DPM Chapter 8-Eve of the Wedding Part 2
Translated by Snowfall77
At night, Wu Xingyun madly practiced marriage protocols, then drilled some more, never quite getting enough rest.
The jam-packed days passed quickly, and the peace negotiations were finalized. Wu Xingyun wouldn’t just be Mozun’s wife, he would be the one and only wife. Wu Xingyun’s existence and status as the Night Shard’s sole spouse represented the peace for both sides.
And the Night Shard could not repudiate his wife without cause.
Of course, Wu Xingyun would bring along a sizable dowry. A ten-member guard, various ships, technology books, organic seeds, and a few other things the Demon army were lacking.
Finally the night before the marriage ceremony came. Wu Xingyun tossed in his upper bunk, as Wen Nuo tried to sleep in the bunk below. Fidgeting, Wu Xingyun couldn’t stop thinking about his impending nuptials and the graphic, frightful descriptions of consummation he’d been given. A cold sweat flooded his body.
After Wu Xingyun had turned over more than ten times, Wen Nuo gave up. “What are you doing? Cause you not sleeping, you won’t let others sleep?”
Wu Xingyun bent over the side to speak. “I can’t sleep.”
Wen Nuo cushioned his head with his hands, looking at Wu Xingyun. He didn’t know why, but as soon as he saw that face, all his irritableness disappeared.
“I can’t sleep either,” said Wen Nuo, “Talk to me, why can’t you sleep?”
Wu Xingyun hugged his pillow and asked: “Can I come down?”
Wen Nuo sat up and leaned against the bedside, giving Wu Xingyun half a bunk, and said: “Come on down.”
Wu Xingyun, wearing loose shorts, climbed down and sat on the other side of the bed. He still held his pillow, not talking and staring out the window.
He could see the glint of stars from his angle.
Deta-Nuo had no satellites, nor could he make-out the galaxy he considered home, but there was a different scenery. He could see the starry depths of a deep scarlet nebula, floating like fog, or a misty dream.
Wen Nuo was also still, just quietly looking at Wu Xingyun.
Wen Nuo knew that in the morning the solider on his bed would go the Federal building, take his dowry, get married, and board a never-returning ship. In this lifetime, Wen Nuo might not ever see Wu Xingyun again.
Finally, Wu Xingyun spoke first. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”
Wen Nuo: “Mmm.”
“I’m reluctant,” Wu Xingyun confessed, “I don’t want to leave you, I don’t want to leave the Federation.”
Wen Nuo answered: “I can’t hardly bear to let you go…Wu Xingyun, you…Have you ever liked anyone?”
Wu Xingyun shook his head blankly. “I don’t know. I like Mother and Father, my brothers, but now I won’t get to see them. They wrote me a few days ago, letting me know that they knew…But they’re ordinary workers, they can’t do anything…”
Wu Xingyun’s voice sank into his pillow.
Wen Nuo, hearing Wu Xingyun’s distress, put aside his own pillow and moved to sit beside Wu Xingyun.
The already narrow bed started feeling a little crowded, as Wen Nuo put his hands behind his head.
The two men lapsed back into silence, each lost in their own troubled thoughts.
Eventually, Wen Nuo reached out an arm and put it behind Wu Xingyun, wishing that Wu Xingyun would lean back onto Wen Nuo’s shoulder.
They maintained that posture for a long time, when suddenly Wu Xingyun turned his head, saying: “I heard our original birthplace is the earth. I really do want to have a look at it.”
“Well, it is in Mozun’s territory, and you…Are going to be married to him…Later, he might take you there. Maybe he’ll fall in love with you too.”
Wu Xingyun considered a moment, then shook his head again. “No, I’m not a fool. It’s not me that he wants, it’s our science and technology, our research. He doesn’t like me at all, and he won’t love me. He just wants revenge for that shot I gave him.”
Wen Nuo sighed and tilted his head to see Wu Xingyun’s face in the dark, features indistinct, but with glistening eyes and a layer of bewilderment.
