General Bi stood at the podium, her gaze steady as she scanned the expectant faces of the audience gathered before her. The room was filled with high-ranking officials, politicians, and citizens, all eagerly waiting for her address. She earned their respect and admiration through her unwavering dedication and numerous triumphs fighting against interstellar pirates and the rebels of Tri-Star. She was a rising star with great prospects and for her to call for this address must only be for something very important.

Taking a deep breath, General Bi began, her voice projecting with authority. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Zeden Coalition, I stand before you today with a heavy heart. The matter I am about to address concerns not only our beloved prince, the sole heir to the throne... Prince Luo, but also the notorious terrorist Qie."

A slight tremor of uncertainty crept into her speech, a rare vulnerability that flickered across her expression. She was about to continue when an unexpected turn of events unfolded, plunging the room into darkness. Murmurs of confusion and surprise echoed through the audience as they groped for answers in the sudden blackout. The broadcast across the Coalition suddenly went black like there was a technical difficulty.

Before General Bi could react, the room was flooded with the presence of the king’s guards, their imposing figures ushering the startled crowd out. The once vibrant atmosphere turned tense and uncertain. General Bi’s eyes widened, her mind racing to comprehend the sudden intrusion. She had expected to address the Zeden Coalition, not face an unexpected confrontation. The fact that she made a last-minute announcement for this broadcast was indicative of how secretive it was. She hadn’t even told a soul what she was going to say yet her broadcast still managed to get intercepted.

As the commotion subsided, a hovering wheelchair glided into the room, its occupant unmistakably the ageing king. The king’s eyes blazed with a mixture of anger and disappointment as he towered over General Bi. His stern gaze fixed upon her as his voice carried a mixture of rage and accusation. "General Bi... have I been too generous to you?"

The weight of the king’s words hung in the air, suffocating the room with an eerie silence. General Bi’s heart sank, her mind conflicted between shock and determination. She had devoted her life to the Coalition, sacrificing personal aspirations for the greater good.

For years her father taught her to do what was right and that was what she was doing right now yet the King thought otherwise. Was it for the sake of the people or himself?

Summoning her courage, Bi Yu straightened her posture, her voice steady but laced with a touch of defiance. "Your Majesty, I have always served the Coalition and its people with unwavering loyalty. Every decision I made was in pursuit of preserving our peace and secur-."

"Shut up!!" bellowed the king trembling with rage before he coughed violently. That bastard Luo Muchen was giving him a headache. His health was already deteriorating and if he didn’t get him back in the palace it would be problematic to do the exchange. That spiteful concubine of his really ruined things for him and now this one was being problematic as well worsening the situation.

General Bi, usually composed and resolute, found herself trembling under the weight of the king’s fury. She knelt before him, her heart pounding in her chest, her mind racing to find the right words.

"Your majesty," she said while bowing her head in veneration. "I can not stand by as the... the prince does such things... People deserve to kno-," she said.

The king’s voice dripped with disdain as he retorted, "You have overstepped your boundaries, General. Remember, you are just a figurehead of righteous and moral standing. Don’t you think for a second that you are indispensable?" He grabbed his bodyguard’s plasma gun out of its holster. His anger was palpable as he raised a trembling hand, gripping the plasma gun tightly. With a cold gaze fixed upon General Bi, he aimed the weapon at her, and the room filled with a deafening silence. Time seemed to slow as the general’s eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat.

"If you wish to retain your position," he continued to say, "general, you will do as you are told!"

A flash of fear crossed General Bi’s face as she realised the gravity of the situation. She had always been loyal to the crown, dedicated to upholding justice and protecting the empire. But now, her decision had pushed the king to the brink of his patience.

Just as the tension reached its peak, the king hesitated. He recalled General Bi’s usefulness thus with a sigh he withdrew the gun. His hovering wheelchair turned, the subtle hum of its propulsion system filling the room as he prepared to leave.

"General Bi... you have been warned," the king’s voice resonated with a mix of disappointment and resignation, echoing through the room.

And with that, he departed, leaving behind a distraught and bewildered General Bi, her world shattered in an instant.

Alone in the grand chamber, Bi Yu remained on her knees, her body trembling with a mixture of fear and confusion. She had mistakenly thought everything in this world was black and white but now she didn’t know anymore. A sense of helplessness enveloped her as she clutched her chest. She wished everything could have been different. She wished everything was like before when they were young with no care in the world.

***

Luo Muchen sat in the cockpit of his mech as he meticulously ran diagnostic tests for the nth time. He hadn’t seen Qie Xieling ever since the day they kissed and he had been trying to get him out of his mind. Every time he closed his eyes he would see him. Each time he hears someone calling him he would think it was Qie Xieling coming to annoy him despite the fact that he had made it extremely difficult for Qie Xieling to approach him. Even in his dreams, Qie Xieling would make an appearance hence he avoided sleeping altogether.

Lost in his work, he was abruptly jolted back to reality by piercing screams that echoed through the training hall. Startled, he instinctively looked up, his attention drawn to the source of the commotion. It was Zara, one of his crew members, storming into the training room with fury in her eyes.

Zara stomped her feet, her pigtails bouncing with each angry step. "Captain, your mother is the devil!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with frustration and exasperation. "She is crazy! Uh uh, I cannot keep her company again. Find someone else!"

Luo Muchen was taken aback by Zara’s outburst. He had picked Zara for this job because she fit the bill. She was crazy enough to handle his mother so it came as a surprise that she had also quit.

He had never expected his mother, of all people, to cause him trouble. Confusion washed over him, mingled with a tinge of concern for his mother. He couldn’t understand why she was being this troublesome.

As Zara vented her frustration, she released her anger by kicking a nearby crew member, who yelped in surprise before scurrying away. Without another word, Zara turned on her heel and stormed out of the training room, leaving behind a bewildered Luo Muchen.

He rubbed his temples, trying to alleviate the sudden headache that had formed from the unexpected turn of events. His mother had been throwing a fit lately. Since she wanted company he found people to do that and he would give them a bonus but who would have thought one after the other they would all quit? Even the one he thought was crazy enough to handle her had quit.

"Captain," said Bo Ailun through the communication channels. "Should we send in someone else?"

"No... I will go visit her later," he replied but he had no idea that she might have been scaring people off but she had an accomplice. Qie Xieling would disappear at all hours of the day and he would go to visit Auntie. He couldn’t get to Luo Muchen but he could get to Luo Shih despite the fact that he had no authority whatsoever to be there.

So what was the mother-in-law and son-in-law up to? They would play games online which of course, Qie Xieling let her win. They would shop online spending the captain’s money on things they don’t need, fight with people online and then make plans to scare whoever was coming through that door next. They were living the dream.

Today was such a day that Qie Xieling excitedly slipped away after finishing his assigned tasks. When he arrived on Luo Shih’s deck he found her sitting on the carpet bored.

"What took you so long?" she asked and Qie Xieling sat opposite her while complaining,

"Auntie, I just have so much work to do today. Look my hand has a callous. I think the captain is doing it on purpose."

Qie Xieling was more than happy to throw Luo Muchen under the bus because he was still mad at him.

"Tsk, that child. Don’t worry, I will give him an earful later. Look what I got for you today," she said and Qie Xieling opened the box on the coffee table and his eyes widened. Okay, he was pretty sure that this was retribution. Luo Shih being crazy was not a rumour but a fact.