The Will of Revenge

by Gamer83888

Fifteen years have passed since the event that changed history. Flare Prime, under the guidance of United Nations, prospers and develops. It's nations, united under the UNSA Andromeda Branch banner, look into bright future. However, old enemies long presumed dead or missing return to bring chaos. A new war is on the horizon and the outcome will decide the fate of billions of lives.

2. Part 1, Chapter 1

And here is chapter 1-1, as you could say, considering it's a chapter 1 of part 1. After the little prologue from before, we can move to the main story. Fifteen years have passed and things have changed. Some for better, some for worse. But the biggest changes surely happened in Flareian System.

Before that, reviews.

To Supreme Supra: Yes. Yes, we do.

Okay, now, why don't we see these changes, huh?

Part One

Ghosts

Chapter 1

April 26, 2166

13:13

Akropolis, Kingdom of Western Orisia

April in capital city of Western Orisia was really chilly this year. People were walking around, dressed in warm clothes mixed with short-sleeved T-Shirts and shorts. Kids were running and laughing, having fun, while other people just sat at nearby cafeterias, drinking tea or coffee and talking.

One of these people, was a man in his mid-twenties, dressed in brown jacket, green T-Shirt and jeans. He sat alone at his table, drinking from his cup and smirking under his nose, watching everything around him.

"I see you're enjoying yourself."

Man looked up and saw another man, older, dressed similarly. He moved back the chair at the table and took a sit.

"Why shouldn't I? Sun is shining, kids are laughing…"
"Pretty idyllic, isn't it."

Cup of coffee landed on the table.

"Why did you stop it, then?"

"Orders just came."

First man quickly tensed. His contact, which was now sitting in front of him, smiled, seeing this.

"Already?"first man asked.

"What do you mean 'already'?"contact snorted."You should say 'finally'. We've been waiting for it for months."

"I know. So, what are they?"

As a response, contact reached into his pocked and pulled out an envelop. He handed it to the man.
"All materials are in there. Once you're at the hotel, read it. No sooner, no later."

"You know me, I know what to do."

"I know, Felidius. Just don't screw anything up."

"Tremonius, did I ever fail you or our beloved Emperor?"

Tremonius growled.

"Just do it. This operation is of up-most importance. We can't let anything wrong happen. Otherwise me, you and all your men will hang…"

"Like that's ever gonna happen."Felidius downplayed it."How many missions did I do already? How many did I fail? None. So don't you worry, buddy."

"Whatever…I'll go and report everything to HQ. See you later."

Tremonius stood up and quickly left the cafeteria, with Felidius constantly looking at him. After his contact was gone, he continued to drink his tea and called in a nice waitress, which had all the curves he liked.

After that, he made his way to a hotel, in which he was staying for the past few weeks. There, he grabbed the envelope, opened it, pulled out several pieces of paper and started reading the one marked with red stamp. As he read through the message written on the paper, he got better and better picture of what he was asked to do. When he read and memorized his instructions, he proceeded to burn the letter in the fireplace and started looking through the rest of the materials.

The gears started turning.

April 28

10:43

Kingdom of Falmart, Sadera, Royal Palace

Another day had risen over the capital of the nation, which formed the backbone of UNSA Andromeda Branch, a subsection of UNSA, tasked with taking care of the business in Andromeda galaxy. Following the end of what people now called War of Flare Prime, rebuilding process of former empire begun and lasted for only three years, with help and technology provided by the UNSA and their allies.

Sudden influx of advanced technology and modern ideas quickly changed the face of the society. New reforms, laws and projects showed it's effectiveness. And although most of it wasn't even generation old, the sight of Deliv Towers, a complex of six modern skyscrapers built in Sadera, was still breathtaking. Education jumped on a brand new level and numbers of schools of various kinds popped out like crazy all over the planet. Medicine reached new standards, with hospitals and medical center filled with specialized personnel, for now only from Milky Way, which saved hundreds of lives already. Infrastructure developed, with roads, highways and numerous factories appearing, blending with local architecture and people.