That perplexed look hit Wen Nuo in the heart, and his pulse started hammering.
“Who knows?” Wen Nuo told Wu Xingyun. “A marriage without love is terrible. But… you’re a good soldier, the best soldier. He might come to love you.”
“But I can’t love him…” Wu Xingyun spoke without hesitation. “He’s killed so many of us, he’s covered in the blood of our comrades, our ancestors. He is the enemy. At best, I can let go of my hatred and choose forgiveness. But to fall in love…impossible. Also…that female biologist frightened me, told me terrible things…I’m really scared.”
Wen Nuo patted Wu Xingyun’s back. What else could he do? He could only offer an embrace.
In a gentle voice, Wen Nuo reassured Wu Xingyun. “That lady was an alarmist, no need to pay attention to her.”
Wu Xingyun twisted his head to look at Wen Nuo. After a moment, Wu Xingyun asked: “Is it really not awful?”
Wen Nuo nodded, fighting down the impulse to take Wu Xingyun in his arms, touch him tenderly, and let him know that sex could be a beautiful, loving thing.
But the thoughts wouldn’t fade, and Wen Nuo’s body grew hot. His voice hoarsening, he said: “Xingyun, if you don’t believe me, I could show you that’s it’s good, nothing dreadful…”
“Oh. Commander, I want you to join my escort team. Is that alright?”
Wen Nuo tightened his arm around Wu Xingyun so that they were gazing into each other’s eyes. “Well, I…can deliver you safe and sound. But…You rest assured, I will bring you back in one piece someday.”
Wu Xingyun shyly smiled. He felt, for the first time, that Wen Nuo was like his big brother, taking such good care of him and showing a gentle side.
A explosion went off inside Wen Nuo. Wu Xingyun’s smile dazzled like a hundred million stars, so stunning that Wen Nuo lost his reason.
Wen Nuo bent his head and kissed Wu Xingyun’s lips.
Confused and at a loss, Wu Xingyun froze. He had found Wen Nuo’s embrace warm and relieving, like his mother’s hugs when Wu Xingyun had been a child.
Until the kissing.
Recovering from his dazedness, Wu Xingyun pushed Wen Nuo away, his face flushed. Wu Xingyun stared at Wen Nuo, and Wen Nuo stared back.
It was quite a while before Wen Nuo said: “Xingyun, I like you. No…I love you…”
Receiving his first confession, Wu Xingyun felt helpless. At a loss of what to do, he suddenly stood up and saluted. “Report! This…This is a violation of regulations! I…I can’t accept it.”
Then Wu Xingyun, in a rush of hands and feet, got back in his upper bunk, covered his head with the blanket, and dared not come out.
He could feel Wen Nuo pulling at the blanket, as Wu Xingyun used all his strength to hold it in place. There was a tug-of-war between the two men, until finally Wu Xingyun outlasted Wen Nuo. Wen Nuo offered: “I’m sorry…You…Don’t take it to heart, it won’t happen again.”
After Wen Nuo said that, Wu Xingyun heard the sound of the bedroom door opening and then shutting. Leaving only Wen Nuo’s sigh, like someone crumbling to pieces, and the faint smell of tobacco.
Wu Xingyun poked his head out from under the blanket. Still bewildered, after a moment he touched his lips. He felt awkward, and more preoccupied with what had just happened than his upcoming wedding night.
The next morning, when Wu Xingyun got up, his escorts were waiting for him outside. The crowd of people used more than a dozen carapace vehicles to travel to the Federal building.
To Wu Xingyun’s surprise, Wen Nuo was nowhere to be seen.
Apparently, after what had happened last night, Wen Nuo wasn’t going to join Wu Xingyun’s escort team. And…After that kiss, it would be insensitive on Wu Xingyun’s part to try and include Wen Nuo.
About a half hour later, the carapace vehicles stopped in front of their destination. The large crowd made their way to the original screening field.
