Mecha and Sword

"You have a grandfather."

Within the Federation's Number 6 base on an alien planet, a woman lying in a hospital bed looked at the little girl in front of her, her face filled with reluctance.

"Grandfather?"

"Yes, you have a grandfather."

"What is a grandfather?"

"Your father's father is your grandfather."

"Can he allow me to see my father?"

The woman in the bed was speechless. She didn't know how to explain to her daughter. It wasn't just that this kind of thing couldn't be explained to a six-year-old girl, but also that the clearer the explanation, the more cruel it would be.

What made her most perplexed, was that she was about to do something even crueller. Though this act was not carried out by her will, it was indeed very cruel.

"You have to ask him this question."

"Who is he?"

"He is your grandfather."

"Will he answer me?"

"Yes, he will answer any question you have, as long as you behave."

"Xinxin always behaves."

...

This is somewhat of a cliched story.

The front line of the alien planet was not merely a battlefield. The vast distance between Azure Star and the alien planet made it impractical to directly transport a majority of everyday living supplies, thus alien bases were established. These bases were part of the Federation's plan, with the purpose of mining resources from the alien planets and creating more bases suitable for human survival, alleviating the population pressure on Azure Star.

When the Empire's troops emerged from the Transition Gate that suddenly materialized on the alien planet, the undefended alien bases were met with cataclysmic blows and were almost entirely occupied. To defend before the planets, for the humans striving to survive on these alien planets, for the resources on these alien planets...

The Federation deployed troops and many people who did not directly participate in the war. They served the war in their own ways, living in the alien bases. Among these people were miners responsible for extracting alien resources, agronomists tasked with growing crops to alleviate food shortages, construction workers who built and maintained the alien bases, and there were scientists, doctors, and nurses...

Ji Chenxing was gravely wounded in a heroic battle, and was transferred to the medical system at Base 6 for treatment, leading to a chance meeting between a war hero and a white-robed angel.

But love on the front lines rarely ended well. The war hero didn't want to leave the front lines and the white-robed angel also didn't want to leave. As a result, the angel chose to give birth alone, refusing to reveal who the child's father was, not wanting to hold back Ji Chenxing.

"She's sick, very serious, and can't take care of the child anymore. So she wants to find Ji Chenxing, but by that time he had already perished."

"We have confirmed that the child is your granddaughter. If you don't want to believe it, you can use the related technology for verification once you get to Base 6 on the alien front line."

Tu Yuan looked at the silent Ji Xinghe, not a trace of congratulations in his expression, because this was not something that warranted congratulations.

Having read the information, Ji Xinghe's gaze rested on the photograph of the little girl. He didn't need any identification to confirm that the little girl was his granddaughter, his only relative in this world. It was a peculiar feeling.

"The child's mother..." Ji Xinghe looked at Tu Yuan: "Can she be saved?"

Tu Yuan shook his head slightly: "No, it's terminal cancer."

"Can the child come back?"

As he asked this question, Ji Xinghe's voice trembled, because this suggested that he was giving up on something he would otherwise have relentlessly fought for.

While this was originally the choice that Tu Yuan most hoped for, he felt compelled to tell the truth. He didn't want to lie to the old man.

"No, she was born on the alien planet and the gravity there is only a third of our Azure Star. So her body can't support her to return to live healthily on Azure Star just yet. She needs appropriate treatments, and if successful, she can return when she is eight years old."

The alien planet's environment compared to Azure Star differed not only in gravity, but also in air pressure, magnetic field, radiation, and so on. The bases built by the Federation could not perfectly replicate Azure Star's environment. While adults could live on the alien planet for a long time, it was not easy for newborn babies.

Ji Xinghe was aware of this. When Ji Chenxing was about to head to the front line, he frantically started learning about the alien planets, wanting to be able to answer any questions like he used to when Ji Chenxing was young, although Ji Chenxing no longer needed that by then.

So Ji Xinghe knew that, if things didn't go smoothly, his granddaughter would never be able to return to Azure Star. She could only grow up on the alien planet and then die there from an accident, war or illness. Regardless of which it was, he would be left alone in the world once again.

"The middle policy," Ji Xinghe looked at Tu Yuan and said in a hoarse voice: "I choose the middle policy."

In fact, the best policy would be the best.

Tu Yuan said to himself, but he didn't know how to justify asking Ji Xinghe to wait a year or two before meeting the girl, because he knew that a lot could happen in that time.

"Alright."

"Can we depart today?"

"No, you need a detailed medical exam, an interview, and professional training. At the earliest, you could set off for the alien planet in two months, and the voyage would last three months."

The distance between Azure Star and the alien planet is not fixed, at its closest reaching just over 50 million kilometers, and at its furthest, up to 400 million kilometers. Approximately every fifteen years, the two planets come closest to each other, then drift apart until they approach once again fifteen years later.

Over the next seven years, the distance between Azure Star and the alien planet will gradually decrease. This implies that the pressure on the front line will increase since the imperial monkeys are aware of this.

"I can undergo the medical exam, I can do the interview, I can even let you live-stream my life on the alien planet." Ji Xinghe adds a condition: "But I want to depart within a week, I know you have a spacecraft going to the alien planet within the week."

Tu Yuan frowned and said: "However, if you do not accept the training, you will not be able to adapt to life on the alien planet."

"I can, I have read many books, I can take a test."

Armchair strategist.

Tu Yuan hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded.

"If you do not pass the test, you have to accept professional training until you pass the test."

"Fine."

"Do you have any other requests?"

"Can I bring my knife?"

"What do you need the knife for? To cut the empire's mecha?"

"If I get the chance."

"You can't bring it."

"Alright."

Ji Xinghe did not insist, because he planned to make two knives on the alien planet. Alien planet has better deposits that can be used to forge better alloy, which is one of the most needed resources for the Federation.

Then, he went for the interview. The interviewer surprised him, it wasn't a journalist from the military or a well-known journalist or host from the Federal Official TV, but Pei Jing who had interviewed him before.

The process was simple because Ji Xinghe's story was simple. After the interview, Ji Xinghe asked Pei Jing a favor.

"Young lady, can you do me a favor?"

"What can I do for you, Grandfather Ji?"

"Help me find a lawyer, I want to sell my house and buy off my pension as soon as possible."

"I can do that, but... aren't you planning to come back, Grandfather Ji?"

Ji Xinghe plans to come back, but he didn't know if he could. He also figured that a significant amount of money would be needed to treat his granddaughter.

"I don't know." Ji Xinghe handed his bag to Pei Jing: "Thank you, young lady. Here is a gift for you. It's not expensive, you can throw it away if you don't like it."

Pei Jing received it as if it was a treasure. She knew that there were two knives in the bag, not sharpened, not controlled cutlery, so they are essentially valueless. But at a certain point, they carried Ji Xinghe's hope for revenge, even though that hope was short-lived, as were the knives, but the hope was long, like an unending river.

"I won't throw it away, I will keep it safe. Grandfather Ji, you need to take care of yourself as well."

"Thank you."

After the interview, Ji Xinghe did not go home, or meet with friends, neighbors, or colleagues who cared for him. He signed the relevant authorization agreement, and then followed Tu Yuan out of New Phoenix City, taking a test before boarding a spacecraft.

He is going to take care of his granddaughter, but he has not given up on revenge.

He told Tu Yuan: if there is a chance.

...

...

ps: It's a new week, asking for recommendations, monthly votes, rewards to support, if there's a chance, I'd like to try to reach the new book list, not daring to think of the overall list, just the science fiction list will do, bosses please give me a chance.