"Papa, what is this?" Aurelia curiously poked at a projection that showed a glimpse of a report related to a possible assault on Pima Prime. She sat cutely on Ves' lap as she tried to figure out what her father was doing. "That's an analysis on the defenses of a star system held by an enemy." Ves replied as he dove in to kiss her head. "What enemy?" "The Friday Coalition." "Mama mentioned that before. What is the Friday Coalition?" "It's a state that is located in the Komodo Star Sector all the way back in the old galaxy where you were born." "Home!" "The star sector used to be our home, but no more. Our ships are our homes now. Anyway, the Fridaymen who originate from that state have come all the way here to the Red Ocean to build new homes." "That is bad, because the Fridaymen are our enemies." "Why?" "Because they are bad guys who once tried to hurt me and take me away from your mother. If the Fridaymen had their way, your mother and I wouldn't have been married and we would never have precious children like you and your siblings!" "That is bad! Fridaymen are all bad guys!" "That's right, Aurelia! Never trust the Fridaymen. They hurt us a lot while we hurt them back. If we keep meeting each other, we can't help but hurt each other until one of us can't take it anymore. It's a pretty sad reality." Ves sighed. His daughter turned her head and stared up at her father with her big and expressive eyes. "Can't you be friends again? Mama says talking always helps." "It's not that simple. Your mother is right in a way, but talking only helps if both sides want to kiss and make up. While a part of the Fridaymen have indeed tried to do so, there are still too many of them that just want to hurt us and make us cry. Instead of waiting for our enemies to get strong enough to do that to us, we have decided to strike first and ruin their colony!" "Why?" "If we burn their biggest colony to the ground, our enemies won't be able to stay in the Red Ocean anymore. Hopefully, they will get so discouraged that they will tuck their tails between their legs and run back to the old galaxy." "Ohhh…" Aurelia looked fascinated. Ves continued to explain his geopolitical considerations to his cute little girl in an oversimplified manner. Though it was way too early to expose Aurelia to adult topics like waging war and trying to demoralize an enemy with excessive violence, his baby daughter was not a normal girl. Though Ves rejected the outdated and illogical customs of noble houses, he had to admit that it was hard not to pick up on their best practices. If Ves wanted his clan and his family line to continue as prosperously as possible, it was never too soon to groom a replacement for his leadership position. He quickly glanced at his prosperity tree that had remained on his display case all this time. The small tree had grown thicker and more lush since he last checked it. He did not want to see it droop again even though he did not really believe in the superstition that its growth was related to the clan's success. Nonetheless, when the time came for Ves to pass on his weighty mantle, he wanted one of his children to be competent and prepared enough to lead the Larkinson Clan to a new epoch. Right now, Aurelia was the best candidate. She was the oldest of his children and her genetics were tailored for the job. Though Ves did not entirely rule out the possibility that Aurelia might prefer to assume a different job and that one his other children might end up inheriting his patriarch position, for now he was more than willing to teach his oldest the tricks of the trade. As father and daughter continued to enjoy their shared moment together, the hatch to his office slid open without warning. "Ves!" Gloriana yelled as she stomped inside! "Meow!" "Miaow?" Lucky and Clixie, who had been cuddling against each other on a couch, both jumped from their cozy positions and scurried behind the bulky, armored form of an honor guard. The cats both knew that when Gloriana used this tone, there was bound to be an argument! Both Ves and Aurelia looked up at the angry mother. "What's up, Gloriana?" Ves innocently asked. "Don't act like you don't know. WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT YOU WERE GOING TO ATTACK THE FRIDAYMEN?!" "Huh? Where did you hear that from?! That is supposed to be a secret!" "It wasn't that hard to figure out, Ves. We are traveling in the exact wrong direction from the stated goal of the Trailblazer Expedition! Instead of traveling towards the center of the Red Ocean, we are doing the opposite!" "That's because we are picking up a new fleet carrier commissioned on behalf of the Glory Seekers! The new vessel is too valuable to be shipped to Davute by herself, so our fleet is taking a short detour to the Magair Middle Zone to pick up the new capital ship as well as a few other high-value goods that we have ordered from the Hex Federation." This was the excuse that the Golden Skull Alliance had come up with after deciding to take part in the surprise attack on Pima Prime. Although neither the Hexers nor the Golden Skullers believed that they could maintain the confidentiality of the ironically-named Operation Saturday Market forever, it was best if the Gauge Dynasty remained in the dark as long as possible. It would be rather suspicious if the Golden Skull Alliance randomly traveled to the Magair Middle Zone when they were supposed to travel closer to the frontlines of the ongoing invasion of the Red Ocean. Fortunately, the Glory Seekers and the Hexers quickly figured out a plausible arrangement. ,m Originally, the Glory Seekers were supposed to receive a new and large fleet carrier from the Hex Federation. With a total capacity of 1000 mechs, the Vengeance of the Hegemony played