The field had become a makeshift wedding venue, pink balloons and flowers festooning everywhere. Wu Xingyun, stuffed into a freshly-pressed, immaculate uniform, stood at the front of his escort team.
One hundred people comprised the team, united in an orderly, square formation.
On the podium, all the Galactic Federation big shots had arrived. Not only the ones Wu Xingyun had met before, but also some he hadn’t seen.
First, President Hobbs made a speech, then Vice President Ouyang Feng took his turn to bloviate. After an excessive amount of nonsense, Ouyang Feng addressed Wu Xingyun. “After consultations with the Night Shard, one more person has been added to your team. Ouyang Liu, join the ranks! You’ll be presenting the team as Captain.”
Ouyang Liu, who’d been loitering under the stage a long time, stood at attention: “Yes!” Then he ran to the formation, standing conspicuously in the front, side by side with Wu Xingyun.
All the soldiers were suitably stunned, but the people on the podium looked indifferent. They’d clearly known beforehand.
Pleased with his position, Ouyang Liu raised an eyebrow and whispered provocatively to Wu Xingyun. “Boy, you’re still dreaming. The Night Shard doesn’t like you at all. He’s just using you as a plaything!”
Wu Xingyun stepped forward, saluting those on the podium. “President, I have a question!”
Silver-haired President Hobbs beamed benevolence. “Whatever the question, you may ask it.”
“President, you once told me if I had any requirements, the Federation would find a way to meet them, correct?”
“Yes,” President Hobbs affirmed, “I allowed you to think it over. The guarantee is valid until you get married. It’s not just my personal promise, it’s the entire Federation’s promise to you.”
President Hobbs glanced behind him, at all the other big and important people, and they solemnly nodded their agreement.
Hobbs continued: “Whatever it is, go ahead and say it.”
Wu Xingyun once again stood at attention and saluted, then clearly spoke: “Captain Ouyang Liu does not meet the standards of the escort team. At this critical time, such a person cannot be included! I do not accept his entry onto the team. And my requirement is that he is removed.”
DPM Chapter 8-Eve of the Wedding Part 2
Translated by Snowfall77
At night, Wu Xingyun madly practiced marriage protocols, then drilled some more, never quite getting enough rest.
The jam-packed days passed quickly, and the peace negotiations were finalized. Wu Xingyun wouldn’t just be Mozun’s wife, he would be the one and only wife. Wu Xingyun’s existence and status as the Night Shard’s sole spouse represented the peace for both sides.
And the Night Shard could not repudiate his wife without cause.
Of course, Wu Xingyun would bring along a sizable dowry. A ten-member guard, various ships, technology books, organic seeds, and a few other things the Demon army were lacking.
Finally the night before the marriage ceremony came. Wu Xingyun tossed in his upper bunk, as Wen Nuo tried to sleep in the bunk below. Fidgeting, Wu Xingyun couldn’t stop thinking about his impending nuptials and the graphic, frightful descriptions of consummation he’d been given. A cold sweat flooded his body.
After Wu Xingyun had turned over more than ten times, Wen Nuo gave up. “What are you doing? Cause you not sleeping, you won’t let others sleep?”
Wu Xingyun bent over the side to speak. “I can’t sleep.”
Wen Nuo cushioned his head with his hands, looking at Wu Xingyun. He didn’t know why, but as soon as he saw that face, all his irritableness disappeared.
“I can’t sleep either,” said Wen Nuo, “Talk to me, why can’t you sleep?”
Wu Xingyun hugged his pillow and asked: “Can I come down?”
Wen Nuo sat up and leaned against the bedside, giving Wu Xingyun half a bunk, and said: “Come on down.”
Wu Xingyun, wearing loose shorts, climbed down and sat on the other side of the bed. He still held his pillow, not talking and staring out the window.
He could see the glint of stars from his angle.
Deta-Nuo had no satellites, nor could he make-out the galaxy he considered home, but there was a different scenery. He could see the starry depths of a deep scarlet nebula, floating like fog, or a misty dream.
