silence and stars

That very night, Leo was going to tell Ild about his going to Lehr Business School.He walked along the corridor on the west side of the palace to Ild's office. The ground was off-white rocks that were taken locally from the coast, and it was solid and heavy to step on.

It was very late, and the West End was still quite lively. There were people in several offices on the side of the promenade. Ild's media consultant was coming out with his assistant. She looked up and saw Leo, and asked with a smile: "Would you like to go to the office?" How about the Onijima team tryout?"

Leo also smiled and replied: "Nothing, I didn't have any hope."

He continued to walk in, directly into Ild's office.There was no one outside, and the inner door opened automatically when he walked over. He heard the voice of Chief of Staff Wiggin: "...age doesn't matter that much. His resume is really good. After coming out of the command academy, he followed General Nasser first. Reorganized the combat unit of the system, entered the Second Fleet and started as the deputy captain of the Bahariya class. In a few years, he has completed a road that others can never complete in a lifetime. Besides, he was personally selected by General Nasser. Those veterans of the fleet Even if the guy is dissatisfied, he has to swallow it back. Lin's problem is that his mind is too good, and this is not a good thing when it is superimposed with youth."

There was no one else in the room except Ild and Wiggin, but the silver-haired old chief of staff saw Leo coming in, so he stood up and said hello.

Leo smiled: "Look at what you said. Shouldn't such an important position be given to smart people?"

Viking waited for Leo to sit down before sitting down again, and replied: "A person who is too smart thinks about things at a different level from ordinary people. He will directly see the source of the problem, and then solve it with his hands, but the twists and turns in the middle I don’t necessarily know about him. What the fleet needs right now is not someone like Lin. If I were General Nasser, I would rather choose Ma Wusi, the commander of the First Fleet.”

Yild leaned back in the armchair he usually sat in, and said after a long time: "General Nasser did consider Mawusi at first, but he was unwilling."

"Don't want to?" Leo was taken aback, and couldn't help interjecting, "Why don't you want to?"

Yild smiled wryly: "Do you really think this is a good job? Mawusi said he couldn't do it. All kinds of things can't be solved within the fleet. He can't take care of these seven people. General Nasser these years It's really not easy. Three of the seven commanders can't believe it, one of the remaining four is unwilling, one is old, and one has limited qualifications, so he can only choose Ellie."

Wiggin said: "That's what I'm worried about. Neither party behind the fleet is simple. General Nasser's ability to mediate and maintain balance is first-rate even among politicians. Lin is completely incomparable." He fell silent and passed After a while, he murmured, "It's too difficult for him to maintain this situation."

Leo didn't dare to show his anger, his heart was fluctuating, and he secretly looked at Ild.

Yard seemed to have expected Viking to say this, and asked calmly: "It may be difficult for him alone, but what if I count?"

Wei Jin was stunned, and it took him a long time to say: "I don't understand what you mean—"

"It's not that you don't understand, but that you don't agree with me forming an alliance with him." Ild said bluntly. "To tell you the truth, I have talked frankly with Ellie. He knows my plan and knows that I want to get rid of the people Jonas Merman put in the fleet."

Viking's disapproval was written all over his face: "This is not something that can be completed in one or two years. Such a big plan cannot be acted hastily."

"Eli said he would like to work with me on this."

"Willing it now doesn't mean it will be willing in the future. You can't be sure of Lin's motivation. Now that he has just taken over the fleet, he naturally wants more external support. Once he has a firm foothold in the fleet, he may change his position."

Yild shook his head: "You don't know him."

"With all due respect, you may just think you know him."

The two people were almost confronting each other, Viking kept silent after saying that, Ild left the back of the chair, leaned forward slightly, but did not refute.The room was very quiet, and about half a minute later, Ilde suddenly asked, "Leo, what do you think?"

Leo was so frightened that his whole heart stopped beating, and then he realized that Ild didn't know his messy thoughts, and what he was asking now was a serious matter.

"Well, let me say that a man as proud as Lin Elli would not form an alliance with others in order to get something. He can only do something because it is in line with his values. He wants to knead the fragmented fleet into one Together, we are ready to deal with foreign enemies; and if we want to defeat Jonas Merman, we must clear his forces in the fleet-we and Lin Elli have exactly the same goal, such an alliance is the strongest, right? "

After listening to Leo, Ild looked at Viking almost with a smug smile.The old chief of staff was dumbfounded, still expressing objections in vain, but his tone was no longer as firm as before: "...Even if Lin Elli is fine, now is not the best time!"

