Chapter 42: 43

Rising Sun (4)

Two days later.

Silver Big Dipper First Fortress, Starship Port.

The morning of this day was clear and without snow, the clouds were very light, and the distant mountains had just revealed scattered lights of dawn.

Jiang Jianming and Tang Zhen stood side by side at the starship port of Silver Big Dipper Fortress, and Li Youfang stood farther away.

“Ah, you have now epaulets, that’s so fast.”

Tang Zhen straightened his back, smiled and patted Jiang Jianming’s shoulder, “Lieutenant Jiang?”

“Well, I was just awarded the title yesterday.” 

Jiang Jianming glanced at Tang Zhen with a sideways glance. In the morning light, the trapezoidal epaulets with one black bar and two silver stars shone brightly, and fell on the military uniform of the young black-haired officer.

As Garcia said a few days ago, with his outstanding contributions and being nominated by Major General Xie, he ended the adaptation period ahead of schedule and officially became a member of the Silver Big Dipper officers.

Soon, it was too soon.

It had only been more than a month since Jiang Jianming graduated from the military academy and joined Silver Big Dipper.

Behind, Li Youfang suddenly looked up at the sky, and said, “Here it comes, the starship is about to enter the port.”

Jiang Jianming and Tang Zhen raised their heads in response, and the strong wind messed up their hair at the same time.

The distance between the Three Star System of the Empire and the Silver Big Dipper Fortress was too far away, that even space trains couldn’t reach this place, and the only transportation was through a high-dimensional wormhole transition of starships or advanced mechas.

Fortunately, with the current Empire’s technology, flying a starship was not a troublesome task.

In addition to the starships that transported recruits every year in late summer and early autumn, there were also two trips a year in spring and autumn, where the starships that transported supplies to the fortress would land on this Starship Port.

Small starships come and go even more frequently. For some imperial nobles, renting a private starship was even completely within the affordable cost.

The Bei Family of Aslan Star City was terribly among this list.

They watched the Bei family’s small starship approaching from far to near and landing slowly.

Several servants of Bei’s family came down and saluted the Silver Big Dipper soldiers who were patrolling the Starship Port.

In the end, the three of them watched Bei Maner, who came out, surrounded by the envoys of the Bei family.

They protected the eldest lady who was on crutches, and helped her get onto the starship.

This day was the day when Bei Maner went home.

They came to see her off.

Soon, Bei Maner sat down by the window of the starship.

As soon as she sat down, she turned her face away, lowered the window, and smiled at the three of them.

Jiang Jianming and Tang Zhen looked at each other then walked forward.

Li Youfang didn’t go, he chose to stand and watch from a distance, and gave the three of them their alone time.

“Young Master Tang, classmate Jiang, I’m leaving.”

Bei Maner bent her eyebrows and waved her hands. Since she could no longer wear the Silver Beidou military uniform, she only wore a thick black fur coat to keep out the cold, and a silk scarf, giving her a three-point more delicate and magnificent ladylike temperament than before.

“Bon voyage, take care of yourself.” Jiang Jianming stood still in front of her window and said in a deep voice, “There is still a long way to go, and there are still many choices. Anything is possible.”

As he said this, he handed her a piece of black cloth with the Silver Big Dipper military emblem printed on it, “Take it with you, I cut it from your old military uniform.”

“Thank you, I will treasure it.” Bei Maner stroked the familiar fabric and carefully put it inside the luggage.

She suddenly thought of another girl in the team and asked, “Speaking of which, where is Ellie?”

“Ellie, she failed to overcome the psychological barrier,” Tang Zhen shook his head, “She submitted an application yesterday, and was temporarily transferred to the logistics. It is the third floor of the fortress, maybe the milk we’ll drink in the future will be squeezed out by the machine she’s operating.”

As he said that, Tang Zhen took out a small bag of things that was in his coat pocket, and passed it through the window, “I met her yesterday, and she said that she has no face to give it to you, therefore she let me pass it to you.”

Bei Maner reached out and took it.

It was a bag of cookies that was heavy to begin with.

On that snowy night in the past, before all those surprises happened, these two girls made a casual appointment in the tent that after returning, they would go to the trading area together and buy some snacks that were more delicious than compressed military rations.

Tang Zhen: “Ellie, she said……..to let you eat it on the way.”

Bei Maner touched the bag of cookies, a dimple showed on her faint smile, as if a little sad and melancholy.

She nodded, “Thank her for me.”

The time was almost up, the starship hummed, and the doors automatically and slowly fell down.

Bei Maner looked at Tang Zhen firmly, and said softly, “I’m leaving. Goodbye Tang Zhen, don’t forget about me.”

He didn’t know if it was because she felt very cold or what, but her originally white and tender cheeks were a little red, like a rhododendron flower blooming quietly under the snow-covered eaves.

“Maner…….”

Tang Zhen looked complicated, he raised his hand, and placed it on the window in a daze.

His voice was hoarse and he spoke in a low voice, “I’m sorry.”

The soldiers of Silver Big Dipper were stationed in frontier fortresses all the year round, and they were basically disconnected from the people of the Empire. Not to mention lovers, even family members were hard to see. Just like Major General Xie, his aristocratic father and mother were still alive, had a wife and a daughter, seemingly a winner in life, but in fact, he hadn’t been home for almost four or five years.

With Bei Maner’s departure, she would be directly separated from Tang Zhen by a few light-years, and it was doomed that her years of lovesickness would come to an eventual end.