a key role in bolstering the operational strength of the expeditionary fleet. However, the construction of the 3.1 kilometer-long fleet carrier had suffered numerous delays due to her high specifications. The shipyard responsible for constructing her ran short of key materials needed to build powerful ship parts. While the Hexers managed to complete the Vengeance of the Hegemony just in time, the onset of Operation Saturday Market prompted the Hexers to change their plans. By making it so that the Golden Skull Alliance needed to pick up the brand-new fleet carrier as well as a few other valuable goodies, hardly anyone thought that there was more behind this trip. Gloriana wasn't fooled, though. "Don't lie to me, Ves. I have my sources. I already know about the plan to attack Pima Prime. What were you thinking when you tried to keep me out of the discussion?! I'm your wife, Ves! You're supposed to be more forthcoming about matters like these!" "Don't yell so much, Gloriana! What did I tell you about raising your voice in front of our children? Don't make Aurelia upset." Their girl already started to look confused. The mention of their daughter snapped Gloriana out of her tirade. Her eyes softened with love as she directed her attention to her pretty little daughter. She walked around the desk and snatched Aurelia out of Ves' lap. "There there, baby. Mama is here. Everything will be alright." "Why is mama angry again?" "Mama is angry because your father is a dumdum again. He's been very naughty as of late by trying to keep a secret from me. Your father needs to learn that he is not supposed to handle these matters alone. I am also a part of the Larkinson Clan!" Ves was not impressed with the words spoken by his wife. "Gloriana, there is no use even if you know. The planning and decision-making surrounding Operation Saturday Market is a high-level strategic affair. You're a mech designer. Your input is not needed. We already have Master Benedict Cortez and numerous other Hexer Masters who are capable of analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the leaked Fridayman mech designs." Gloriana let out a noise in frustration. "I am not irrelevant! I am your wife. I am a Hexer and a Wodin as well, so I have a clear interest in defeating the Fridaymen. In addition to that, I am a mother who doesn't want our children to come to harm. While I am not trying to stop you from attacking an important stronghold of the Gauge Dynasty, I have serious doubts and objections about launching an attack with our entire fleet. We have too many ships that have no business on the battlefield!" Ves grimaced and crossed his arms. "You already know why we have to do this. Do you think I like dragging the Spirit of Bentheim, the Vivacious Wal and the Diligent Ovenbird to one of the biggest battlefields in this zone? I don't, but I don't have a choice. It's not just about maintaining the solidarity of all of our clansmen. It's about keeping everything we care about by our side. We can't trust the authorities in Davute to protect all of our valuable but vulnerable non-combat ships." "Then why not park the ships in question in the Hex Federation?" Gloriana suggested. "The Wodin Dynasty is my family but yours as well. Brutus, Ranya and myself are all married to you Larkinsons. If there is anyone you can trust in this dwarf galaxy, it will be my relatives. My mother would love to spend time with her grandchildren. Though she can always talk to our children over the galactic net, there is nothing better than hugging them in person. She would be more than willing to extend her dynasty's protection to our civilian vessels. You can go off and satisfy your violent and destructive urges while our children and I will remain utterly safe and far away from any scary and threatening Fridaymen." "..." While Ves acknowledged that Gloriana had made a few good points, her tone did not sit well with him. However, the bigger problem was that he did not want to leave Aurelia, Andraste and most importantly Marvaine in the clutches of his in-laws for weeks on end! Who knew how much Hexer poison Madame Constance Wodin would instill in the minds of his innocent children? "No." "No, what?" "I am not stashing our civilians and civilian vessels at the Wodin Dynasty. It goes against clan policy to entrust our family and our most vulnerable assets to third parties. While I am sure that the Hex Federation is trustworthy enough, I am not in the habit of making any exceptions." "YOU ARE THE CLAN PATRIARCH! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO SET THIS RULE IN THE FIRST PLACE! YOU CAN EASILY REVERSE IT AS LONG AS YOU DO THE RIGHT THING!" "Don't yell so much, honey! Look at what you're doing to our daughter!" Aurelia didn't like it when her parents were screaming at each other. Her eyes already began to tear up as she began to squirm in her mother's grasp. "Whaaaa! Mama doesn't love papa anymore!" Gloriana panicked all of a sudden. "That's not true, baby! Mama and papa still love each other. We are just having a disagreement, that's all. Mama and papa are both happy with each other, isn't that right, Ves?" The warning tone at the end made sure to remind Ves that he needed to play along. He quickly nodded. "That's right. Your mother and father aren't breaking up. In fact, we will make sure to stay by each other's side even as we commence our attack on the bad guys that I have pointed out. We'll remain as one happy family as our forces overrun the Fridaymen defensive lines and lay waste to their precious settlement." Aurelia's tears dried up remarkably quickly after that. She even giggled and clapped at the prospect of enjoying another 'family outing'! "Yay!" Her mother on the other hand had grown speechless. "..."