Salamander, clad in his formidable power armor, found himself aboard the sleek, advanced ship assigned to him by Aldred. The vessel hummed with the latest technology, a testament to the alliance's commitment to equipping its emissaries for the challenges that lay ahead.
As he navigated the cosmos, Salamander contemplated the new challenges that unfolded after the demonic ship attack and Aldred's commanding announcement. The galaxy, once a tapestry of diverse civilizations, now grappled with the looming cosmic conflict. Each planet bore the weight of its own concerns and doubts, presenting Salamander with a formidable task: convincing leaders to contribute resources for the war effort.
His ship descended onto a vibrant planet, its surface a mosaic of ecosystems and civilizations. Salamander, a lone emissary in his formidable armor, stepped onto the planetary soil, greeted by representatives from the local council.
"Greetings, Mr. Emissary." The man simply said without any other gesture as if saying his presence wasn't very welcome.
"Let us lead you to the council immediately."
Straight to the chase. Usually, Salamander would receive pleasentries and some time for himself to get used to the new planet and understand its culture. It seem like they did not plan to let him stay for long.
Inside the chamber, diverse species and dignitaries gathered, their expressions reflecting a mix of curiosity and skepticism. Salamander, standing tall in his power armor, addressed the assembly with a resonant voice that echoed through the chamber.
"People of this esteemed council, I come as a representative of Aldred and the cosmic alliance. The recent events, the demonic ship's assault, and Aldred's call to arms necessitate a united front against the looming threat. Our worlds face a peril that transcends borders, and your contribution is paramount to our collective survival."
However, the response was not as unanimous as Salamander had hoped. Planetary leaders exchanged wary glances, hesitant to divert resources from their own concerns to a cosmic war that seemed distant and abstract.
One council member, a representative of a technologically advanced race, spoke up, "Why should we sacrifice our resources for a conflict that may not directly impact our world? Our focus should be on protecting our own people, not embroiling ourselves in an intergalactic struggle."
Salamander sighed inside.
He had faced this kind of argument numerous times to the point he was so sick of hearing them.
Still, he faced the issue head on and moved to the next planet after his task was done.
He kept doing this for a few months until he sat in his private chamber within the ship. "This is so tiring."
Suddenly, Cleome's face popped up on a holographic screen. "What's up with that face? Your mission isn't going well?"
"It never has," Salamander said.
"Of course not. You always picked the planets that has the highest probability of rejecting to contribute to the war. If you let the system choose for you, the difficulty will be more balanced and you won't be exhausted."
"No. Let me choose."
Cleome looked at Salamander's expression. "Why are you doing this? You're not the type that likes to handle this kind of thing. Aldred gave you the thing you always wanted. Your own lab and a team of researches and endless amount of funds to conduct your experiments. Your innovations are well-received and greatly help our mercenaries in their tasks. Why quit your dream job?"
"To be honest, I feel like I cannot grow anymore. It's like there is an invisible wall in front if me not letting me to advance further."
"Everyone thinks like that. All we have to do is keep going, right?"
"Yes, I know that." Salamander looked down. "There is always improvement being made, however, the increment is getting smaller and smaller while we need more effort and more time to the point it's depressing to think about."
"Salamander, I think you are overthinking. You only play this field seriously for two years. We still got a long time ahead of us."
Salamander raised his head and looked at her. "You really think we have time? A massive war is ahead of us. The clock is ticking and I cannot do anything to help at all."
He slammed the table in anger. "Even without me, Aldred can still fight the demons and lead this organization. I… I am useless."
Shinari could not say anything when she heard the last word. She could understand what Salamander felt, because she also felt the same way.
Their friend, Aldred, suddenly became a big shot one day, and his back kept getting further and further.
Their power were no longer needed in the grand scale of things and it made them feel dissapointed with themselves.
"Let's talk about this with the others."
Cleome commenced a group call with Shinari, Shuzib, Cellaeth, and Elralya.
Cleome immediately told them the problem.
Shinari was the first one to reply. "I get it. I have been working with Aldred closely for the past few months. I can understand why you guys feel that way. We want to be useful to him. I get it."
Shuzib sighed. "To be honest I also met a bottleneck in my research. The endless amount of knowledge I got from Aldred is too huge for me to properly analyze and research that it take decades to complete."
Cellaeth heard their conversation and snorted. "You hairless monkeys always have this habit of devaluing yourself."
"What do you mean?" Shinari asked.
"Have some confidence in yourself. What you have been doing has been a great help for Aldred. Aldred can focus on his task, because he knows that his friends have his back."
The others were shocked by Cellaeth's comment. They never thought of it that way.
For a long time, they always thought that they could easily be replaced by someone else because the job they had been doing were so mundane.
However, Cellaeth presented a completely new perspective.
Salamander took in a deep breath. "It might be true that Aldred is relieved that we have his back. However, that does not mean that we should not strive to help him more."
