263 Showdown.
Shi Lang was surprised by the sudden command. He was startled about the implications of the simple term, Galactic Showdown. He looked at the file in front of him and knew that this was the most prized document in the entire Federation. There had been no records of the content of this file.
The reason was to maintain the secrecy of the data. This physical form meant that this data was not found anywhere else on the entire planet and if someone tried to steal it, this paper was so force sensitive that slight mishandling will cause it to break down into shreds.
Shi Lang asked, “What do you mean by that order?”
He was confused, after all, he has yet to read the file in detail. The president sighed and said, “In the past, the federation never qualified for participation in this so-called showdown of the galaxy. However, this time, we have taken down the cannibalistic neighbors, and not only that but we have formed a few crucial alliances. The federation is on a rise and thus comes the rite of passage in the galactic council.
We were nominated by name. Our allies did this to help us gain a stable footing in the Galactic Council.”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “I am not asking you why we have to participate, I am asking you what do we have to participate in. Do you understand the distinction?”
The president sensed that Shi Lang’s aura has changed and he was now talking to him fearlessly. The old man said, “A showdown is an event organized by the galactic council every few years. This time we are just nominated to participate. The main motive of the showdown is to find new talents and integrate them into the strike force.”
Shi Lang asked, “Strike force?”
The President nodded and said, “The special team of the Galactic Council. It is just like any other military team, they deal with the criminals of the galactic council. The galaxy is vast and thus this team is needed to take down those who try to harm the council.”
Shi Lang scoffed and said, “These people will simply say anything in order to bring the strongest together and then maintain the monopoly of the council.”
The president nodded and said, “You are correct, but what can we do?”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “I had told you already to keep a low profile with the development, and this was why to make sure that the growth in the small pond is not affected, the Ace Division was established. However, you wild politicians dream too much. What you do not understand is that not all the allies are for your good. Stupid jerks.”
He was literally not careful with the dignity of the old man in front of him. The reason was the letter in his hand and the motive of the allies. They were trying to have Shi Lang and the few powerful people in the army go to the council strike force and ignore the struggles inside the federations so that they could be worry free and simply and surely suppress the civilization.
Shi Lang was angry at this moment, but for the sake of seniority, he maintained calm. He said, “You politicians are the incorrigible scum.”
He stood up from the chair, picked up the file carefully, and left the room. He would have slapped the table to pieces if he could. The president sighed as the young general left. he could understand, after all, that not a lot of people were as strong as Shi Lang in the federation now, and taking away only the few that are strong enough to reach his level, was leaving the entire federation naked under the sun.
The young general was thinking about the betterment of the federation, so the president could not actually say anything.
…
Shi Lang held the file in his hand but did not talk to anyone in the villa, he came outside and said in the communicator, “Commander, please initiate a clean-up ASAP. These fucked up politicians have to cause enough troubles.”
The call was made to the commander Silence, also known as, Archie Arkham. She was literally waiting for this call, the rapid growth of the federation has also revealed a lot of small-time white-collared goons, who have become a huge threat to the integrity of the system. So, she came forward and collected a lot of investigative data from the ministers to the clerks, none of the people with dirty hands were going to walk free from this.
Shi Lang did not wait much, when he got home, Amelia stood there waiting for him. She was going to ask him about the day, when Shi Lang said, “The president shoved this over me. The secret division will take action soon and the clutter will be cleared.”
Amelia looked at his tired expression and took hold of the file gently and the lady said, “We were all discussing our wedding dates.”
Shi Lang was surprised but then he nodded and said, “It is good. I am sorry, that I found not participate. Tell me what you if you are enjoying it.”
Amelia locked hands with him and said, “Absolutely.”
The two people went inside the house and they were greeted by Shi Lang’s family. They were also very enthusiastic about the wedding of their only son. Shi Lang chatted with everyone for a bit before he went to his study with the file in his hand. The young man leaned back in the chair and began to study the rules and regulations of the field.
The competition included one preliminary where the physical capability of the teams is solo capacity. Later came the group stages, the teams will fight against each other in a contest, where the fight can be ranging from group battle to solo battle. From gun battle to mecha battle. It could be anything.
Shi Lang was not worried about it, he was more mindful of the rules and regulations of the tournament. As it turned out, these fights had the risk of death involved. He sighed and shook his head at this. This meant his people will have to go through fire and water to survive.
Shi Lang finished reading the file and his brain began to think about the suitable level of the candidates in the team. He needed twenty people on the team, all of which must be screened and tested. The team will not only have frontline contenders but also technicians to tend to the mechas and their spirit battle suits.
He began to check through the database of the computer. He used his identity as the first general to read through the files of the students throughout the federation and even from his alma mater he found a few names. However, thinking about the certain death risk involved in the tournament, he gave up on the young ones and looked at the battle-hardened ones.
All the soldiers with exceptional service were recorded in the database, and they all saw had gone through a lot of bloodshed and were practically ready for death. The Ace division needed to stay behind in the federation to monitor the activities of these so-called allies and deal with them if needed.
Shi Lang found a few names from the past, who had also risen through the ranks. One of such old names was his friend, Lucas. The goof of the past was now the person responsible for a revolutionary mecha engine and his wife, Jane had come forward as the designer of a new neural link for a better connection between man and machine.
Shi Lang was surprised to find this information but this was very useful for him. He spend a full week, ran different checks through the system, and even mobilized the help from all the other fleet generals. In the end, he declared that the selected people are to be sent to the card class and X was given the charge to train these people before the final test.
He was not going to accept just everyone recommended by the old generals. The general council tried to ask him what the queries were for, and what was his motive but Shi Lang only shoved it all to the president and said that it was a federal secret, he could not reveal it before the president permitted it.
Before that came another task that Shi Lang found to be very important. That was his wedding. He took special care of the people in the family, and accompanied Amelia everywhere, from venue selection to dress selection. Finally after a month of running and sprinting. The day of the wedding was just a week ago and Shi Lang was given time off by his soon-to-be wife to send out invites.
The young general reconnected with his old friends and classmates and sent out invites with all sincerity. His life was about to change after this showdown.