"Okay, we've gotten far enough. Let's talk."
By far enough, I meant that I was far away from school and near home. Which wasn't that far, to be honest, but enough to be completely out of view from Lin Xue's organization. Anyway, even if the mysterious organization tracked me down, I had Aegis. They wouldn't be able to hurt me.
"Might I remind the Commander that Aegis does not possess any offensive capability? I have no means of terminating the enemy."
"They aren't the enemy, and there's no need to kill them! Unless they try to kill me first." I scratched my head and sighed wearily. "I just need to defend myself, that's all. An alien is one thing, but if I start killing fellow humans, I'll get into trouble with the law."
Speaking of which, I couldn't help but shudder. I had just taken a life. A sentient life. It was different from squashing a bug. Hell, prior to this, I hadn't even the heart to hit stray dogs and cats, and I had a soft spot for animals. But it wasn't like playing a game either…it was a surreal experience. Now that the adrenaline had worn off and I was out of danger, the moral implications of what I did were just starting to hit me.
I didn't regret it, of course. I wasn't a saint who offered the other cheek when slapped. The Saurian tried to kill me. It was kill or be killed. Obviously, I didn't actually intend to kill him, but when I did, the impact hadn't actually hit me until now because the enemy wasn't human. However, now that I remembered that he resembled a humanoid, I begin to feel nauseous.
"Ugh!"
"Are you all right, Commander?"
"Y…yeah." I gagged and wiped my mouth. Nothing yet. Taking deep breaths, I calmed myself down. Sure, I wasn't going to regret or feel any guilt, but I wasn't a sociopath either. The first time I took a life of a sentient being was always going to be…a difficult ordeal. I would eventually get used to it, but…
Wait, why was I thinking that I would get used to it?
"Because you have been found, Commander. And they know who you are now. They will be coming. Not only that, your mission will involve dropping into combat zones and recovering other relics."
"Relics…like yourself?"
"That's right." Aegis would have nodded if she had a head, but she settled for slowly moving up and down. "However, we all have different forms and functions. What connects all of us is that we are all devices created by the Holy Terran Empire."
"And…this is where the info dump begins," I muttered. Aegis seemed like she was staring at me blankly, except that she had no eyes.
"I apologize, but I do not understand your statement, Commander. Please provide elaboration."
"No, never mind." I sighed. "Is it possible to condense your explanation into a concise summary without overwhelming and boring the readers?"
"What readers?"
"Don't worry about it. Anyway, you were talking about relics? Who created you? What is this Holy Terran Empire?"
"The Holy Terran Empire was a vast, intergalactic empire that has colonized millions of planets across the Milky Way Galaxy. However, in expanding our territory, we inevitably came into conflict with countless alien species, many of whom wished to eradicate our race or drive us from their worlds. As the wars escalated, the Empire continued to manufacture many powerful weapons and devices…such as ourselves."
"Yeah, you certainly seem like the type of device used by an advanced, spacefaring civilization." Then it occurred to me. "But why do you call yourselves…relics? And how did you end up here on Earth?"
"The Holy Terran Empire was dealt a mortal blow by an alien alliance and fractured approximately forty millennia ago. During one of the biggest conflicts before the Empire was broken apart, the capital world in which I was stored – among countless other relics – were launched when an emergency protocol was activated, and we were scattered across the galaxy. We relics landed across thousands of worlds spread across the galaxy eons ago, and stayed hidden, waiting for the right successor to recover us. I happened to be the one that landed on your planet. As ancient as we are, given that forty millennia have passed since the Great Cataclysm, we concluded that the term 'relics' is most appropriate when categorizing ourselves."
I suddenly recalled my dream. Was that not a dream, but a flashback to the past of this Empire?
"Correct. As one of many who have inherited the role of Commanders, you are mentally and spiritually connected to the Imperial Network. That is also why we recognize your authority and granted you access to our usage. In truth, we only wanted to bestow access after your training is complete, but the premature arrival of the Saurians forced our hands and we had no option but to accelerate the process. It is not optimal, but it is better than us getting destroyed or subverted by our foes."
I shuddered to think what would happen if the Saurians used Aegis against us humans. Not good, I suspected.
"Wait a minute…why did you identify me as your commander? I'm just a human on some random planet belonging to a civilization that should be considered primitive when compared to you. There's no way I would have any connections to this Holy Terran Empire."
"Soul Imprint," Aegis explained. I blinked. Yeah, she mentioned that earlier.
"I almost forgot. what's that?"
"The great Emperor, honored be His name, was aware of the tremendous risk that His commanders took when taking to the frontlines and fighting massive wars. In His wisdom, he created a program, allowing for the souls of his commanders to be reborn, thus allowing them to be reborn even if they are killed in battle. However, the process was unstable, and the souls of the…reincarnated, for a lack of a better term, commanders were flung across vast distances – both in spatial and temporal scales."
"…so you're saying I'm a reincarnation of one of your commanders?" I frowned. "Sorry, but I don't remember anything. And I'm afraid I don't have the tactical knowledge, combat experience and fighting skills required to be your commander."