It was certainly an amazing time to be alive. And queen Pina Co Lada, standing in front of a window in her palace, knew that probably the most. She herself was surprised that everything changed and became much better so quickly. Excluding single occasions, no wars were fought on the planet and thanks to numerous negotiations, in which mainly she took part, entire planet was now part of UNSA. It took some time for rivalries and animosities to die out, but now, relations between different nations were certainly on friendlier level than before. Still not on the level 'it happened a long time ago, so let's be friends', but still good.

Queen sighed. It was hard to believe, that it was already fifteen years since everything went down. Since the war, that changed their world forever, turning it upside down completely. Old powers faded, new pioneers in intergalactic relations appeared. One could only imagine, what future will provide.

Knocking on the door turned Pina's attention.

"Come in."she said.

The door opened and Hamilton, her still faithful assistant, walked in, with several papers and a tablet in her hands. Pina sat down at her desk and Hamilton approached her, putting the papers on it.

"Good morning, Your Highness."Hamilton said, as she finished.

"Good morning to you too, Hamilton."Pina replied with smile, picking up one of the documents."What do we have on today's agenda?"

"Nothing flashy."the assistant said, looking through her tablet."You have a meeting scheduled with Minister Tyueli on 14:00, that's first."

Pina risen her eyebrow. Sherry Tyueli, last member of Tyueli family, after reaching adulthood, quickly decided to get invested with politics of the Kingdom. In the first parliamentary elections of 2158, she was unanimously voted for the position of Minister of Culture. She did her job pretty well, helping in the development of Saderan culture and starting numerous actions, thanks to which their culture became very popular even among alien races of Milky Way.

"Can you remind me, what is that meeting about?"queen asked.

"About the funding for the new theater in Bargry."Hamilton replied.

"Wasn't there one already?"

"Yes, but this one is supposed to be bigger and ore modern in comparison to the previous one."

"Okay, I will meet with her. What's next?"

Hamilton looked into her papers and pulled out another.

"This is the finalized version of the new trade agreement with Gragorians. Prepared by the Trade Corp and our Minister of Finance."she said.
"So, they finally agreed on this thing?"Pina risen an eyebrow. She knew, that there were some problems with this agreement and none of the two sides wanted to accept it. Maybe finally, it will be over with that whole ordeal.

"Yes, they did. They already contacted Gragonians and their Economy Commissar will come to meet with them and sign it."
"That's good to hear. I know we're still new on the intergalactic stage, but they will not simply lower the price artificially. Our gold and platinum cost."

"About that…What do exactly Gragonians need our gold and platinum for?"

Pina leaned on her chair and joined her hands.

"As you know, Gragonians are like dragons. And what do dragons like?"she asked.

"Shining things and jewelry?"Hamilton replied."Oh, I get it. Huh, they really are alien dragons…Weird, that I still didn't learn all of that by all these years."
"Indeed."

At this moment, queen looked at the ceiling of her office.

"Can you imagine?"she asked."It's already been fifteen years since the end of War of Flare Prime. Hard to believe, that our planet changed so fast by only one and a half decade."
"True, Your Highness."Hamilton agreed."Our world really changed."
"And it will be changing. After all, the Thirty Year Plan is still on."Pina reminded.

Hamilton nodded, remembering that December day in New York, when Pina was giving speech to United Nations Assembly and then, a week later, to newly formed government. Thirty Year Plan was aimed to modernize not only their nation, but also the entire planet and as of now, everything was going smoothly, as even in the most remote and isolated areas of the globe, new infrastructure started appearing. Even the nations, which at first didn't believe in any of this, started to feel their growth and development. But after the plan comes to an end, Pina planned to resign from her position and give way to democratic transition of the country into an actual republican state.

"Anyway…There are two more things."the assistant said, refocusing on the current moment and situation.

"So, tell me."Pina looked back at her.

"First, this."Hamilton pulled out another paper."Governor Diablo is asking for another shipment of water to Emloy."

"I thought he already knew, that he could simply call me and request that, without official channels."Pina frowned.

"Seems like the Colonial Administration is really tied to rules."Hamilton threw up her arms.

