The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

"THE soldier whom I gave the evidence to, smiled at me and told me that I did a good job. He led me to a room, telling me to wait while he called his superior. I remembered suddenly smelling something wrong. I lost consciousness and the next thing I knew, I was already being shipped to a mining planet together with other criminals."

Emmy gasped in surprise. Although she already suspected that something along those lines would happen, she didn't expect that those people would actually send a ten-year-old child to a mining planet. 

Mining planets were planets rich in energy spars but had very harsh living conditions. The Empire usually sent criminals there to atone for their crimes by mining energy spars. Most criminals who were sent to mining planets either ended up spending the rest of their days there or they simply ended up dying. And that soldier didn't even hesitate to send a ten-year-old there.

She was sure that his higher-up also knew about it. But instead of using the evidence they found to make a case against Cecil Lancaster, they sent a helpless boy to a mining planet. Knowing full well that he might die there. Maybe that's what they were really hoping for.

It wouldn't take a genius to know what became of that evidence. It was most likely destroyed. And those soldiers were most probably working under the Lancaster family. Those trash. Were they still even human? 

"I was confused at first. But then soon, I realized what happened. I ended up in that ship because I gave that evidence to an imperial soldier. Instead of getting justice for my mother, I was sent to die somewhere. I didn't even realize that I was giving the only card I have to the enemy," Gage continued, his voice full of bitterness and guilt. 

Extreme anger suddenly washed over Emmy. She wanted to beat the shit out of all those soldiers who broke the trust of the boy Gage had been. And most of all, she wanted to castrate Cecil Lancaster for what he did to Gage's adoptive mother. No, even castrating him wouldn't be enough. Because she was sure that Gage's mother was not his only victim. His existence should simply be erased!

"I spent four years in that mining planet. The only thing that's keeping me alive was the hate inside my heart. It fueled me to go on living. I couldn't die because I still haven't avenged my mother. I was waiting for a chance. Just one chance to get out of that place. And it came four years after I arrived in that place."

Although Gage didn't tell her how his life had been in that mining planet he was sent to, Emmy could tell that it was nothing but hellish. Her only relief was the fact that he managed to escape.

"I often volunteered to mine at one of the dangerous places in that planet. Because I wanted to be alone. Before that, I accidentally found a broken aircraft. Whenever I was alone, I fixed that broken aircraft using the things that I scavenged while mining. It was already nearing its completion when I accidentally saved someone. That person's aircraft crashed on the area near where I was fixing my own aircraft. Choosing to save him was probably the best decision I could have done at that time. With his aircraft, I managed to finished repairing mine. Then the two of us left the planet."

The things Gage was telling her was only the simplified version of the events that happened to him. Emmy was sure that it wasn't as easy as he made it out to be.

"It's just my luck that the person I saved happened to be someone of importance. With his help, I managed to establish a new identity. The first thing I did after that was to find someone who could reconstruct a face just by listening to another's description. I found a person who could do that. I easily described to him how that bastard looked like. It had been four years but I still remembered his face like it was yesterday. Soon, I had the portrait of that bastard in my hands.

"The person I asked to do that portrait recognized him. And that's when I finally knew his name. Cecil Lancaster from the powerful Lancaster family. A noble known for being gentle and kind. I almost vomited blood when I heard that bastard being praised like that. But I also quickly realized how impossible it would be for me to exact my vengeance. 

"I'm just an orphan with no power or influence in my hands. For me to kill Cecil Lancaster, I needed to be someone who was qualified enough to stand in his presence. So, I researched everything I could about the Lancaster family. That's when I discovered how Simon Lancaster would always pick outstanding graduates from the Imperial Military Academy to be part of his army. Some lucky ones even became his protégé. I started to develop my plan after knowing that information.

"I studied like there's no tomorrow so that I could be accepted at the Imperial Military Academy. And I did. Then I worked and worked and worked to be the best. Finally, Simon Lancaster noticed me and made me his protégé. With that qualification, I was a step closer to my goal. 

"My plan was to integrate myself to the Lancaster family to the point that they wouldn't even suspect me once I killed Cecil Lancaster. I was even willing to marry that guy Simon Lancaster told me to marry. But most of the times, plans simply don't go the way we wanted.

"When I saw Cecil Lancaster again after 12 years, I was overcome by the overwhelming urge to kill. While he just stood there, smiling at me. Little did he know how much I wanted to rip his heart out at that moment. It's a miracle that I even managed to make a response. 

"I underestimated my own need for vengeance. At this rate, I'm not even sure if I could control myself around that bastard. And another variable appeared that forced me to advanced my plans." 

Gage suddenly looked straight at Emmy. And her heart jolted, beating faster and faster for no reason.

"You."

Emmy blinked. Her heart that was already beating much faster than normal felt like it was jumping and spinning inside her chest. "M-me?"

"I can't let you marry Cecil Lancaster." Then as if realizing what he just said, Gage's whole face turned red once again. He looked away and scratched the back of his head. "I couldn't really explain it. I- I just don't want you to marry him."

Emmy's face also turned red, unsure as to how she should response.

"I was hoping that your father could end the engagement once he knew about Cecil Lancaster's true color. But now that I know that he plans to use you to trap Cecil Lancaster, I'd rather the two of us work together instead to kill that bastard than have you act as bait." Then his expression suddenly turned fierce once again. "Ah, seriously, what was your father thinking when he made that decision?"

Emmy stared at Gage's angry expression. And that part of her heart that was slowly turning cold became warm again. During their conversation, she felt shocked, angry, depressed, and then comforted. It was a variation of emotions that she probably wouldn't feel if the one standing before her was not Gage.

That seed of unknown emotion inside her heart was already growing at an incredible speed. And with that, she finally made up her mind.

"Okay, let's do that. Let's work together."