Wen Nuo was also still, just quietly looking at Wu Xingyun.
Wen Nuo knew that in the morning the solider on his bed would go the Federal building, take his dowry, get married, and board a never-returning ship. In this lifetime, Wen Nuo might not ever see Wu Xingyun again.
Finally, Wu Xingyun spoke first. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”
Wen Nuo: “Mmm.”
“I’m reluctant,” Wu Xingyun confessed, “I don’t want to leave you, I don’t want to leave the Federation.”
Wen Nuo answered: “I can’t hardly bear to let you go…Wu Xingyun, you…Have you ever liked anyone?”
Wu Xingyun shook his head blankly. “I don’t know. I like Mother and Father, my brothers, but now I won’t get to see them. They wrote me a few days ago, letting me know that they knew…But they’re ordinary workers, they can’t do anything…”
Wu Xingyun’s voice sank into his pillow.
Wen Nuo, hearing Wu Xingyun’s distress, put aside his own pillow and moved to sit beside Wu Xingyun.
The already narrow bed started feeling a little crowded, as Wen Nuo put his hands behind his head.
The two men lapsed back into silence, each lost in their own troubled thoughts.
Eventually, Wen Nuo reached out an arm and put it behind Wu Xingyun, wishing that Wu Xingyun would lean back onto Wen Nuo’s shoulder.
They maintained that posture for a long time, when suddenly Wu Xingyun turned his head, saying: “I heard our original birthplace is the earth. I really do want to have a look at it.”
“Well, it is in Mozun’s territory, and you…Are going to be married to him…Later, he might take you there. Maybe he’ll fall in love with you too.”
Wu Xingyun considered a moment, then shook his head again. “No, I’m not a fool. It’s not me that he wants, it’s our science and technology, our research. He doesn’t like me at all, and he won’t love me. He just wants revenge for that shot I gave him.”
Wen Nuo sighed and tilted his head to see Wu Xingyun’s face in the dark, features indistinct, but with glistening eyes and a layer of bewilderment.
That perplexed look hit Wen Nuo in the heart, and his pulse started hammering.
“Who knows?” Wen Nuo told Wu Xingyun. “A marriage without love is terrible. But… you’re a good soldier, the best soldier. He might come to love you.”
“But I can’t love him…” Wu Xingyun spoke without hesitation. “He’s killed so many of us, he’s covered in the blood of our comrades, our ancestors. He is the enemy. At best, I can let go of my hatred and choose forgiveness. But to fall in love…impossible. Also…that female biologist frightened me, told me terrible things…I’m really scared.”
Wen Nuo patted Wu Xingyun’s back. What else could he do? He could only offer an embrace.
In a gentle voice, Wen Nuo reassured Wu Xingyun. “That lady was an alarmist, no need to pay attention to her.”
Wu Xingyun twisted his head to look at Wen Nuo. After a moment, Wu Xingyun asked: “Is it really not awful?”
Wen Nuo nodded, fighting down the impulse to take Wu Xingyun in his arms, touch him tenderly, and let him know that sex could be a beautiful, loving thing.
But the thoughts wouldn’t fade, and Wen Nuo’s body grew hot. His voice hoarsening, he said: “Xingyun, if you don’t believe me, I could show you that’s it’s good, nothing dreadful…”
“Oh. Commander, I want you to join my escort team. Is that alright?”
Wen Nuo tightened his arm around Wu Xingyun so that they were gazing into each other’s eyes. “Well, I…can deliver you safe and sound. But…You rest assured, I will bring you back in one piece someday.”
Wu Xingyun shyly smiled. He felt, for the first time, that Wen Nuo was like his big brother, taking such good care of him and showing a gentle side.
A explosion went off inside Wen Nuo. Wu Xingyun’s smile dazzled like a hundred million stars, so stunning that Wen Nuo lost his reason.
Wen Nuo bent his head and kissed Wu Xingyun’s lips.