Diablo El Caesar, Pina's brother, which helped her during the reconstruction period, now held a much more important position, that simple adviser to his sister. Except of technology and trained personnel, one more thing started to flood into Andromeda Galaxy following the end of War of Flate Prime.

Refugees. People, which lost everything they had as a result of Great Galactic War and Anti-Holy Order Remnant Campaigns. Literal millions of people saw the opportunity for new life and decided to settle in Andromeda. However, while Milky Way went through actual refugee crisis, with billions upon billions of refugees making their way through Galaxy and settling on new worlds, what happened to Andromeda was relatively calm. If the statistics were right, around one and a half billion people of all races moved to Andromeda, with majority of them settling on Flare Prime.

Because of this new influx of people, a colonial program was started by the United Nations in Andromeda. Old Colony Ships, which served as museums or utility vessels, were reverted back to their original roles and were settling worlds across Flareian System, with Emloy, local equivalent of Mars, being the first target. After short period of atmosphere forming, settlers started settling in and within just few years, population of the planet reached over one hundred fifty million people, spread across number of metropolises and smaller settlements. Other planets and moons were colonized too, opening places for more people. There were also several colonies and outposts in closest star systems to Flare. And although most people on these planets were from Milky Way, some natives from Flare Prime also decided to search for new life in the colonies.

Pina, to honor her brother for what he did for their country, decided to make him a governor of Emloy, over which he ruled till this day. The only problem the colony had under his rule, was the low access to surface water, as Emloy was completely deprived of it, what demanded constant shipments to go there.

"Well, until we have our own trained personnel, the most of Colonial Administration is made up of people from Milky Way."Pina threw up her arms."And from what I know, they really are addicted, when it comes to going by the rules."

"True that."Hamilton agreed."And here is the last thing, straight from the Ministry of Defense."

"Could the minister come here and talk to me about it? After all, it's the same building."

Pina did one more thing, when constructing the new government. While most ministries had their personal buildings and Parliament was still meeting in the Senate building, Royal Palace was basically divided in two. One half belonged to Pina and rest of the royal court, while the other half was given to disposition of Ministry of Defense. Although it seemed weird at the beginning, it worked out nicely.

"He's got other things to do, as he said."the assistant explained."But he wanted you to look through these papers."
"And what are they about?"queen asked.

"About maneuvers, Your Highness."
"Oh, right, Offworld Storm is happening in few weeks."Pina face palmed herself. She completely forgot about these joint maneuvers. It was going to be the tenth edition of this even, when armies from numerous countries of the planet trained together, to be prepared for anything that was to come in the future

Pina opened the file in her hand and read the list of this year's participants.

"Us, Araluen, Soutland, Kubliatan Empire, Agamoto, Skandia, Nordia…"she read a few."Over fifty thousand soldiers as a whole. Not counting the forces that act as the colonial garrisons."

"Yes. With them, it's over one hundred thousand troops."

"I know it's probably written somewhere in here, but I don't want to search it. Could you tell me, what units from where will take part in these maneuvers?"

"Of course, allow me to find the list."
Hamilton searched through her tablet and after a few seconds, she found what she was looking for and said:
"Here I have this. From our military, three units will be sent. First is 10th Armored Brigade, second is 192nd Infantry Regiment and third is 37th Mechanized Brigade. All from the 1st Royal Saderan Armored Division. Together, this will make eight and a half thousand soldiers."

Pina nodded. 1st RSAD was the most elite and important unit of new Royal Falmartian Army, as it was the first that was formed upon the creation of the RFA in 2153. It's headquarters was in one of Deliv Towers here in Sadera, thus the name.

"Continue."Pina said.
"Yes. Araluenians are up next. They are sending their elite 'King Duncan' Mechanized Brigade, also elite 'Baron Arald' Infantry Battalion and two thousand Royal Rangers from External Branch. This will make nine thousand soldiers."

"Seems like Cassandra really likes to show the best their military have to offer."queen stated.

"I would rather say, that general Altman is more into showing off his troops."Hamilton smirked.