"The process is not perfect," Aegis repeated. "But you are definitely a reincarnation of one of our commanders. The fact that you had these dreams, which are actually memories, is proof of that. On top of that, your impressive display against a Saurian soldier despite not having completed your training is indication of your potential. The more you train and the more experience you accumulate, the more memories and potential you will unlock. I assure you, Commander Li Tian Xing, we are not mistaken in identifying you as one of our commanders."
I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. "Even if I take your word for it, why should I accept the role of your commander? I might be the reincarnation of one of your previous commanders, but I'm not him. The me right now is a normal high school student studying for university entrance exams. I don't have any memories of your empire, nor any attachment or loyalty to it. For all intents and purposes, the me right now is a completely different individual from your commander. Why should I be obligated to serve your empire?"
Then I scowled. "Or what, you'll erase my existence if I refuse to serve?"
"The choice whether to continue your role as Commander is completely up to you, sir." Aegis remained calm and unmoved. "However, I believe that you will choose to fight."
"Hmm? Why do you sound so confident?"
"Because you are our Commander. We do not believe we have made the wrong choice in identifying you. Nonetheless, if you wish to retire, we will accept your decision and continue searching for other commanders." There was a pause. "What do you want to do, Commander?"
I was at a crossroads here. And unlike supposedly comedic stories featuring spineless losers who claimed they wanted a "normal life" but were forced to progress the plot and essentially save the world under the threat of death, I actually had control over my own destination. I had a choice. I could choose to walk away.
Or I could choose to become a commander of this ancient empire, take control and wield ancient devices created from technology so advanced they resembled magic, and have an adventure of a lifetime. The thrill of combat and the triumph of defeating a formidable opponent, though unexpected, were still very real.
Fuck a normal life. Who wouldn't want to own hi-tech weapons and equipment and kick some alien butt like a badass when presented the opportunity?
"I'll do it," I declared decisively. "I'll be your Commander. In return, please lend me your strength."
"Of course, that goes without saying, Commander." Even though Aegis had no face, I could hear the smile in her words. "We are at your disposal. Well, only me at the moment, but now that our plans have been pushed forward, we can begin recovering all the other relics and enhancing your combat power immediately."
"How do we do that?" I asked with a frown. "Are there any other relics on Earth, besides you?"
"No. I am the only relic on this planet."
"In other words, we have to go to other planets to look for the rest of the relics?"
"Correct."
"Um, how do we do that?" I raised an eyebrow. "As embarrassing as it is to admit it, human civilization right now isn't capable of crossing the stars. The furthest we've gotten is probably to the Oort Cloud, and that's because we sent the Voyager Probe several decades ago. We don't have the technology to travel between interstellar systems. Unless there's a relic on Mars or another planet within the solar system."
"I will explain the method of travel to you shortly…no, you will see it demonstrated directly. Before that, however, we have a higher priority mission." Aegis paused and I swear she was looking upward at the sky. "The sensor grid array has detected a small battlegroup of Saurian ships entering orbit around this planet. It is likely that because the scout they sent here to locate and retrieve me has failed to report back – due to your termination of him earlier – they have decided to move in. This planet is in danger of being bombarded from orbit if the Saurian crews discover that I have already been retrieved by a commander of the Holy Terran Empire. Actually, it is highly probable that they would still destroy this planet, both to prevent me from falling into the hands of the human society here and to seek revenge for the death of their comrade."
"…oh."
The illusion of choice faded away. If I had refused to be a commander and Aegis went on her merry way in search of others, Earth and every living organism on its surface would have been annihilated by the Saurian ships shortly afterward. By agreeing to take command, I had just saved the world.
"No comment."
"I didn't ask for any." I rolled my eyes. Then I realized how dire our situation was. "So how do you suggest we prevent that from happening?"
"Commander, please take command of the imperial cruiser waiting in orbit in the Sol System and defeat the Saurian battlegroup."
"Wait, what? You have an imperial cruiser in this system?"
"Affirmative."
"Okay, that's cool." I shook my head, still in disbelief but not bothering to question anymore. There were way too many incomprehensible things that it was simply better to go to the flow. "So how do we get onboard this cruiser?"
"Hey!"
"Huh?"
Before Aegis could reply, I heard a familiar voice. Turning around, I caught sight of Lin Xue running toward me, her flushed with anger and exertion. She glared at me and waved a hand.
"Didn't I tell you to wait back in your school earlier?! Why did you run off, you brat?! Stay right there! Don't move! You're coming with us!"
Behind her, struggling to catch up, was a group of panting men in black suits and sunglasses. I glanced from Lin Xue to them and back to the beautiful girl who was closing the distance rapidly. Then I smirked.
"No."
"What do you mean, no?!" Lin Xue raged. "You won't get away this time!"
"Aegis?"
"Understood, Commander. Beginning spatial teleportation." Hovering beside me, the hi-tech shield emanated a soft glow as she obeyed.
There was a bright flash of light, and then Aegis and I vanished from the face of the earth in front of a stunned Lin Xue and her subordinates.