in half, so let's settle it as a draw."

Kira nodded. He took a few steps left and right, then emitted an infrasonic pulse that opened the arsenal of weapons hidden in the walls of Cain's private cabin. The pitch-black wall panels moved to the side, revealing rows of bladed and projectile weapons, bathed in red light. The designs of these weapons all come from different suns, and some of these exotic weapons have never even seen any sunlight.

"We're going to talk about it now," Kira said. "Pick a weapon."

"I don't have time today."

"But it's on the agenda."

"There's something I need to deal with," Cain said, gesturing to the bulletin in his hand.

"A message? You've been watching this since I came in. ”

"That's why I don't want to be bothered," Cain said. "We need to modify the route."

"The flight course has been set to-"

"I know. So to revise. ”

"The Emperor is waiting for you to return to the fleet," the battle mech said. "The Emperor wants a report on Chloa's containment actions."

"But it's very important. Najuri has been found on the edge planet outside the Rahn Cluster. ”

"I'm sure Commander Nagiuri can handle it," Kira objected. "He was a first-class officer of the Demacian Empire. It's a feat—"

"Commander Najuri is an old friend and comrade of mine," Kain said. "I respect his judgment and believe him if he says he needs special attention from the cardinal. Inform Captain Vischel and ask her to reset her course. ”

Kira hesitated.

"Go," Cain said.

The battlemech nodded, then walked towards the exit with heavy steps.

"Wait," Cain called out to him. He walked over to the large machine and removed an electronic sheet from the wide back of the battle mech. "The tracker was removed. See? It's completely gone. You can continue to sneak up on me later. ”

"Okay," Kira said. There was a gleam of respect and enthusiasm in his optics. "I've got a special sledgehammer that I always want—"

"Shh Cain interrupted him. "I want a surprise, don't forget."

Once again, Cain was alone and awakened the astrolabe unit built into his private cabin. The console rises from the deck, opening the petal-like metal blades to project a three-dimensional image of the local galaxy. He reached out and rotated, moved, clicked, and zoomed in on the image. A few fingers slid lightly, focusing on Iona. His golden visual interactive panel is connected to a three-dimensional projection that enhances the details of the planet in real time.

Ionan is a marginal planet. It's a barren place. Nothing.

Naguri's team has been sent there for months, tasked with searching for the Ano, or the rebel "paladins" who are trying to steal the lifeblood of this precious source of energy from under the nose of the Empire.

The Demacian Empire is the supreme authority in known space, and their center of operations is a vast fleet of heavy nuclear weapons. The empire's power, influence, and technological prowess are unmatched. There are no more wars in the galaxy. Under the prestige of the emperor, the military forces led by cardinal generals and great generals maintained absolute control.