Araluenian military went through numerous reforms in the later part of the 2150s, which increased it's size to over one hundred soldiers and made it one of the best trained and equipped armies of the planet. Royal Rangers Corps, however, was the one, which had the biggest change. More precisely, it was divided into two branches: Homeland Branch, which worked as RRC worked before, with fifty Rangers, one for each fief of the Kingdom, ensuring peace and law across the nation, but with new equipment and technology, and External Branch, much bigger one, aimed for operations outside of the country's borders. That second branch already showed it's worth in Anti-HO Remnant Campaigns. And of course, general Horace Altman, husband of the queen and commander-in-chief of the military, loved to show off what his new troops were capable of.

"Okay, next."Pina said.
"Next, Soutland. They aren't sending much, but their best as well. Entire 5th Tank Regiment 'Solo Riders', so three thousand and two hundred soldiers."Hamilton replied.

Queen nodded. 'Solo Riders', first tank unit in Soutland's military. Not to mention, that also the most famous one. During the Campaigns' Battle of Helios IV, they single handedly turned what could be the biggest loss of the Campaigns, into one of the most spectacular victories, as remains of the regiment broke through HO Remnant lines, allowing allied troops to flank and surround them. Rest was just a history. For what they did, they were awarded by King Arlan himself.

"Who's next?"

"Next, we have the Kingdoms Coalition Joint Military. Let me see…Oh."Hamilton blinked.

"What?"
"It seems, that they will be sending the most troops of all of us."
"In form of…?"

"They're sending entire 92nd Mechanized Division."

Pina whistled.
"That's over fourteen thousand troops."she said.
"Indeed."Hamilton agreed.

92nd Mechanized Division was called 'Pride of Elbe', as it was the biggest unit made completely of Elbe's troops. Though not the biggest or most elite unit in entire KCJM, but it's soldiers, as they were from Elbe, were hard to crack and were some of the most tough people out there.

"What else?"
"Well, there are also numerous smaller units from other nations."Hamilton said, looking through the rest of the list."Some battalions or companies, but nothing worth mentioning."

"Okay, is there something else you have for me?"Pina joined her hands together on her desk, as she looked at Hamilton.

"There's nothing else I have for you."the assistant replied.
"Then you are allowed to go."
"Thank you."

Saying that, Hamilton bowed and left the office, leaving Pina with her thoughts.

Although everything seemed to be going in the right direction, Pina had that big hunch, that something was going to happen real soon. She didn't knew why, but she just felt, that soon, all that calmness will be broken.

And as she was to learn few weeks later, she was right.

April 28

11:12

Flare Prime's orbit

While surface of the planet changed a lot in the past years, orbit and surroundings changed as well.

First thing everyone noticed, was the amount of space stations that popped up around. Trade outposts, junction stations and military anchorages dotted the space, showing the wind of changes that appeared. Most of these stations were built as a result of the refugee influx, but most were result of enlarged military presence of the UNSA in Andromeda. With the creation of Andromeda Branch and Navies of AB countries, majority of the stations were given to respective nations of the planet, with Falmart having the biggest number of them.

However, all of these stations were dwarfed by the one thing, which became the symbol of the new era in galactic history. More precisely, by Intergalactic Gate Control Station, which surrounded the Intergalactic Gate.

After the Intergalactic Gate was created by newly proclaimed Goddess of the Underworld, Giselle, she contacted the UNSA HQ and promised to help with construction of one of the greatest engineering wonders in history. She explained to United Nations, how to control space and time capabilities of the Gate, what further led to the project of IGCS. When the project was ready, it commenced on full throttle.

Two such stations were created, on both sides of the Gate: one in Angier System and one in Flareian System. Construction took two years to complete and on March 3, 2157, it was completed. First tests were given a green light and were concluded. Three days after the completing of the construction, a test of control over the Gate was made.

