Super Mothership
Was he truly unconcerned, or just hiding his emotions behind a calm face? It seemed this opponent was far more calculating than he appeared…
“Beckman, don’t you dare slander me!” Reno snapped angrily.
“Lord Reno,” Beckman replied coolly, “you know I serve in the General Staff. Collecting battlefield data and assessing each fleet’s performance is part of my duty. If anything I’ve said is incorrect, you’re free to point it out.”
“You—!” Reno’s face flushed red; he was at a loss for words.
Beckman’s account wasn’t exactly wrong—but it was deliberately taken out of context. Reno wanted to blow up and flip the table, yet when he thought of Gillard standing behind Beckman, and the even more terrifying Victor family, his confidence faltered.
His own family, while considered upper-class within the Gemini Civilization, was still leagues below the Victors—an insurmountable gap between the privileged and the merely wealthy.
That’s what it meant to have backing… and what it meant not to.
But what baffled Reno most was why the man was going so far over a single careless remark. Why the relentless hostility?
He hadn’t offended this guy before! Was this really necessary?
As Reno fumed in silent frustration, Nie Yun turned his head curiously.
“Lord Isabel, did those two have bad blood before this?”
Isabel shook her head. “Not that I know of. Reno, like us, was transferred here from another star sector. I doubt they’ve even met before.”
So that was it—locals suppressing outsiders? Nie Yun’s thoughts raced.
At present, Gillard’s forces consisted of about half his original troops; the rest were reinforcements drawn from various legions across the empire. The more complex the mix, the greater the test of leadership.
From a commander’s perspective, it made sense—curb the outsiders’ arrogance to better establish authority.
Gillard remained silent now, letting Beckman use Reno as an example—a public warning to the rest.
Whatever the case, Beckman was clearly acting on Gillard’s behalf. From the brief glances they’d exchanged earlier, Nie Yun could tell this man harbored intentions toward him beyond the ordinary… There was at least a ninety percent chance he was an enemy, not an ally.
As for Reno… he could serve as both a scapegoat and a transport commander—an excellent “hidden ally.”
Following the logic that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” it was time for Nie Yun to take the stage.
“Lord Beckman, I’m afraid I can’t agree with your statement!”
Just as Reno stood there speechless, feeling the weight of hostile gazes around him and thinking the whole world was against him, a voice as clear and soothing as celestial music rang out through the meeting room.
Reno blinked in surprise—someone was defending him? For a fleeting moment, it felt like a ray of light had pierced the darkness of his despair.
Wait… that voice…
“A—Arthas?!” Reno stared at Nie Yun in disbelief. He never imagined he would be the one to speak up!
Isabel glanced at Nie Yun beside her, frowned slightly, but did not stop him.
Beckman’s lips curled into a knowing smile.
Heh… finally couldn’t hold back, could you?
“Oh? And where, may I ask, did I go wrong?” Beckman said, turning to Nie Yun.
“No, no, Lord Beckman, you are entirely correct,” Nie Yun replied mildly. “I simply have some additional context to provide.”
“Oh? Please, enlighten us.”
Nie Yun swept his gaze around the room. “Perhaps many of you aren’t aware—Lord Reno’s 074th Legion once exchanged combat assignments with our 086th Legion. In fact, at first, we refused the swap…”
Reno’s mouth twitched.
“But we had no choice. Lord Reno was full of righteous zeal—he declared that true soldiers must face the greatest dangers and fight the strongest foes!
We were moved by his courage and selfless devotion, and finally agreed to yield the assault mission to him.
What happened afterward was exactly as Lord Beckman described—Lord Reno led the charge in person, driving his flagship into the fray, but was ultimately outnumbered. When he withdrew through the wormhole, he’d lost all escorts, and even his own flagship was heavily damaged.
Fortunately, at that critical moment—just before his warship was about to be destroyed by the pursuing fleet—our 086th Legion’s detachment arrived in time. We rescued Lord Reno and fought side by side to repel the enemy, preserving the final embers of the 074th Legion’s valor.”
Under the desperate circumstances, even after Lord Reno’s warship had lost its shields, he continued to lead his officers in a bloody battle to the last man—bravely and without fear. Hundreds of my own officers witnessed this with their own eyes!
I say this not for any ulterior motive, but because I believe a hero deserves the honor due to him! He should not be misunderstood!
“Generals, we cannot allow our soldiers to shed blood and tears!”
