Jaxon felt so despicable. He was no saint, that was for sure. However, the actions that he had taken to ensure victory felt so disgusting. It did not matter that it was a simulation. It did not matter that the people he killed in the simulation was not real. He felt sickened in every sense of the word. Had a mere few centuries on this planet turned him into an unfeeling murderer?

That didn’t make much sense as he had directly or indirectly ended so many lives on Earth. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of more lives he had ruined in the process. He had felt guilt over that, but never to such a degree as now. Perhaps it was easier to convince himself back then that he was making a difference by being in this profession. The consolation he received from this train of thought was pretty minor, but it kept him going long enough to spend a total of 4 decades in the Chinese Air Force eventually culminating in his placement of the highest position within the air force.

There was no doubt that he was making a difference, he just didn’t know if it ended up being for good, or bad. He felt conflicted with his entire career as an enlisted officer. So, he ended up just going through the motions for years on end until his retirement at 71. He lived for another 15 years after that, constantly living in the past and reliving all those he decisions he had made that ended with deaths at his own doing. He tried to get past all of that, but he never could.

That begged the question. What exactly was he fighting for on Planet 4? Most everyone on the Planet, that he had met anyway, treated the simulation as a game. Even his closest friend on this planet felt that way. He had seen that Roxi had felt the same with way about their actions, perhaps even a bit more strongly than even he did. Over his time on the planet, he had been going through the motions just as he had done in the latter half of his aerial career. Though he was not a child anymore, he could not stop thinking about how it all went wrong.

Throughout his childhood, he had wanted to become an engineer and build all sorts of planes. Aviation fascinated him so much. It was the invention that he felt truly advanced the human civilization to masters of the planet. Then again with space travel. He came from a relatively well-off family that had many connections all over the globe. However, this was not the future his parents had envisioned him.

They gave him a choice. Follow his dreams and do whatever he wanted without their financial backing, as well as being disowned. The second choice was to abandon his dream and follow their path. The final choice was the one that he had chosen, to go to a military school that would eventually lead him down the path of his desire. That military school was where he had met Baron. Where the two shared their dreams of all the things they would accomplish with their lives. They went their separate ways later on, but even then, his heart was broken when he heard the news of Baron’s passing.

Soon after, he was selected to become a pilot since he showed incredible talent in it. However, that was not what he wanted at all. He wanted to build planes, not fly them. He wasn’t sure if his parents had anything to do with it, but that was the moment that truly defined the rest of his life. A coffin of responsibilities pushed onto him would be what he would describe that fateful day.

He could not refuse the position even if he wanted to, it would have been problematic. More problematic than if he was disowned and alone. However, he never wanted any of that. All he wanted to do as a child, and even now, was to build planes. There was still one more match to go. He could pick himself up for one more battle, but after that, he would need to seriously reconsider what his priorities were on this planet, and where his responsibilities lay.

-----

Roxi also felt lost. She had been for a long time. She hoped that her journey to the other communities could reinvigorate her spirit. Sure she had a brilliant mind, with a technology that many sought. Now that she used it in a public match, everyone would want to purchase it. But what exactly was the end plan here? Keep fighting? For how long? Keep making weapons? What was the point? It just seemed like a neverending loop of craziness that would only ever end when no one wanted to fight anymore.

Sure, if she applied herself she could likely become a top-tier R&D specialist. She already was one for the Chinese community, and becoming one for the entire planet would only require time. All these weapons, simulations, everything, what was she doing all of this for? Baron? Not likely, she had lived for 60 years without him and a few centuries with him. If she had felt anything for him, it died long ago. Could it be that it was just a shared sense of responsibility? Who knows.

Throughout her journey of Planet 4, she had felt a black void in her being for most of it. Sure there were a few interesting events that got her blood pumping, but those did nothing to fill the void. As much as she excelled in her personal type of warfare, it did not bring her joy nor happiness. So what exactly was her purpose on Planet 4? A few days was not enough to think through everything. But she knew one thing for sure; war was getting dull. She only had to go through one more simulation before she left the Chinese community. Roxi would not attend the solo match of the Sun Tournament.

----

At first, Baron wasn’t sure if his two closest allies would be coming back, they had seemed quite distraught when the left after winning. There were a few days before the last of the group matches so he believed they needed a bit of time to get their thoughts in order. In the meantime, he continued to make conversation with Nicholas Adams, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Joseph Slim. He had learned so much from these individuals.

“How do you feel, Toyotomi? Everything I predicted about your battles came to pass,” Nicholas Adams asked.

“It feels terrible. Two losses in a row. That means that the most points that I can achieve for my community are a measly 4 points. What a disgrace,” Toyotomi Hideyoshi said with a big sigh and covering his face with his hands. Muttering “I guess Hideki Tojo was right about everything” under his breath so that no one else could hear.

