From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 797 Everything is right
The two began to review the documents together, and Franklin would occasionally ask Eleanor questions and seek her advice.

At first, Eleanor kept her answers brief, professional, and a little distant, but as time went on, her tone gradually became less stiff, and she even offered her own original insights on certain policy issues, just as she had before.

This change also made Franklin feel as if he had returned to the past for a moment.

"You know what, Eleanor."

After reviewing a document, Franklin took the opportunity to say, "I have always envied your meticulousness and your unique analytical ability. You always see the details that I overlook, as if you complement me."

Eleanor's fingers paused on the datapad, trembling slightly. "That's just my job."

"No, that is your talent. It is also the tacit understanding and bond between the two of us. I realized this from the first day we met."

When the past was mentioned, the atmosphere in the air suddenly became solemn. Eleanor lowered her eyes, and her long eyelashes cast a small shadow on her face.

"That was a long time ago," she said softly.

Franklin put down the documents in his hand, leaned back in his chair and looked out the window.

The sun has slowly set behind the artificial dome of the space city, and the afterglow of the sunset is shining on every building. In the airlock area in the distance, Franklin can also see a transport spacecraft with the Atlas logo slowly entering.

I don’t know if it was because of seeing this LOGO, but Franklin suddenly said as if talking to himself:
"Sometimes I wonder if we had taken a different path, if I had not been blinded by those false ideals, would the story have turned out differently?"

Eleanor did not answer immediately. Her fingers gently stroked the edge of the data pad. The only sounds in the office were the faint sound of the air conditioner and the occasional low hum of an aircraft engine coming from outside the window.

"There are no ifs in history, Mr. President."

Eleanor finally spoke, her voice regaining its calm and capable tone.

"We can only accept the reality and try to make the future better."

Franklin smiled bitterly: "Yeah, there is no if, but sometimes, recalling the past and thinking about our choices may help us not to repeat the same mistakes."

His mind flashed back to the scenes he had often seen during this period, of the reconstruction of densely populated areas, including the capital. The flag of the New Federation was flying everywhere, often alongside it, the logo of the Atlas Group.

"Mr. Amber showed me a future I never thought of."

Franklin continued: "There is a future in which human civilization can truly endure. At first I did not believe in it, but now I begin to see hope."

Eleanor raised her head and looked at Franklin's back without saying anything.

Franklin turned around and met Eleanor's eyes. In another silence, their eyes met in the air, as if they were communicating something silently. The air in the office seemed to freeze, and even time seemed to slow down.

After an unknown amount of time, Franklin took a deep breath and said, "Eleanor, can we be like before?"

Eleanor's eyes widened slightly, a light flashed in them, but soon dimmed, and her fingers tightly grasped the data tablet, her knuckles turning white.

"Like before?"

She repeated softly, with an imperceptible tremor in her voice.

"Franklin, when do you mean 'before'? Before I went undercover for the Atlas Group, or before you discovered my true identity?"

Franklin was stunned for a moment by this sudden and direct question, but he quickly calmed down: "I mean when we trusted each other, no matter what happened, Eleanor. I never doubted your loyalty to the Restoration Alliance, especially after knowing the truth."

Eleanor shook her head, the light in her eyes became more complicated. "Loyalty. This word seems to have become so vague recently. I am loyal to the Renaissance Alliance, but I am more loyal to our original ideal - to build a more just and prosperous human society, and Ms. Isabel and Mr. Amber have shown me the way to achieve this ideal."

"I see," Franklin said quietly, "I see it now, but that's not what I'm asking, Eleanor. I want to know whether it's possible for the relationship between us to be restored."

Franklin's blunt question caused Eleanor's breathing to hitch slightly.

She slowly put down the data tablet and placed her hands flat on the table, as if trying to control her emotions. The setting sun outside the window shone on her profile, outlining her delicate features.

“Franklin,” she said, rarely addressing him by his first name, her voice softening. “A lot has changed. We’ve all made our own choices, and those choices have led us to where we are today.”

Franklin leaned forward and placed his hands on the table, almost touching Eleanor's fingertips.

"But people change, Eleanor! I have changed. Now I see a bigger picture, a future that transcends personal ambitions. I am no longer the paranoid revolutionary who only sees my own ideals."

Eleanor's eyes suddenly flashed with a lively light, an expression that Franklin had not seen for a long time, but this light was quickly suppressed by her. She shook her head gently: "Maybe we all need more time to use this time to heal the wounds and rebuild trust."

She stood up and straightened the hem of her suit. "If there's nothing else, Mr. President, I think I should go and arrange the changes to your afternoon meeting."

Franklin opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded: "Go."

Eleanor walked towards the door but stopped just before leaving.

She didn't look back, but there was a tenderness in her voice that Franklin could hardly recognize: "I do hope that one day the barriers between us will be removed, but it won't be today. It will take time, Franklin."

Then she left, leaving Franklin standing alone in the sun, watching the door slowly close.
-
The intelligence processing center that Isabel is in charge of has also been moved to a separate area of ​​the Crown Fortress, away from main passages and crowded areas.

The security level here is second only to key areas such as the fortress power unit and Saleh's research area. It is currently the nerve center of the entire Atlas Group's intelligence system.

When Amber and the android Lilith walked into Isabel's office, Isabel was standing in front of a holographic screen that covered the entire wall. The screen was densely packed with various ancient texts and images.