Generators designed by Giselle and UNSA R&D department, able to power up the Gate, were turned off, what actually managed to close off the Gate, making it disappear. Next, after five minutes, they were powered up again. Gate appeared again and it was declared that now, the UN was able to control the opening and closing of the Gate. However, it was decided, that the Gate will be closed only if it will ever be endangered by military attack and during peace, it will stay opened. It stayed open since then, not closing for even a single day.

This allowed the trade and tourism to prosper, as every day, tens of vessels, both civilian and military, were crossing the Intergalactic Gate in both directions, traversing the space between two galaxies within just minutes. Hundreds of people traveled on business or to simply see the wonders of Andromeda or vice versa.

A big liner just exited the Gate and proceeded to turn towards one of Junction Stations ran by Falmart. Aboard this liner were numerous passengers, both Humans and aliens alike, minding their own business.

Among them, was a certain woman with hairs the color of fire. She was dressed in military-grade pants and a jacket, with her name written on it. On the back of the jacket, she had a logo presenting a shark jumping out of the water and word 'Sharkline' written in yellow letters inside a blue rim. Next to her, on a bench, was a bag.

And currently, she was talking to someone via her hand terminal.

"Dora, just don't get into trouble out there, will you?"the other woman asked on the screen.

Dora Hiedel, former pilot in UNSA Air Force, smirked hearing her interlocutor's words. She giggled.

"Ester, could you stop worrying, that I will start bar fight with anyone I'll see?"Dora asked back.

Colonel Ester Barkhorn, Dora's former teammate and current partner, sighed.
"I'm just worried about you. You know, how life is, right?"Ester argued.
"I know, I know."Dora waved her hand."But Estie, it's just a business trip. I won't make any trouble to anyone."

"You promise?"
"I promise."

Ester nodded.
"Okay, Do. I understand. Sorry for worrying like that."she said.
"Don't be sorry, I really appreciate you're worrying about me. But I'm just going to meet with the client, take care of everything and done. I'll be back in a few weeks."

"Alright, have fun then. See you in few weeks."Ester stopped for few seconds, before adding:"I love you."
"I love you too. Bye."Dora said and disconnected.

She turned off her hand terminal and put her hands behind her head.

"You sure are cute when you talk like that."a smirk voice said.

Dora looked to her left, at her travel companion. There, she saw a young girl, dressed in black and crimson, with tan armband on her arm, with the same logo that Dora had on her jacket. Nothing strange would be about that girl…if she didn't held an axe that was much bigger than herself.

"Was that supposed to be ironic, Rory?"Dora asked.

Rory Mercury, an Apostle of Emloy, send Dora her trademark smile.
"Of course not. I just said what I thought."Rory replied, throwing up her arms.

"What else did you expected from me and Ester? She's my wife after all."

"I was on your wedding, of course I know."

Right then, they heard a voice coming from the PA:
"All passengers, please get ready, we're about to dock at Rondel Junction Station."
"You heard the man."Dora stood up and picked up her bag."Let's go to the airlock."
"Right after you."Rory said.

The liner then proceeded to make it's way towards the biggest junction station under Falmartian jurisdiction. Vessel docked to it and all the airlocks were opened, letting people out. Next, all passengers proceeded to walk in different directions. Some went to other gates, some went to the waiting area and others just went to do some shopping.

Dora and Rory stood in the corridor, watching the crowds moving around, before turning towards the nearest check-in point. There, they waited in a long queue, before finally stopping in front of the young woman at the counter.

"Hello, welcome to Rondel Junction Station."the woman said with a bright smile."What can I help you with?"

"She didn't react to Rory…Well, most of the personnel in Andromeda is still from Milky Way. It will take some time, before locals take their places."Dora thought."Hello to you too. I would like one ticket for a ship going to Taurus III."
"I would like one ticket for a shuttle going to Flare Prime's surface."Rory said.

"Of course."

The woman looked at the screen before her and pressed something on it. Soon, two different tickets were printed and the woman gave them to the two. Dora then put her hand terminal to the stationary terminal. A green light lit up, signaling, that the payment was processed and money was already in station's systems.

"But I have to tell you, that due to some technical difficulties, your flights were moved to different hours. I'm sorry because of that."The woman bowed.