“Try not to think about it too much, the participants this time around are some of the best the communities have to offer. Plus, luck and matchups exist here,” Baron encouraged.

“You are lucky to have such reliable teammates, Baron. Very lucky indeed. I am really glad your team showed Yamamoto, Genda, and especially that Tokugawa Ieyasu whose boss. But, I think I will just go and drink away my sorrows. Nicholas, Baron, I wish the two of you luck in your final match.” Toyotomi left with his team to go for some drinks.

“Well, I haven’t had much luck either, but honestly, I expected this,” Joseph Slim mentioned and sighed indignantly.

“Well, you Brits didn’t send your best to participate, did you?” Nicholas Adams guessed.

“Not really, but making the queen proud of her champions is something we all wish to accomplish in this tournament.”

“Haha, from the lineup of the French, I think they took the opposite approach. They have made their best participate in this Sun Tournament,” Nicholas reported.

“Yeah, no kidding, only 24 teams will remain undefeated for the final round. The French have 4, the US has 6, the Russians have 3, the Germans have 4, the Chinese have 3, and the Egyptian, Indian, British, and Japanese communities all have one each. There are a few simulations yet to finish, but I believe this will be what the final result before the fifth round of matches commence,” Baron laid out.

“That’s probably right. I’ve already got my match made out for me. I will be up against the 3 Mesopotamian kings that beat Toyotomi. This will be quite an interesting simulation to experience,” Nicholas revealed.

Joseph Slim studied Nicholas’ face, but all he could see was smiles and confidence. “Aren’t you worried about them at all? They seem pretty strong from the simulation of them I have watched.”

Nicholas looked at Joseph and shook his head. “Of course not, what is there to be afraid of? They may have been instrumental in placing high in 3 separate Death Match Tournaments, but they are old news.”

Baron was quite surprised by Nicholas’ lack of worry and overflowing certainty. He said nothing, but he was in awe of Nicholas. Which the latter could see.

“It’s nothing special, Baron. I have a large arsenal of weapons that I have been dying to use for a long time. Perhaps this time, these guys will be able to force my hand. Roxi’s not the only one with special secret weapons. I have been developing and tweaking some of these for centuries,” Nicholas boasted.

“Nicholas, do you plan on taking up Luca’s challenge?” Baron asked.

“What is that?” Joseph Slim asked, extremely interested.

Nicholas glanced over at Joseph for a second before looking down and answering, “it is an invite-only thing that has been the bane of many great strategists. It is also the only mystery on this planet worth pursuing, I believe.”

“Hmm, I think a few of my British colleagues have mentioned something about that. I think some are planning on doing it after the upcoming Death Match Tournament,” Joseph revealed.

“Well, no offense to your colleagues, but more likely than not, they are walking to their doom. From what I have heard with my sources from the Jordsand community, only 4 people in the history of the planet has managed to not completely fail. Out of tens of thousands. Warn them that those who fail are never seen again, not even the Jordsand members know what happens to them. That’s why some extremely prominent figures in history aren’t on this planet, even though they would be top-notch strategists,” Nicholas advised.

“…Excuse me, I think I have to report this to my queen. We are, how you say, unaware of this fact.” Joseph left with his allies in a hurry.

“Well, it looks like it’s just you and I alone again. So, do you plan on doing it soon, Baron?”

“I don’t think so, I feel inadequate in my abilities. Perhaps if I become one of the greatest strategists on the planet, then I might have a chance. I feel my inability is still far too great compared to some of the others,” Baron revealed.

“That’s not true, for you and your two allies. The three of you have managed something that many have come here dreaming of. To be one of the last teams standing undefeated. You three have attracted quite a lot of attention, I’m not sure if all of it is good, so you’ll have to be careful. Inspiring many is not a curse, but being popular certainly can have its drawbacks. That’s why I never use anything too flashy like that last stunt your friend Roxi pulled.”

“Yeah, that was quite the surprise wasn’t it,” Baron joked.

“To be honest with you, those of us who recognize Roxi isn’t surprised. We have known about this tech of hers for a long time. We just couldn’t determine if she had it in her mind or not. Turns out she does. I imagine things will be quite different for her now that this secret is out. But it seems like she needs to get away from all of this for a bit, as does your other ally. They both seem to have second thoughts on certain matters.”

“I did notice that too.”

The duo conversed for a little while longer, but eventually split up to take care of their matters; Nicholas to discover more of the Chinese community, and Baron to check up on his two allies. In the days leading up to the last group matches, Baron, Roxi, and Jaxon all came together to talk it all out. All three of them felt more invigorated to win that final match after the conversation, but when they looked at who they would be going up against, they tensed.

It would be against Ashoka the Great, the undisputed king of India. This would be a hard match. This was someone who had shaped the world even more than the Ptolemy’s of Egypt. Someone who Baron looked up to. A hard battle ahead indeed.