"Hmm... What happened on the Song Offering, do you still hate me?"
The air fell silent instantly.
This is an extremely sharp and sensitive issue.
The hatred of having his wife stolen, the resentment of having his position usurped.
In any culture, this would be an irreconcilable blood feud.
Gus remained silent for a few seconds.
He looked into Lynn's eyes, his gaze calm and composed, without the slightest hint of evasion or resentment.
Then, he smiled slowly and shook his head.
"Ha, it's just a few hardships, I no longer care about the past."
His tone was calm and sincere, without the slightest pretense.
Deep down, he had truly let go of all resentment.
At first, of course he hated Lynn.
He hated Lynn for taking away his wife Isolde, hated Lynn for stealing the name that should have been his, and the governorship, hated Lynn for ruining the life he had dreamed of.
He had sworn countless times in the night to avenge himself and make Lynn pay the price.
But gradually, he realized that this was the life he truly wanted.
He came from a family of Astra Militarum and grew up listening to the heroic tales of his ancestors.
His ancestors were generals of the Imperium who died in battle against the great enemy of Chaos, sacrificing their lives for their country.
His father, a valiant Astra Militarum colonel, died in battle against the Xenos.
His dream was never to be a mediocre nobleman, nor a gigolo who lived off women and wasted his life in debauchery.
His dream is to be like his ancestors, don military uniform, fight on the battlefield, achieve great deeds, and rebuild the glory of his family.
And Lynn gave him that opportunity.
If it weren't for Lynn, he might still be living a muddled and scorned life under Isolde's feet.
He will never be able to command thousands of troops and experience the sense of accomplishment that comes with certain victory in every battle and conquest in every attack.
He is now the vice commander of the expeditionary fleet, the second most important person after Lynn.
He enjoyed extremely high prestige among the soldiers, and his name will be recorded in Brevis's military history and remembered by future generations.
All of this was given to him by Lynn.
As for Isolde?
Hmph, that woman, it's all just a matter of mutual exploitation.
The moment she chose Lynn, there was no longer any connection between them.
He doesn't care about that woman at all now.
Lynn looked into Gus's eyes and nodded slightly.
He believed Gus was telling the truth.
Because Rena was standing right behind him.
Rena's Psychic Power vision allows her to truly "smell" the scent of emotions.
She could see that Gus ' emotions contained only a calm blue and a grateful gold, without a trace of resentment or hatred.
Lynn stubbed out his cigar, the Mars making one last soft hissing sound in the metal ashtray before going out.
The sounds of gunfire outside the window had thinned considerably, with only the occasional muffled explosion.
He then led Gus to the bridge and summoned all the senior officers of the expeditionary fleet, saying he had important news to announce.
"You should already know about the Tithe."
Lynn's voice drowned out the low hum of all the instruments and the distant explosions.
He walked to the huge star chart platform and pointed his finger at Brevis's coordinates.
There was a heavy circle drawn in red pen there, the ink still showing signs of smudging, clearly drawn hastily by the messenger earlier.
"The expeditionary fleet entered the Calixis System three days ago, and Carter's Archon says their advance ships have already been spotted at the edge of the system."
"I estimate we'll arrive in Brevis soon."
Lynn's fingertips traced across the cold star map, landing on the location of Carl II.
This area was originally a glaring red, representing the hostile territory completely occupied by the Orks.
Now, amidst the vast expanse of red, a touch of Imperium's gold has finally appeared, but the edges of the gold are still speckled with red, signifying dangerous areas.
" The Orks spores are hidden in every ventilation duct and every rubble of Carl II; we need to be on guard at all times."
"And Dorito's big appetite, Ragnar, will eventually receive news of the fall of Carl II."
"The enemy must also know the importance of Carl II, and they will definitely launch a counterattack."
"If I take all the main force with me, this place will become the domain of the Orks again in less than half a month."
"All the blood we've shed and the people who have died these past few months have been for nothing."
The surrounding officers exchanged glances, but no one dared to utter a sound.
Everyone knows this is a mess, but nobody wants to take on this hot potato.
Now, with insufficient resources and reinforcements, Carl II must face the counterattack of billions of Orks on its own.
One wrong move and you'll be dead without a burial place, not even your bones will be left.
Several senior Vanguard noble officers instinctively shrank back, their eyes darting around, afraid that Lynn would call their names.
Lynn took it all in without saying a word.
These good-for-nothings are always eager to claim credit and rewards, but when it comes to taking responsibility, they all become cowards.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Gus again.
"Therefore, I have decided to formally establish the position of Admiral of the Brevis Expeditionary Fleet."
"During my absence from Carl II, the General will assume all my authority and command all army and navy forces."
He is fully responsible for the defense, administration, and all affairs, large and small, here.
No one may disobey the General's orders; those who do so will be punished according to military law.
This statement was like a bombshell, causing an uproar in the quiet bridge.
Whispers erupted instantly, like a swarm of flies buzzing around.
"General? Besides the Governor-General, who else is qualified?"
Following Lynn's gaze and their Dialogue with Gus, they seemed to have guessed something and all turned their attention to Gus.
Gus's heart skipped a beat, almost jumping out of his throat.
He instinctively straightened his back, his fingers unconsciously gripping the handle of the pistol at his waist, the veins on his forearm bulging from the effort.
He could feel dozens of eyes focused on him, some surprised, some confused, some jealous, and some disdainful.
He never imagined that the position of Grand General, second only to the emperor, would fall into his lap.
Six months ago, he was a pretty boy who depended on Isolde, ridiculed by everyone, a good-for-nothing who couldn't even control his own destiny.
And now, he is about to become the supreme commander of this expeditionary fleet of tens of millions of people, and will be the sole commander of the space station that has just been taken back from the Orks.
Ignoring the commotion around him, Lynn stepped forward and stood in front of Gus.
The bridge's public address system suddenly went off.