"Oh, so when does our flights leave?"Rory asked.
"They're gonna leave at 15:00."

Rory whistled.

"Well then, what are we gonna do until then?"she asked.

Dora rubbed her chin, as she was thinking about the answer for that question. Right then, an idea appeared in her head. She looked at Rory.
"Hey, Rory. What do you say about visiting an old friend?"she asked.

Rory just smiled, as she was well aware, what friend did she mean.
"With pleasure."

Few minutes later, they were aboard a shuttle flying towards the different station.

11:57

Trade Corp Spaceborne Headquarters

The shuttle the two took docked to the station and allowed the two to leave it, before the machine itself returned to it's original place.

Dora and Rory walked through the automatic door and found themselves in the big hall, with numerous screens and holograms visible around. There was a holographic logo presented just over the reception. It was a word 'TRACO' written with stylized industrial font, colored blue. There was a man sitting behind the reception.

"Seems pretty flashy."Rory stated.

"Meh, when it comes to corporations, this is the most humble corporation HQ I ever saw."Dora threw up her arms.

Milky Way-Andromeda Trading Corporation, or simply Trade Corp as everyone called it, was the first big corporation to be created in Andromeda. As the name implied, its main task was controlling the trade between the two galaxies and making sure that no pirates, which suddenly started appearing in Andromeda, will target Trade Corp's transport and utility ships. This is why the Corp also had a small fleet of military-grade ships to escort their convoys.

Dora and Rory came up to the reception and the man behind the desk looked up at them. Immediately when he saw Rory, he bowed.
"Your Holiness, I'm really honored to see you."he said.
"Well, he's local. But that doesn't surprise me."Dora said and looked closer at the man."Wait…I think I recognize you…"

The man looked at her.

"Oh, is that so?"he asked.
"Yes…Maybe…Where are you from and what's your name?"Dora asked.
"I'm Mikel, from Coda Village, ma'am."the man said.

"Ha!"Dora clapped her hands."I knew I recognized you! But then, you were just a little kid."

Mikel then looked at Dora and realized something.
"Wait…I recognize you too! You were there, when we evacuated our village because of the Flame Dragon!"Mikel exclaimed.
Next, he grabbed Dora's hand and started shaking it.

"I'm still grateful for you and your friends did back then! You are all our heroes!"

"We just did what we had to do."Dora waved it off."Say, how did you land here, as a receptionist in corporation HQ?"
"After the end of War of Flare Prime, I was chosen for a Teaching Evaluation Program."Mikel said."I received proper education on Earth and soon landed here."

Dora nodded. Teaching Evaluation Program was a program for several thousand children from Flare Prime, which were to be placed in Earth's schools, where they would be educated properly and prepared to put bases for the first, educated generation of the planet. Program had as many enemies and supporters, but ultimately, it turned out to be a great idea.

"Good to hear that, but we're here to meet an old friend."Dora said.

"Of course, I can arrange a meeting."Mikel said, sitting down."Who is your friend?"
"Current CEO of the Trade Corp."Rory said.

Mikel whistled.
"Then I'm pretty sure, that she'll be happy to see you."he said.

He picked up the phone and picked the right number. After few seconds, he started talking.

"Excuse me, boss, but there are two people that want to meet you…No, they're not investors…They are your friends…Her Holiness Rory Mercury and…"Here, he looked at Dora, clearly ashamed, that he forgot her name.
"Dora Hiedel."Dora said.
"And miss Dora Hiedel."Mikel said."They came to see you…Okay, I'll tell them. Goodbye, ma'am."

Mikel put the phone down and looked at the two.
"Miss CEO will see you right now. Her office is at the center of the station."he said.

"Okay, thanks."Dora said.

The two then went down the corridors, passing by various doors, leading to various offices and other rooms. Several workers of Trade Corp passed by them, not paying much attention to them. Along the way, they could also see several holographic adds for some products and services. It seemed like capitalism really started rooting in here.

They continued to walk, until they reached the center of the station, which they knew because they saw a big sign saying 'Station Center'.

