Ves had hastily said goodbye to his wife and quickly made his way back to his temporary office in order to handle this sudden crisis.
"DAMNIT!"
Why hadn't he been told?
How come a leader as important and high-profile as General Axelar Streon decided to randomly set aside his many obligations and make an unannounced visit to New Constantinople?
This didn't make any sense! The Great Severing only happened a few months ago and still produced a huge amount of ripple effects!
In the dawn of a new age where all of the god pilots had disappeared in order to conduct a super secretive operation, every ace pilot was needed to defend the most important colonies in human space!
Powerful leaders and champions such as General Axelar Streon absolutely couldn't afford to leave the core colonies of their clans unattended. Who knew whether the native aliens would launch a deep strike operation on their own in order to cripple the greatest strongholds of red humanity?
For whatever reason, General Axelar disregarded this important responsibility and set off for a star system that was located in the turf of another ancient clan!
It did not take any effort to figure out why this famed and powerful Terran leader traveled all the way to the New Constantinople System at this sensitive time,
"He has come for me!" Ves concluded.
This realization generated a torrent of emotions in his mind.
It had been a long time since he had gone through that short but highly memorable Mastery experience.
From starting out in a drug-addled mind to cheering Axelar on as the hapless pilot utilized the newly materialized Ouroboros to defeat a genuine first-class multipurpose mech in an arena duel, Ves gained a lol from his brief exposure to high-level Terran society!
Although Ves had been enormously impressed by the power of the Terrans and the status of General Axelar Streon in present times, that did not mean be wanted to meet bis 'Mastery host' in person!
"Not again." He groaned.
What was it with those annoying Mastery hosts?! Why couldn't they respect his wishes and leave him alone so that they could live their merry lives in peace?
First it was Rion Aaden, the former idiot dwarf turned self-proclaimed emperor.
Next it was Divine Irene Mox, the pilot who was fated to become the Destroyer of Worlds.
Now it seems that General Axelar Streon himself wanted to take his turn to reunite with the mech designer who had inadvertently transformed his entire life!
What was next? Would Eloise Pelican show up out of the blue in the future? That would be crazy!
"Leave me alone!"
Didn't they get the message that Ves wanted nothing to do with them anymore?! Their initial contact with each other was supposed to be a one-off event.
As far as Ves was concerned, he engaged in a transaction with his Mastery hosts.
They all had their own problems which Ves conveniently solved. In return for services rendered, he gained the opportunity to see the mech pilots in action, thereby gaining valuable first-hand insights in the complexities of controlling powerful war machines.
Thai was supposed lo be the end of this transaction. Ves most emphatically did not extend the contract or provide any after-sales services. They shouldn't even find oul about him in the first place!
Ves never wanted these powerful and dangerous fellows to insert themselves into his present life!
Not only would every point of contact reveal the extremely sensitive secret that Ves possessed the capacity to travel back in time, but his former Mastery hosts could also utilize their knowledge to blackmail him If they found out the truth!
"What did I do to deserve this crap?! Can't you leave me alone?"
At least this situation appeared to be a bit better than before.
Rion Aaden had utilized his amazing intellect to set a trap.
Ves gave away his Involvement almost instantly as soon as he pulled out Emma's spiritual fragment.
As for General Axelar Streon, the man should not have any solid proof that Ves had mixed in his life in the past.
This allowed him to calm down. Now that he regained his composure, Ves figured that the worst-case scenario had yet lo occur. This gave him a chance to come away from this impending reunion with his secrets intact.
He just needed to bluff one of the foremost Terran leaders in the Red Ocean and ensure that he did not give away a single clue!
"This is going to be a challenge." Ves frowned.
The greatest variable that could expose his connection to Axelar's uncharacteristic deeds a century ago was his only creation at the time.
Although the modern Incarnation of the Ouroboros had changed enormously since its initial creation, it still retained traces of his work!
The similarities in design philosophies between the Ouroboros and his many living mechs could be used to form a possible connection.
Fortunately, the living properties of the Ouroboros deviated significantly from that of his regular works.
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