Unlike the noble houses and some of the more well off revolutionaries, house Vallum preferred to not spend its money on vanity. This was evident by the stark militaristic layout and decor of their main building, the only decoration being pictures of decorated servicemen and important historical battles that the house fought in.
The main building of the Vallum Estate housed all of its administrative and economic departments. While the top floor was reserved for the elders of the family, the Elders Quorum was the centre of the estate, all decisions flowing through its halls.
His fathers office was on the third floor, as a former service member he held much greater respect than those hired hands or family members that preferred not to fight. Even if house Vallum was heavily involved with the military they still understood that not everyone would be in agreement, and so had positions available for those with different skills.
That wasn't to say that you had to stay within its walls however, many leaving and setting up thriving businesses. However for those without a drive or passion positions were still always available.
Leonard quickly ascended the stairs, and stood before a large wooden door into his fathers office. He knocked two times.
“Come in.”
His fathers voice broke through the door and Leonard entered. Its interior was the same as before he had left, floor to ceiling bookshelves dominated the left wall while the right had a large picture from his fathers time in the Mech Corps.
The man himself was seated behind a large desk in front of widows that had a clear view down the central lawn of the estate.
His father was similar in appearance to Leonard with dark black hair and striking blue eyes. The only difference was his scarred face and short cut beard that started showing his age. He looked Leonard up and down when he entered, getting a feel for how his son had changed in his time away.
“Sit,” he gestured to a chair in front of his desk, seemingly satisfied with what he saw. “How has your time the Corps treated you?”
“It's been rough, I won't lie,” Leonard sat down with a sigh. “I still don't understand why I was placed as a Sergeant straight out of bootcamp.”
“I understand,” his father Arthur leaned back in his chair. “It was the same with me when I first started. It can be hard, I know, the responsibility causing you much stress, but the experience is definitely worthwhile.”
Leonard knew deep inside that the position would be very beneficial for him and his future career. However such far off concepts didn't help when he blamed his own orders for the death of his pilots.
“I know. But I can't help but think someone else would've been better. If someone more component could have prevented needless deaths.”
“You blame yourself for losing your pilots?” His father questioned, and Leonard could only manage a nod. The guilt had been building inside him for sometime now, but there really wasn't anyone he could talk to on base. He had to maintain an image of authority and competence.
There were outlets for such feelings but pilots very rarely took them, preferring to throw themselves back into more work and not think about it. Leonard could not say he was any different.
“The feeling doesn't go away. Even I look back on the operations I led and wonder if I could have handled it differently.” Leonard looked up with surprise, his father almost never spoke of his time in the service. “But such thoughts will never lead anywhere. I have seen enough servicemen turn to alcohol to know dwelling on the past is never the answer.”
Arthur could tell his son didn’t fully understand. However there wasn’t much he could do, he would need to come to terms on his own. But he would always be here to talk with, loneliness and isolation being the real killers to retired servicemen.
“You will come to terms with it in time.” He decided it might be best to turn away from such matters. “Tell me about this latest operation. How were you stupid enough to get half your body destroyed?”
Leonard went into explaining what had happened. From the first engagement with the Swarm he ever had all the way up to the final battle, where he had ended up hospitalised. His father listened intently, always curious about his son's exploits.
“And that's when I woke up aboard Trinity, and ended up back here on medical leave.”
“You look remarkably well for someone on medical leave.” His father questioned. “Tell me what happened when you were onboard Trinity. I know the Corps well, they would have never paid for such extensive body regrowth treatments.”
This question left Leonard in a tough position. He knew well that not everything that happened could be explained without exposing his relationship with Bulwark and the can of worms that such an organisation opened.
However luckily for him, Agent Smith had foreseen such a situation and had left him with an alibi.
“Not much is known about the creatures on our western border, the military wanted to know about complications that exposure to their bodily toxins could cause.” Leonard lied, he knew there were holes in the story. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers had died against the Swarm threat over the years, and only now the military thought to heal a pilot back from the dead to see the effects? His father had a much deeper knowledge of the military than he, and he could tell he did not buy his story, however he let it be.
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“And so every week I'm required to check in for examination.”
“I see.” They both knew he didn't. “It seems you’ve been through alot in your short time in the service. You're on leave for 2 months right? Make sure you relax some.”
“Don't worry, I definitely intend to.”
Arthur nodded.
“Good. No matter how much you want to work it's always important to take some time for yourself.”
“Here, you might need this while off duty.” Arthur pulled out Leonards old civilian comm unit, the wristband having been left with his father when he left for the Corps.