Ild said: "Timing, timing, and timing, you've been saying this for almost 20 years. There will never be the best timing, and I've had enough of waiting! General Nasser chose Elie to be in charge of the fleet, and the most critical One step has already been taken. Although Ma Wuxi is unwilling to stand in the front, he supports Ellie. After this calculation, only three or four of the seven fleets are still under the orders of Jonas Merman. In another three to five years, I can help Ellie weed out all supporters of Merman."

Having said that, Ild leaned back, put his arms on the armrest, and said decisively: "Without the support of the fleet, the best end for Jonas Merman is to go to prison and wait for death."

"...Your Majesty, you should never say that."

"There's no one else here," said Ild disapprovingly, "don't bring out my mother again, she would do it if she were alive. Next, you must keep an eye on Merman's gang in Parliament for me, I Concentrate your energy on Eli. Your original work can be properly entrusted to your subordinates. If you need to add some people, I have no objection."

In the end, Wiggin could only reply helplessly: "I understand."

This thrilling conversation ended here. After Wiggin left, Leo stood up from the sofa a little far away and sat opposite Ild.

It has been 73 years since Anson declared independence from the United Immigration Program and changed to a constitutional monarchy.Queen Ipama, Queen Ximena, and then Ilde, the first two are more like characters in a documentary to Leo.He was only two years old when Jimena died, and the word "mother" was too far away, and all these years he had only Ild.Elder is both a brother, a mother and a father.

Speaking of fathers—neither of the brothers had ever met him.Ild was born the year after his father's death, and Leo was 15 years his junior.This is not surprising. Among Anson's annual newborns, less than 20.00% are conceived naturally.In the early days of the immigration era, the capacity of manned transport ships was limited, and frozen embryos, artificial wombs and social upbringing became inevitable choices.Over the past hundred years, Ansen people have long been accustomed to various family structures.

Leo has only had Ild since he was a child.Food and clothing, daily life, academic planning, and all kinds of trivial matters, he only discussed with Ild.

"I'm going to apply to Liel Business School."

Yild frowned slightly and looked at Leo: "Are you sure? Anson University's Kubbs team will join the Kubbs League next year. As long as you enter the school team, you will have the opportunity to play in the professional league. I thought you Will choose a big because of this.”

"I have other plans. I've inquired about it. The first two years of Anson's freshman year are full of academic pressure. If you count training and competitions, I'm afraid I don't have time for myself. Lear Business School is relatively relaxed. I Want to do something else."

Ild thought for a while, then nodded: "Okay, it's up to you."

"I actually considered Mount Olive Engineering."

"It's all here and there!" said Ild, "I can't figure out what you're thinking now."

Leo muttered, "If you graduate from the Mount of Olives, you will have the opportunity to apply for the Fleet Command Academy. However, the number of places is very small and the conditions are harsh, and you may not be able to get in at that time..." The more he talked, the more he lost his confidence, so he had to stop. down.

Yard laughed dumbfounded: "You're starting to miss the fleet again after all this time? Please forgive me, you only stayed in the fleet school for one year, and I lost a layer of skin along with you."

"Oh, I didn't understand anything before, but now I know what to do." Leo felt a little uncomfortable, clasped his hands, and looked away.

This is only half the truth, and the other half is afraid to say it-it is true to want to make up for the absurd willfulness of his youth, and it is true to want to do something to attract Lin Elli's attention.

But Elder said: "There are so many 'shoulds', what you want, just do it according to your own ideas."

"I want to help you."

It was the first time Leo looked at Ild like this since he was a child.He was very fortunate to have listened to the conversation between Ild and Old Wiggin just now, and knew that their counterattack against Merman's faction was about to start.Years of forbearance were finally coming to an end, with Jonas Merman on one side, with his mining and media empire at his fingertips; and Elder, Ringelly, and himself on this side.

It seemed that from this moment on, he was no longer the child hiding behind Ild's back.Even if it wasn't much help, he was at Ild's side, ready to fight.