"Well, that's helpful."Dora stated.

"Indeed."Rory agreed."Now, where is the CEO office?"
"I think there."Dora pointed at the door, on which words 'CEO Office' were written.

"Alright."

When they approached the door, Dora knocked on them.

"Come in!"familiar voice said from within.

Dora pressed the button on the wall and the door opened, allowing the two to enter.

Behind it, they saw pretty comfortable looking office, with giant screens acting as walls, just behind the desk, showing the view from outside cameras and giving an impression, that space was just behind the window. On the right from the entrance, there was a big bookshelf with numerous books placed on it, alongside some photos and rewards. On the desk, there was another photo, next to the nameplate, with some papers and writing tools on the other side.

And behind that desk, sat an elven woman with long, blonde hair, dressed in gray suit. When she looked up and her eyes fell on her guests, a smile appeared on her face.
"Dora! Rory! So good to see you!"she said.
"Hi, Tuka. Long time no see."Dora said casually.

Tuka Luna Marceau, current CEO of Trade Corp, stood up from behind her desk and approached the two. She hugged them both, expressing how much she missed them by the years.
"I didn't expect you to come here."Tuka said.

"Well, you see, our transports were postponed for later, so we decided to pay you a visit while we're waiting."Dora explained."Hope we're not interrupting?"
"Of course not!"the CEO replied."Why don't we sit down?"
"With pleasure."Rory stated.

They approached the desk and all three sat down on chairs around it. Dora noticed, that Tuka, sitting behind her desk, with name plate with her name and position written on it, looked pretty intimidating.
"Well, all powerful CEO, how is your life going?"Dora asked.

"How can a life of corporate CEO be going?"Elf threw up her arms."Meetings, looking through our finances and making sure nothing goes wrong. Honestly, when I finished my education, I had no idea, that this job will be this serious…"
"This is how corporate way is."Dora threw up her arms.

After the war, Tuka clearly declared, that she would like to uptake proper education in some field. Everyone was clearly surprised, when she decided to go with financial and economic studies. But, she was stubborn enough to learn enough by herself to be accepted into one of financial and economic schools on Earth and finish it with one of the best scores out of her class. Then, when Trade Corp was founded, she quickly hired herself there and, thanks to her talents and knowledge, she quickly became a right hand of the previous CEO, which appointed her as his successor. When former CEO left his post, Tuka took his place and led the Corp into becoming one of the most important corporations on Milky Way stock market.

"But why talk about me?"Tuka asked."Let's talk about you. When did we see each other last time? Fourteen years ago?"
"Yeah, sorry that we couldn't meet earlier."Dora scratched back of her head."You know, Galaxy was in shambles, some things needed to be done…"
"I understand. But before we go further, want something to drink?"

"Coffee would be nice."Rory said.

"Same."Dora backed her up.
Tuka pressed a button on a tablet, that was laying on her desk and said:
"Jim, can you bring three coffees to my office, like for tomorrow?"

"Will do, boss!"the voice on the other side said.

CEO looked at her guests again.

"So, Do, how are you and Ester doing?"she asked.
"Pretty good."Dora showed a her right hand, with a golden ring on her index finger."As you can see, we're happily married."
"Good for you!"Tuka clapped her hands."But…I'm sorry I couldn't attend your wedding…I…"

Dora stopped her.
"I know, you were working hard on your education."she said."There's nothing wrong about it. Besides, if you want, we can give you video from our wedding."
"It would be nice."
"Also, we're parents."Dora added.

This time, Tuka was clearly dumbfounded and blinked a few times, before she opened her mouth again.
"What?"she asked."But…you're both women…and…"
"I thought you heard about a thing that is adoption?"Dora risen her eyebrow.

"Oh…That explains it."Tuka nodded.

"Want me to show them?"

"Them?"
"Yeah, we adopted twins."
"Oh, then please."

Dora pressed something on her hand terminal and showed the screen to Tuka. On it, the elf could see Dora, Ester and a pair of identical girls. They both had short, brown hair and blue eyes. They also had big smiles on their faces.

