Chapter 15—New Allies
In accordance with the protocol for receiving foreign heads of state, Paraná transported them to the United Council airport on the Washington. The landing of the battleship at the airfield required a great deal of preparation, and before it landed, it could be seen through the porthole, and Marshall personally came to greet it with the top of the council.
Seeing that he got into Marshall's car, Barana breathed a sigh of relief. There had been so much to go through in this long day, and he was so tired. Now that he is on Earth, the pressure on the Third Fleet can be greatly reduced, and it is time for him to take a break.
At this time, it was late at night on Earth, and Paraná expected that the summit would be tomorrow at the earliest, so he decided to go home first. I haven't been back for half a year, and my home must be full of dust.
Barana woke up early the next day, and although he wanted to get some more sleep, there was a lot to do today. He walked into the bathroom and let the robotic arm brush his teeth with ultrasound as he picked up his communicator to see if there was anything new.
All the members of the Third Fleet had gone through a hard battle, and it stands to reason that they should have all gone to rest last night, and only a small number of officers on duty were on vigil, and if there was no news, nothing had happened.
There was only one message on the communicator's display, which was sent by Marshall. Marshall was surprised that he had risen earlier than him. In his impression, Marshall belonged to the kind of pampered politician, and even if he burned his eyebrows, he might not be able to call him up. Could it be that he didn't sleep all night last night?
He lazily walked to the refrigerator, suddenly remembered something, his sleepiness was swept away, and he returned to his usual alert posture. There are no humans or robots cleaning the refrigerator for him, and every time he opens the refrigerator door, it is a fantasy adventure. Because he has the impression that every time he opens the refrigerator, the inside looks different. No one knows what's going on in the depths of the refrigerator. He suspects that the aged cheese may have mutated and become conscious, trying to dominate the world. Maybe the leftover pasta and doughnuts from half a year ago started a war for dominance in the refrigerator. He put on a gas mask and cut-resistant gloves and pulled out a box of unopened canned ham from the mountain of leftovers in the refrigerator, which was only the tip of the refrigerator, and he didn't have the courage to venture deeper. Looking at its appearance, it seems to have escaped the poison of mutant cheese. Although there are a variety of vacuum-packed dishes, they are still delicious in cans. Relieved, he took off his mask and gloves, stuffed the can into the opener with one hand, and picked up the terminal with the other to read Marshall's message to him.
There was no emergency, and it should not have been sent by Marshall himself, but only a notice sent in the name of Marshall. The summit meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. in the Joint Council building. Surprisingly, Paraná was again a representative of the military. Although the title of the youngest fleet commander in history gave the media a lot of gimmicks, it was the first time he had attended a meeting at this level because of his young qualifications. Barana smiled bitterly, thinking, isn't this a clear way to tell the people that the earth's military is insufficient...
There was no time to care about Marshall's stupid decision, after all, what the people thought was not within his purview. After eating the can, he opened the refrigerator door as fast as he could, threw the half-eaten can into the refrigerator with the force of a rugby throw, and closed the refrigerator door with a bang before it popped out, thus cutting off the path of cheese domination in the world.
Half of the day's problems have been solved. After completing the refrigerator challenge, he decided that attending the meeting was not a big deal, after all, his life would not be in danger. However, out of caution, he tidied up his dress. The rest of the gowns would have a shoulder pad at the shoulder for a more formal look, but the middle of the shoulder pads on either side of his gown was hollowed out, and a lightsaber and laser pointer were placed. In the event of an emergency, you can tear off the rank and take out the weapon as soon as possible. Military rank may be a symbol of glory, but it can also make people a striking target. He checked the lightsaber's energy and tested the accuracy of the laser pointer, and after confirming that there were no problems, he put on his rank and went up to the rooftop tarmac.
Paraná has turned on autopilot, so that it will not be so nervous in the earth's atmosphere. He had heard that Leslie had hysterically assigned two divisions of guard troops to the venue, but he felt that this was too much of a mobilization.
The UEE General Assembly Hall is located in Beijing, China, just two blocks from Qianmen. Although the lobby is solemn and magnificent, its cost is a drop in the bucket compared to the land price. Had it not been for China's big hand and bearing the cost, the United Earth Council would not have been able to afford to build a Great Hall on a plot of land within Beijing's Second Ring Road.
This is also the location of the Apocalypse Big Bang, and I don't know if there is any past here. Paraná thought to himself.
When the ship stopped in the square of the City Hall, Paraná walked down the gangway, a little dizzy to look at the dense array of long guns and short guns. But this time he learned a lot smarter, he quickly squeezed out of the crowd, ignoring the reporters' questions, and threw down a holographic projector. Let Tesdin solve these troubles, although the next day the major news websites will inevitably accuse him of belittling the media and having an eccentric personality, but the price is still worth it in order to escape this interrogation. I felt like I needed a guard, Paraná thought to himself. He was one of the very few commanders who did not have guards and were far superior to them, but he felt that he needed the support of the guards very much whenever he needed to clear the way. In its opinion, the journalist was far more terrible than the swarm of Chrisselis.
He was about to enter the door of the Great Hall when he looked back and happened to see Marshall and Jun walking side by side. This old politician has his own knack for dealing with journalists, and in his hands a few journalists are more powerful than a fleet. They were the bridge through which he gained prestige and honor. And Jun has obviously experienced countless such scenes in his long life, and he seems to be at ease.
There were no twists and turns, and Marshall and Jun signed an alliance treaty on behalf of Earth and the Apocalypse Empire, respectively. The two sides first signed the treaty, and then, according to the tradition of the Apocalypse Empire, the supreme commanders of the two sides, the commander of the Third Earth Fleet, Paraná, and the great general of the Apocalypse Empire, exchanged weapons to express the friendship between the two armies. Parana gave Jun the pistol he had carried for many years, and of course Jun did not hand over his black sword, but he handed him an ancient sword mixed with Apocalypse Gold, which is said to have been used by his best friend and was the pinnacle of ancient Chinese iron-smelting technology.
The meeting was followed by a grand state dinner. Marshall thought that the variety of Chinese food would dazzle you, so as to show the gorgeous food culture of the earth, but you seem to know Chinese food better than him. From the use of chopsticks to the name of the dish, he is a head taller than him in every way. Paraná forgot to tell him that he had been to China more than 2,000 years ago.
Halfway through the banquet, the officers and men of the Third Fleet were still patrolling the Earth's high-altitude orbit. Although they were heavily guarded, they would not have noticed that in the distant NGC5139, there was a fleet, half of which had already entered the orbit of the warp, and was heading for the earth.