-Eight days after the imprisonment of General Aquila-

The borders are tranquil at the moment, so I went to check on my famous prisoner.

There she was, behind an energy door, in prisoner clothing. Equality in perfection, I joked to myself. As she saw me approach, her eyes lit up. She couldn't hide her joy as I approached. Loneliness is something a twenty-four-year-old woman can not stand after all, not even a great General as herself.

"Open the door," I ordered to the Lieutenant in charge, standing at a control panel with two other soldiers. The door opened shortly after, and I entered the small cell. A bed, a small table, and a toilet; is all prisoners have.

"Good morning, General Aquila. How was life as a prisoner so far? I never needed to experience it myself, thank god. Maybe one day, I also will."

"Good morning, General Rostov. As you can see, it could be better. The food tastes bad, and all I can do is stare at this monotonous white wall. I can imagine way more fun things." - she stated while sighing.

"It is Chief General, actually. I just got promoted because of you, and for that, I'm genuinely grateful. Since I got promoted, a new General post is now free; we could need cable Generals like yourself on our side. To be more specific, I would like to have you in my newly created faction. As you may know, once you are awarded the Chief General's title, you gain a seat in the High Council, and you can start your own operations, have your own prize fund, and three full cruisers with a battalion each is under your direct control. Generally speaking, you are way more autonomous. The downside of that is that I have to manage nearly everything myself, including employing competent leaders. I have big plans for the future. Are you interested in working for me on this adventure?"

General Aquila was extremely surprised to receive such an offer out of the blue but quickly regained her composure, as required of an elite General.

"I'm indeed highly interested, though I hope you understand that I have to think this through thoroughly." She slowly answered while eying my twenty-eight-year-old body; a height of 1,92cm, dark, longer disheveled hair (for a guy), shining blue eyes, and a fit body made for a trustworthy image.

I grinned.

"General Aquila, you are suspicious, and that rightly. Just know that I mean you no harm. I will order a soldier to bring you a laptop, where you can write down your working contact requirements, and I'm sure we will come to an agreement. I'm a generous man to those I deem cable. Take your time. I will check up on you again in a few days."

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Three days later

I again enter the small cell of General Aquila, this time a smile plastered on my face.

"Good morning General Aquila." I greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning Chief General Rostov." She greeted back likewise.

"So, have you come up with something?" I asked.

"Yes. I have three conditions. Firstly I will choose my subordinates myself. Secondly, I won't break the law. You probably won't know, but I'm, in fact, off royal blood. Fifteen years ago, my home planet got utterly destroyed when the evil monsters called Sophratons attacked us.

These vile creatures with insect-like features took over the beautiful planet. They killed my whole family, only my sister and I escaped through a secret tunnel. We pleaded at Galactic Empire's High Court to enforce justice. They agreed surprisingly readily. My sister and I didn't have a clue back then. The war lasted four years. The Sophratons were forced back, and every single one of them was expelled from the planet. However, the planet suffered thoroughly through the war. As my two years older sister was only fifteen at that time, the Empire appointed a regent. For half-year everything was fine; we were living comfortably as the rightful princesses. Then the news that the extremely valuable resource Plutonium was found on the planet, and a vast vein at that reached the palace. From then onwards, the planet received way more attention from the Empire. Two weeks later, the mining started.

When my sister turned eighteen and was crowned as the rightful queen of Aquilla, the Empire, on the surface approved, but never handed over the power. From then onwards, we were nothing more than puppets to them, and it dawned on us that this was their intention all along, especially so after the Plutonium was found. I couldn't stand their betrayal and managed to acquire myself the Chief Captain's rank through metaphorically throwing rocks in their mining operation. They relented quickly. I unexpectedly had an immense talent for warfare and leading, planning, and carrying out operations. I was promoted to General just after one year of serving.

My last condition is that you conquer the planet Aquila, my homeworld, back and return its full control to my family. Since I can't fully trust your word alone, you will have a timeframe of five years to achieve my request. When you do so, I swear my loyalty to you and your cause. If you don't, I will withdraw." She said with a stern look on her face.

"I didn't know you have such a tragic past. You have my sympathy. Your conditions are not a problem. I hereby swear that I, Michael Rostov, will do everything in my power to return Aquila to its rightful owner.

To say I wasn't emotionally moved would be a lie.

After my oath, General Aquila offered me her hand, "Sophie".

"Michael," I said as I shook her hand.

"Let's get you out of this shithole; please follow me," I said with a smile.

"Thanks again for this opportunity, Michael. You will not regret this."

"Of that, I'm sure," I answered with a confident smile as we exited the cell.