"Oh, they're so cute."Tuka said."What are their names?"
"Ursula and Conny."Dora replied."We adopted them while they were still babies. They're thirteen currently."
"With parents like you, I'm pretty sure they're gonna be very good people."CEO stated.
"Well, actually…They're a pair of rascals and troublemakers. But honestly, we still love them."
"Ekhm."Rory cleared her throat.

The two looked at her.

"Oh, sorry that we forgot about you a bit…"Tuka said.

"Don't worry, I just wanted you to remind about myself."Apostle replied.

"So, how are you doing, Rory?"

"I'm doing okay. I travel between galaxies, help people here and there, of course with approval from Lord Emloy, and do things. I also joined Dora's company some time ago."
"Yup."Dora nodded.

Tuka then noticed the armband on Rory's arm and Dora's jacket in the same color as the armband.

"And what are you doing for a living exactly?"she asked.
"Oh, it's simple."Dora waved her hand."When the war was over, Ester decided to stay in the military, while I left and moved to a private sector."
"By that you mean…?"

"I mean I'm a mercenary. I'm a co-founder and have shares in a private military contractor named Shakrline."

Tuka whistled.
"Co-founder of a PMC? How did that happen?"

"Well, it's an interesting story."Dora stated."One night, I sit in a bar, drinking and searching for job offer on the net. A guy comes and sits next to me, asking, if he could take some of my time. At first, I thought that he simply wants to pull me to bed."

"I bet."Rory chimed in.

"Yeah."Dora continued."But we talked for some time and with every word, I believed him more and more. Next, he gave me his ID to make me fully believe him and turned out that I was talking to…Xuo Zhang, one of the richest people currently alive."
"That must have been quite a shock."

"And it was. Anyway, he gave me a proposal: he wanted me to become co-owner of PMC he wanted to establish. When I asked why, he replied, that someone as famous and talented in military fields as me should have a job that best suits me. I thought it was actually a good idea, so I agreed. And just within few years, Sharkline became one of the most renown and famous PMCs out there."

"I guess it's thanks to you?"
"Sure. You think I will let some weaklings to fill the ranks of something I helped to create? Never. They had to be shaped properly, no matter how many curses will they throw at me for all I did to them."

"Well, I shouldn't be surprised about that."Tuka threw up her arms."You are known from these ferocious trainings. I still remember what you did with rest of White Squadron in every free moment."

Then, she looked at Rory and her Sharkline armband.

"And how did she…?"she asked.
"That's simple."Rory replied."I just walked in, introduced myself and asked if I can join. They accepted me without question."

"Really, the last thing I expected, was her walking in and asking to join us."Dora said."But it happened."

"Now, I'm just going home for a little vacation."

"Did she even do anything?"
"Of course I did."Rory pouted."By these two months I was a member of Shakrline, I took part in few missions against remains of Holy Order."

"Wait, there still are some?"CEO asked.

"Well, I know it's already fifteen years, but Milky Way is big and there are many remote star systems in it. And it's true that most bigger fleets and armies of HO that were left after the war are gone, but many smaller groups now turned terrorists are still rampaging. And anytime a new one is discovered, forces are sent there to destroy them. Sometimes regular armies, sometimes us mercenaries."Dora explained.

Tuka nodded.

Right then, the door leading to the office opened and a secretary carrying a tray with cups of tea. He approached the desk, put the three cups down and left. Tuka grabbed her cup and lifted it into the air.

"Cheers to the late reunion!"she said.
"Cheers!"the two said, lifting their cups.

Next, they all drank their tea.

Few hours later, Dora and Rory said their goodbyes to Tuka and left. Soon, they were already on their ships. Dora took a liner going to Taurus III, while Rory took a shuttle to Flare Prime.

XXX

And we're gonna end here for now. First actual chapter of the story is over and I hope you are satisfied with most of the answers for questions about what happened in that one and a half decade in Flareian System. So now, stay tuned, as in the next chapter, we're moving to our home, the Milky Way.

For now, leave a review, favourite and follow. It will be highly appreciated!

See ya for now!