In the 3400th year of the Milky Way Era, the third star of the Ophiuchus constellation.
The vast land was turned into scorched earth in the flames of war, and the red naked rocks emitted bursts of black smoke in the wind. A huge silver mecha was shot down on the desert, its wings cracked into several pieces, reflecting the cold white light of artificial satellites in the night sky.
The cockpit was ejected from the body of the mecha, and fell with a plop on the sand that instantly turned into glass shards due to the high temperature.
Gavin opened his eyes slightly, his vision blurred. The blood on his forehead flowed from his hair down his nose to his chin. He tried to raise his hand, but he couldn't feel the existence of his left hand at all.
"Injury check: The left half of the body is shattered, the stomach is shattered, and the blood loss has reached 1000CC. The situation is urgent. Please receive first-level intelligent treatment immediately..."
The artificial intelligence machine in the cockpit stretched out its claws. Gavin coughed twice before approaching, and said hoarsely, "Forget it, Phoenix."
The profile of his profile is extremely deep, and the lines from the bridge of the nose to the chin are impeccable. When he speaks, blood foams from the corners of his mouth, reflecting his pale face, which is particularly shocking.
The artificial intelligence hesitated and said: "Your condition is very dangerous, please receive treatment immediately; the life index is fifty percent... forty-five percent... forty-two percent..."
"Phoenix," Gavin said wearily, "help me connect to the rebel headquarters."
Snowflakes fell from the shattered display, and the picture cleared after a few seconds. In the Gemini Empire Building stands all the surviving imperial generals since the First Galactic War. They were all in pure black military uniforms, and they stood in a row of ten, staring solemnly at the shattered mech phoenix on the screen.
Seth? Heinrich stood on the throne, looking straight at Gavin's expressionless face for the first time.
"Surrender, Marshal." He said in a deep voice, "The alliance has lost."
Gavin showed an invisible smile and said, "No."
Seth lowered his head, and no one could clearly see the expression on the man's face during those few seconds. When he raised his head again, his eyes had returned to their usual firmness.
"At 1:15 a.m. on November 2, 3400 years of the Galaxy Era, that is, 23 hours ago, the fifty-third chairman of the Alliance submitted a letter of surrender to the Empire, actively disintegrating the alliance system. All the troops in the country, dissolve the parliament, recognize and submit to the rule of the empire." The man paused, and whispered: "Marshal, the alliance no longer exists."
Gavin didn't speak, just looked at him lightly.
"Life index thirty-eight... life index thirty-five..."
There was an explosion in the distance, and after a violent shock, the screen returned to clarity, and the count of the Phoenix Machine suddenly sounded: "Life index 21... life index 20..."
Seth? Heinrich's fingers tightly grasped the edge of the display table, with such force that terrifying veins popped out on the back of his hand.
However, his voice was very steady:
"The alliance system that ruled mankind for thousands of years in the Milky Way era has disappeared. In order to survive, the committee took the initiative to sell the positions of the Glory Legion and the Marshal of the Three Armies to the Empire....Marshal, surrender, they betrayed you."
Gavin closed his eyes, as if after a long and arduous journey, he finally saw the end.
At that moment Seth felt that he was even relieved.
"Seth? Heinrich, the first emperor of the Milky Way Era, and the new ruler of the future Gemini." Gavin smiled slightly, and said, "When I first brought you out of the low-level military academy, how did you I never thought that it would be you who stabbed me backhand in the future."
The emperor's Adam's apple rolled, as if he wanted to say something, but was interrupted.
"You used your personal brilliance to end the millennium rule of the alliance. However, the human system perishes, and the spirit of the alliance never dies."
When Gavin spoke, his voice was indifferent, yet strangely hoarse and gentle.
"Heinrich, even if you are now crowned and enthroned as emperor, and the entire galaxy is inlaid on your scepter, in my eyes, you will never be an emperor."
Seth? Heinrich's face changed slightly: "Marshal...!"
Gavin interrupted him, "Phoenix."
The artificial intelligence was silent for a long time before finally saying: "Yes."
The probe stretched out the mechanical arm, took out an injection from the left-hand side of the cockpit console, was inhaled by the metal probe, and then slowly descended until it pierced into Gavin's left arm, which was unable to move due to serious injuries.
Everyone in front of the screen realized something, Heinrich opened his mouth, but couldn't make a sound.