Confused and at a loss, Wu Xingyun froze. He had found Wen Nuo’s embrace warm and relieving, like his mother’s hugs when Wu Xingyun had been a child.
Until the kissing.
Recovering from his dazedness, Wu Xingyun pushed Wen Nuo away, his face flushed. Wu Xingyun stared at Wen Nuo, and Wen Nuo stared back.
It was quite a while before Wen Nuo said: “Xingyun, I like you. No…I love you…”
Receiving his first confession, Wu Xingyun felt helpless. At a loss of what to do, he suddenly stood up and saluted. “Report! This…This is a violation of regulations! I…I can’t accept it.”
Then Wu Xingyun, in a rush of hands and feet, got back in his upper bunk, covered his head with the blanket, and dared not come out.
He could feel Wen Nuo pulling at the blanket, as Wu Xingyun used all his strength to hold it in place. There was a tug-of-war between the two men, until finally Wu Xingyun outlasted Wen Nuo. Wen Nuo offered: “I’m sorry…You…Don’t take it to heart, it won’t happen again.”
After Wen Nuo said that, Wu Xingyun heard the sound of the bedroom door opening and then shutting. Leaving only Wen Nuo’s sigh, like someone crumbling to pieces, and the faint smell of tobacco.
Wu Xingyun poked his head out from under the blanket. Still bewildered, after a moment he touched his lips. He felt awkward, and more preoccupied with what had just happened than his upcoming wedding night.
The next morning, when Wu Xingyun got up, his escorts were waiting for him outside. The crowd of people used more than a dozen carapace vehicles to travel to the Federal building.
To Wu Xingyun’s surprise, Wen Nuo was nowhere to be seen.
Apparently, after what had happened last night, Wen Nuo wasn’t going to join Wu Xingyun’s escort team. And…After that kiss, it would be insensitive on Wu Xingyun’s part to try and include Wen Nuo.
About a half hour later, the carapace vehicles stopped in front of their destination. The large crowd made their way to the original screening field.
The field had become a makeshift wedding venue, pink balloons and flowers festooning everywhere. Wu Xingyun, stuffed into a freshly-pressed, immaculate uniform, stood at the front of his escort team.
One hundred people comprised the team, united in an orderly, square formation.
On the podium, all the Galactic Federation big shots had arrived. Not only the ones Wu Xingyun had met before, but also some he hadn’t seen.
First, President Hobbs made a speech, then Vice President Ouyang Feng took his turn to bloviate. After an excessive amount of nonsense, Ouyang Feng addressed Wu Xingyun. “After consultations with the Night Shard, one more person has been added to your team. Ouyang Liu, join the ranks! You’ll be presenting the team as Captain.”
Ouyang Liu, who’d been loitering under the stage a long time, stood at attention: “Yes!” Then he ran to the formation, standing conspicuously in the front, side by side with Wu Xingyun.
All the soldiers were suitably stunned, but the people on the podium looked indifferent. They’d clearly known beforehand.
Pleased with his position, Ouyang Liu raised an eyebrow and whispered provocatively to Wu Xingyun. “Boy, you’re still dreaming. The Night Shard doesn’t like you at all. He’s just using you as a plaything!”
Wu Xingyun stepped forward, saluting those on the podium. “President, I have a question!”
Silver-haired President Hobbs beamed benevolence. “Whatever the question, you may ask it.”
“President, you once told me if I had any requirements, the Federation would find a way to meet them, correct?”
“Yes,” President Hobbs affirmed, “I allowed you to think it over. The guarantee is valid until you get married. It’s not just my personal promise, it’s the entire Federation’s promise to you.”
President Hobbs glanced behind him, at all the other big and important people, and they solemnly nodded their agreement.
Hobbs continued: “Whatever it is, go ahead and say it.”
Wu Xingyun once again stood at attention and saluted, then clearly spoke: “Captain Ouyang Liu does not meet the standards of the escort team. At this critical time, such a person cannot be included! I do not accept his entry onto the team. And my requirement is that he is removed.”