“Thanks.” Leonard took his military issued comm of his wrist and replaced it with his civilian counterpart. He placed the military comm unit into his pocket, he would still need it in order to contact the remaining members of his squad and when he returned to active service.
“Since you're able to walk around just fine, how do you plan on using your ‘medical leave’?”
“I'm not sure.” Leonard admitted. While confirming the wellbeing of his fellow mech pilots was important to him, the first order of business would be to sort out the mess in his head. Whatever destination that brought him to. “I have a couple things in mind, but I’ll just play it by ear.”
The father son pair spent some more time before he decided he’d better get back to the ever growing pile of documents on his desk. He always said if he knew the job he would get when he quit the Corps he would have never left.
Leonard got up to leave, however his father stopped him before he opened the door.
“Leo. Your mother and sister will be back tomorrow. It may be for the best if you leave some parts of your story out.”
“Don't worry I get it, she really does worry too much.”
Leonard made his way out of the main building, the residential apartments being placed along the sides of the central lawn. He quickly reached the apartment building he and his family called home, its three stories being a residence to many members of the estate.
Their apartment was on the second floor. It was fairly spacious, having 4 rooms, 1 bathroom, a living room and a generously sized kitchen. Leonard only had one sibling so the spare room was converted into a small office, though it saw little use.
The house was empty, which was good for leonards purposes. He rushed into his old room, left exactly the same as when he left, and pulled a dusty old notebook out from his bedside table.
His brain raced, various bits of incoherent information rushing to the front of his mind. He scribbled it all down, no matter how random it all seemed. He could decipher its meaning later, with it all jumbled in his head he had no chance, however as he wrote everything down some things started to come together.
The pressure in his head slowly subsided the more he wrote down, the presence that assaulted his brain seemingly satisfied that its gifts wouldn't go to waste and be forgotten if it didn't constantly remind him.
By the time he was done it had long since become night. He filled every page, the clarity that his mind gained when he closed shut the book was beyond anything he had ever felt. Somehow it seemed like his mind had been tempered, like a fog that assailed it had drifted away leaving his thoughts completely clear.
His cognitive abilities seemed to have increased, even the most minor detail from his past showed up clear in his mind as he focused on it. Any random memory he wished to recall would show up in his mind with such absurd clarity that he could count all the buttons on a shirt or see every blade of grass across a field.
The only issues arose when he tried to tap into the imparted memories from the lord's core, his brain clenching with pain the moment he tried.
No matter, he was sure they would become known to him eventually, for now he wanted to read what he had written down.
In his head it was unintelligible, like trying to read three stories at once, their words and meaning overlapping. However it easily became readable when transferred to paper.
To a layman it made no sense, words, letters and symbols jumbled together with no real order. But to Leonard it was as clear as day, the words meshing with the presence in his head into a completely understandable message.
He read, and its contents amazed him. It was all from years beyond the current, messages relayed from what he could only describe as his future self.
From what he could see he lived a long fulfilling life, slowly increasing his position within the Mech Corps until one day when the unthinkable happened. Their neighbours invaded.
From all sides Bastion was pressed, from the Condor Kingdom at its north to raids from the lawless pirate coves of the south. Even internally various factions and powers rose up in revolt. Against such sudden coordinated and overwhelming attacks, Bastion collapsed within days, and despite how much it pained the future version of Leonard, he was forced to flee.
“Surely this can't be true..” Leonard had full faith in his country, his family being deadly loyal to its flag. Forget the outsiders invading their territory, that happened already from time to time even if Bastion's foreign relations were currently the best they’ve ever been. Or at least that's what he once thought if this was to be believed.
It was the mention of internal factions that gnawed at him. The traitorous Noble faction, from what he could see they sided with their neighbours in order to reinstate the former royal house to power. A royal house all thought dead, but apparently was hiding in the Condor Kingdom, waiting to return.
He forcefully shook the desire to run out and accuse them of being traitors from his mind, without any proof he would be labelled as a mad man. And so he kept reading.
Future Leonard spent the next years of his life as a mercenary, founding a company and growing its force to such a degree that he could strike back against the traitorous Kingdom of Bastion to a small degree, with small raids disrupting their trade routes. However even after ascending to the fabled ranks of an expert pilot, as a single man he was not able to do much.
The rest of his life went by in a flash. The war against Bastion was not alone, various other states faced internal and external conflict, a wave of war was quickly sweeping throughout the galaxy's human domain. Every nation was affected.
Throughout years of conflict Leonard and his mercenaries rapidly gained a name for themselves, their ranks expanding as more and more of the galaxy devolved into mindless war.
After 30 years of conflict, with every nation exhausted and weakened for the constant battle, a tentative peace began to form.
That was however, only until the Terrans emerged from behind their wall.