The nails where he was pressing on the console were even bloodshot, the muscles in his entire arm were convulsed, and his whole body trembled slightly, but he couldn't make any sound.
As the injection was slowly pushed in, Gavin's face became paler and his eyes became more and more distracted. A few seconds later, the potion was exhausted, and Gavin suddenly closed his eyes, before opening his mouth, a mouthful of purple-black blood gushed out!
"Heinrich..." he gasped, "...I..."
The last sentence disappeared in the salty wind before it could be uttered, and it has never been heard since.
The wind and sand in the night covered the mecha, completely covering the screen in the pale moonlight.
"Gavin..." The future Gemini emperor trembled all over, and tears dripped into the bright red cloak, leaving dark red water trails.
"Gavin... Celia..."
The wind of stardust howls past, will Gavin, the most legendary military god in the history of the alliance? Celia's body slowly sank into the depths of the thousands of miles of desert.
In November of the 3400th year of the Milky Way Era, the century-long war between the Alliance and the Empire came to an end, the alliance system was declared disintegrated, and the founding emperor of Gemini Seth? Heinrich came to the throne in the same year.
This man, who was born in a poor family and once studied in the alliance's low-level military academy, finally became the first interstellar emperor in the outer space age, and the most centralized human leader in history.
After he ascended the throne, he issued a series of reform decrees, including the abolition of all the privileges of the aristocratic families in the alliance government, the large-scale cutting of the bloated bureaucracy system, the eradication of corruption, and the establishment of the Suggestion Council... The most notable of these is the abolition of the alliance military system. Tens of millions of troops are all reorganized.
In the new military system, there is no longer the vain position of Marshal of the Three Armies, and the only person in the empire who is appointed Marshal is the emperor himself.
Only one person's status remained unchanged, however.
-Gavin? Celia.
As the last Marshal of the Alliance and the most outstanding strategist in the Galaxy era, Gavin? Celia's highest military rank was reserved by the emperor's decree.
Although he was regarded as the primary natural enemy by the empire, when the emperor issued his oath to the throne, he still publicly admitted to the whole galaxy: "I have been fighting for a hundred years, and I am invincible. From now on, all glory belongs to the Commander himself alone."
Gemini Empire, Egret.
Surrounded by double moons, the New Palace of Versailles is bathed in silvery white light. There is silence in the depths of the hall, except for the ethereal singing of the luminous lotus in full bloom, faintly coming from the center of the distant lake, like a distant holy song in heaven.
The female officer was walking up the stone steps with the corner of her skirt, when suddenly there was the sound of footsteps, and a tall figure came out from the boundless darkness of the hall.
"Your Majesty?" The female officer stopped in her tracks: "Are you dreaming again?"
Seth? Heinrich stood by the cold stone railing, squinted at the two pale red moons in the sky, and said for a while, "I dreamed about the Marshal again."
The female officer didn't think it was strange, and asked softly: "Is it still when the Marshal is dying?"
The handsome emperor shook his head, and suddenly smelled the ethereal fragrance in the air: "What is this smell?"
"It's mint, Your Majesty. The mint in the palace is blooming."
"..." Heinrich was stunned for a while, and then said in a low voice: "No wonder, I dreamed that when Commander Gavin was still the personal bodyguard, one day he mentioned to me that mint blossomed... He said that he was on the Egret Star back then. Born in fields of flowering mint…”
The emperor's tone gradually became ethereal, as if he had fallen into a distant and unclear dream.
"... Your Majesty?"
Heinrich didn't look at her, and asked, "Do you know the meaning of the marshal's surname?"
The female officer looked back blankly.
"He came from a humble family background, and grew up in an orphanage until he entered the military academy. He never met his parents." The emperor paused and said, "'Selia' is the name of the mint garden where he was born. "
The female officer opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
The midnight chime sounded from far away from the palace, followed by waves of night water, and then slowly dissipated.
"Your Majesty...it's late at night, go to bed early..."
Heinrich turned around and walked back to the magnificent hall, suddenly the female officer couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty!"
The emperor's footsteps stopped, and the female officer said eagerly: "Peppermint flowers were considered to be a harbinger of reunion in the ancient earth era. The flower language is 'I hope to meet you again', Your Majesty—"
"Shall we meet again?" Heinrich chuckled in a low voice, even though the voice was deep and without a hint of laughter.
"I hope so... Your kind words."