"What did you find?" Amber asked directly. Isabel turned around with a mixed expression of excitement and worry on her face: "Regarding the prophecy of the Thousand Star Empire, I have collected a lot of information through multiple current intelligence channels and Alanita. This prophecy does not seem to exist only in the Thousand Star Empire. On the contrary, there is a similar language in the human world. Although the expression form is different, the core content is surprisingly consistent."

She waved her hand to summon a virtual screen that displayed a series of images. These images came from different planets in the Thousand Star Empire or the human world, and from different time periods.

But the scenes they depict are surprisingly similar - a beam of light flashes across the starry sky, and within this beam of light are densely packed long and thin black shadows.

"These records all speak of the return of some kind of power. Amber, do you remember the language we found on Pyla IV?"

"Those prophecies about 'battlefield angels', 'true gods on the throne', and 'living saints who transcend the void'?"

"Yes~ After that, we have gradually completed this prophecy. In fact, this prophecy has a second half that fewer people know about, which also mentions the 'return of a certain power'."

Isabel paused, then explained: "This 'power' has different names in different eras, different human civilizations, and the kingdom of elves, but there is a high probability that these names all refer to the same thing."

"Forerunner civilization." Amber's face suddenly darkened. After all, after coming into contact with Saleh and so many things happening, he already knew that anything that had anything to do with the Forerunners was not a good thing.

On the other side, Isabel continued, "According to our analysis, this prophecy may be related to some kind of cosmic periodic event discovered by the Thousand Star Empire, and according to the elves' calendar calculations, this cycle is about to come."

Amber frowned slightly: "What kind of incident was it?"

Isabel shook her head. "That's the problem. The most important sentence in the elves' prophecy is 'Darkness is coming, and the Star Guide will appear.' We think this 'Star Guide' refers to the Forerunner, but it is not clear what the darkness refers to, nor how the Forerunner will appear."

"By the way, what did Saleh say?" Amber suddenly remembered that there was a living 'pioneer' next to her.

"Salih."

When this name was mentioned, Isabel also showed a helpless smile on her face.

"Of course, when I discovered that it was related to the 'Forerunner Civilization', I immediately found Salih. However, when she heard the prophecy, her expression was a little strange. After that, no matter how I asked, she was unwilling to reveal a word. Now she has locked herself in the laboratory."

"This is a bit of a big problem."

When Amber heard Isabelle's description of Saleh's reaction, she immediately thought of his previous "Riddler" behavior.

Of course, there was also the dreamlike experience that suddenly occurred when he touched the refining equipment left by the forerunners.
As Amber thought about it, he walked closer to the virtual screen covered with various images and carefully studied the images and texts on it. However, he could not find more useful information from these obscure images.

"Any other clues?"

Isabel nodded, and then called up another set of information: "There is another strange thing. In an ancient elven document provided by Alanita, there is a saying that the fate of elves and humans is intertwined. They call humans "latecomers", and the prophecy also mentions that "when the latecomers reach the crossroads, everything will be irreversible."

"Crossroads," Amber muttered. "What do you think this means?"

Isabel: "It may be some kind of key historical turning point. Considering the current situation in the human world - the establishment of the New Federation, the ascension of the new queen of the Star Dragon Empire, and the rise of the Atlas Group - we are indeed at a crossroads in history."

Amber nodded, a glimmer of realization in her eyes: "So the Phoenix King suddenly invited us because he believes the prophesied moment has arrived?"

"It is very likely. According to the intelligence we have, there are different factions within the Thousand Star Empire, and they have different views on how to deal with this prophecy."

Amber was silent for a moment, then turned to Lilith: "What do you think of this prophecy?"

Lilith's eyes flickered slightly, as if she was processing information at high speed. After a moment, she replied:

"From the analysis of all the information available, these prophecies show amazing consistency. If we apply key information such as 'Crossroads', 'Battlefield Angels', and 'Living Saints', then the current historical node does indeed conform to the prophecy description."

She paused, then added, "In addition, there are indeed some different situations within the Thousand Star Empire, and abnormal activities have increased significantly, which may be related to their preparations for this prophecy."

Amber's gaze returned to the image again - the light in the starry sky, and the densely packed, slender black shadows within the light.

A strange feeling passed through him, as if the image was conveying some message to him.

"Well, whatever this prophecy means, we will find out in the Thousand Star Empire."

Amber finally said, "Isabelle, you take the intelligence center to continue collecting relevant information Lilith, and plan the trip to the Thousand Star Empire in detail. I need a risk assessment to prepare."

The two nodded in response, while Amber's eyes remained on the mysterious drawings.

Prophecy, crossroads, forerunner.
Amber felt like she had grasped something, but she just needed the final push to kick away the obstacle in front of her.

"Looks like I still need to find someone to help me kick it."

With this in mind, Amber temporarily separated from Isabel and Lilith, then took the commuter train inside the fortress to the laboratory block in Saleh.

When the laboratory door was certified, the tightly closed alloy door slowly opened, and a voice with a very complicated tone came from inside.

"Amber, I can't say anything!"

"Ah? I didn't ask you to say anything."

Amber walked into the core area of ​​the laboratory. After seeing Saleh sitting upright with a very serious expression on her face, he showed an expression that made Saleh feel "not good".

"Don't worry, I'll tell you this time~"

(End of this chapter)