Nie Yun’s passionate words stirred the room. Many of those present were visibly moved, and their gazes toward Reno began to soften.
So it turned out that he had volunteered for the most dangerous mission—how could a man like that be accused of cowardice?
So what if his losses were the heaviest? That only proved his valor and unyielding resolve in combat!
Of course, everyone present was no fool—they could tell that Nie Yun’s speech was filled with exaggeration.
But that final line—“We cannot let our soldiers shed blood and tears”—hit home for many of the officers who had fought in that battle.
Who would want to suffer heavy casualties on the battlefield only to be called incompetent afterward?
Now that they thought about it carefully, it almost seemed like Gillard and the General Staff were trying to shift the blame for failure onto others…
As for Reno himself, his mind was blank.
A hero? He’s talking about… me?
He didn’t understand why the same facts, spoken by different people, could sound so completely opposite. Yet, as he met the eyes of those around him, his back unconsciously straightened taller and taller…
“Arthas, thank you! Thank you for standing up and speaking the truth! If not for the need to preserve a spark of life for the Legion, I would have gladly died with my comrades beyond that wormhole!” Reno said, his tigerish eyes glistening with emotion.
Ugh, shameless… Nie Yun’s eyelid twitched.
He hadn’t expected this guy to be quite the actor himself.
Isabel, who knew the real story, couldn’t help the corner of her lips twitching slightly—barely holding back laughter.
The same event, from a different angle, could be painted in an entirely different light. Reno, moments ago too enraged and cautious of offending General Gillard to defend himself, now had the perfect stage—only a fool wouldn’t seize the chance to climb up it.
Beckman watched the two of them perform their duet of theatrics, keeping his face calm and indifferent. “I’ve long heard that Lord Arthas has a sharp tongue and a gift for rhetoric. Seeing you today, the rumors are well-founded indeed.”
Then, with a subtle shift in tone, he dragged Nie Yun directly into the spotlight. Now that the real player had shown himself, there was no point wasting effort on small fry.
“The politician in uniform, Arthas”—many present had heard the nickname before. Realization flashed across several faces. No wonder he could turn black into white so convincingly.
Nie Yun met Beckman’s gaze with a mild smile. So the rumor about me must’ve come from you, huh?
“Hmph! Lord Arthas isn’t just a silver tongue,” Reno declared eagerly, repaying the favor with a wave of over-the-top praise. “When my ship was in critical danger, he personally piloted a mech into battle—one against five! He destroyed four enemy bronze mechs, and the last one fled in ruins! Tell me, who among us could do such a thing?”
“What? One against five?”
“Are you sure they were bronze mechs? Those are elite units, on par with ace pilots!”
The room erupted in murmurs of disbelief.
There were indeed top-tier aces who could take on such odds in rare situations—but Arthas was a commander!
A commander with that kind of individual combat ability—now that was the definition of a warrior-scholar, a true master of both strategy and strength.
More than a few officers sneaked glances toward General Gillard, who also looked surprised. The title “politician in uniform” had, after all, supposedly originated from Gillard himself.
But now, seeing this… what kind of “politician” could fight like that? It was a slap to the face—loud and clear.
Even Beckman was taken aback. His intelligence reports hadn’t mentioned that Arthas possessed such advanced combat skills.
He had, of course, received word that Nie Yun’s fleet had rescued Reno—that was one reason he’d suspected their connection. But the report hadn’t contained any of these details, nor that Nie Yun himself had personally entered the fray.
He narrowed his eyes, studying Nie Yun with newfound seriousness. “So that’s how it was… Lord Arthas hides his strength well. Truly impressive.”
“Heh, Lord Beckman, since you’ve been stationed at the rear, it’s only natural that you might not be fully aware of the front-line realities—or that some details might have escaped your notice,” Nie Yun replied with an easy smile. Courtesy for courtesy.
Reno and the others chuckled; everyone caught the double meaning.
It was a pointed jab—mocking Beckman for being an armchair strategist who hid safely behind the lines while criticizing those who actually led from the front.
Their gazes met—sparks almost visible in the air.
Every officer in the room could feel the tension crackling between them.
The Victor family of the Sea Clan and the Cruze family of the Winged Clan—this was more than just a clash between two rising stars. It was the faint rumble of two powerful political factions beginning to collide behind them…
And somewhere in the shadows, a master spy was pulling strings under the Cruze family banner, rallying his forces, and preparing to stir up an even greater storm…
TL Note- Faction Dispute..
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