Bei Maner shook her head vigorously, “Don’t say I’m sorry! I like Young Master Tang because I simply like him, and not for the sake of obtaining any results.”

She laughed as she spoke, the tip of her nose and eye sockets were reddish.

She was still so bright and bold, boldly saying that she likes him, and boldly admitting the failure of this period of pursuit.

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In the end, Bei Maner stuck her five fingers on the window, matching Tang Zhen’s hand.

When the first ray of morning sun illuminated the watchtower of the fortress, the starship lifted off.

Jiang Jianming looked up, the black hair on his forehead was blown by the strong wind.

The sun was a bit dazzling, he closed his eyes and let the warm light fall on his eyelashes. He heard Tang Zhen beside him take a deep breath, and the sound of his inhalation was trembling.

Parting, I don’t remember which book said it, that time flies like a white horse.

All living beings treading in this world, meet at a glance, and part after meeting.

In the distance, Li Youfang called with a cry, “Tang Zhen, it’s almost time for training, let’s go!”

Jiang Jianming opened his eyes, knowing that Tang Zhen would then devote himself to the daily training of officers in the adaptation period.

As he would be taken away by His Royal Highness Garcia, he and his good roommate would tread different paths in the future.

They walked down the Starship Port together, and Jiang Jianming accompanied Tang Zhen to the training field outside the fortress, he then saw the neat row of M-IP 18 reflecting in the morning sun, like a cluster of blue and black knives.

Obviously, just two weeks ago, he was still a member of them, but at this moment, it felt like a world away.

Tang Zhen rubbed his face, then reached out and patted Jiang Jianming’s shoulder, “Little Jiang, take care.” 

Jiang Jianming smiled and also said, “Take care.”

Hou Lin and Raymond watched this scene. Other young officers in adaptation period also watched the scene.

It was rare that this lieutenant colonel, who always had a fierce temper, did not yell at Tang Zhen to return to the team quickly with a rough voice today. 

The two looked at each other and turned around almost at the same time. The wind blew their Silver Big Dipper uniforms, and Jiang Jianming and Tang Zhen walked in different directions.

Standing like a javelin, Huo Lin watched Jiang Jianming leave the training ground for officers in adaptation period, and habitually snorted from his nose.

“Lieutenant Colonel…..”

Next to him, Lieutenant Raymond showed a dry smile, “How do I say this, it seems that a month or two ago I was still patting Lieutenant Jiang on the shoulder and saying that I admire him very much.”

“Yet in the blink of an eye, he is now a Lieutenant just like me!”

Jiang Jianming heard Raymond’s wailing, making him stretch his beautiful eyebrows and smiled softly.

He didn’t look back, and walked all the way forward in the rising sun and the long wind, the military boots under his feet crunched on the hard snow of the Alpha Alien Star.

Suddenly, he saw three familiar figures sitting beside a mecha talking.

The white and sturdy officer was sitting on the mechanical arm of the mecha, and the black and thin officer was leaning on the other side. The two seemed to be arguing endlessly about something—while the bearded officer was smoking a cigarette, with words written all over his face: Looking at a play.

Jiang Jianming’s mood became inexplicably more comfortable, and he nodded to them, “Hello, officers.”

The three officers jumped up like a cat whose tail had been pulled.

They straightened their spines in horror, and saluted together, “Your…Your Little Excellency!!!”

Jiang Jianming shook his head amusedly, he walked past the three officers, and said to himself leisurely, “…no need to do this.”

“What need not to do?”

A cool and elegant voice suddenly sounded ahead.

A few steps away, Garcia’s slender figure stood in front of a brand new mecha.

The prince glanced up, without any emotion in his tone, “This is the mecha you eventually chose?”

“I chose it for you, Your Highness.”

Jiang Jianming emphasized, “Besides, you are the next person who will try the mecha, please don’t act like you have nothing to do with it yourself.”

Garcia didn’t take it seriously, and said lightly, “No need, the mecha for me is……”

“—Because if you do, I will feel very insecure. “Jiang Jianming insisted on finishing his words.

“……..”

Garcia shutted his mouth.

A few seconds later, as if he had made a generous concession, he turned his face away expressionlessly, turned around and opened the cockpit of the mecha.

He first stepped in by himself, then turned around, and stretched out his hand towards Jiang Jianming, “Come up, watch your step.”

Jiang Jianming stretched out his hand, and the palm of the remnant human wearing a black glove was grasped by the prince’s slightly larger palm.

“Slow down, grab onto me…….that’s right.”

The latter pulled hard and pulled the disabled man into the cockpit. Garcia’s other arm quickly wrapped around Jiang Jianming’s waist and caught him.

Like placing some weak animal, Prince Garcia gently “placed” Lieutenant Jiang on the driver’s seat beside him.

Jiang Jianming raised his head, the dazzling snow light fell into his eyes, and he squinted.

Garcia casually put down the baffle armor of the front of the mecha, and gave him a deep look.

“Let’s take off to test the speed first, and after getting used to it, go to the field for actual combat. “

Jiang Jianming fastened his seat belt and nodded happily.

“Got it, Your Highness.”

In the next moment, the mecha flew into the air, and its wings whipped up the wind, which blew the pale white ice fog.

Its shadow quickly became smaller from the snow filled ground, and flew towards the flowing clouds, towards the distant mountains, and towards the ice field where the sun rose.

In the autumn of the 63rd year of the New Imperial Calendar, the morning sun rose as usual on the ice field of Alpha Alien Star, reflecting the sparkling snow, illuminating the way forward for these young people.

This journey had already begun, but it was still far away from its ending.

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